“Yasmina Khadra may well be the most powerful and serious writer in French since his Algerian compatriot Albert Camus.” —Ph... read full description
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Jul 02, 2008
Nadia
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Forced to leave the University of Baghdad when the Americans invade Iraq, a young man returns home to his small desert village, where he witnesses three unspeakable acts of violence committed by American soldiers. Consumed by a desire for revenge, the youth returns to the city where is he is taken in by a radical group. Before long, he finds himself part of a terrorist operation which will take him to London. But as the time to board the plane draws near, he struggles to reconcile himself to his
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Sep 14, 2011
Amandine
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Dans le cadre de cette trilogie et de ce projet littéraire, ce livre-ci me semble le plus abouti des trois (bien que mon préféré soit plutôt Les hirondelles de Kaboul pour le style et le sujet abordé). Le malentendu qui oppose Orient et Occident y est abordé plus explicitement que jamais et est même nommé à plusieurs reprises. En effet, les Irakiens dont le territoire est envahi ne sont pas seulement en colère contre les Américains, mais contre l’ensemble de l’Occident qui les rabaisse et a perd
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Nov 20, 2010
Il destino, per il ragazzo iracheno di Kafr Karam, è un germoglio schiacciato dallo scarpone marine che abbatte a terra il padre, esponendone la nudità.
È un villaggio che vorrebbe sottrarsi al tempo e lasciarsi cullare dalla musica ma è scosso dal cupo frastuono degli elicotteri. È un malato di mente che corre a braccia tese nel deserto e viene freddato da una raffica di mitra. È una coscienza che non fa in tempo a crescere che già qualcuno è pronto ad appropriarsene.</p>
È un villaggio che vorrebbe sottrarsi al tempo e lasciarsi cullare dalla musica ma è scosso dal cupo frastuono degli elicotteri. È un malato di mente che corre a braccia tese nel deserto e viene freddato da una raffica di mitra. È una coscienza che non fa in tempo a crescere che già qualcuno è pronto ad appropriarsene.</p>
Il destino è quell
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Jan 05, 2009
The Sirens of Baghdad, by Yahsmina Khadra, narrated by Jason Collins, produced by Blackstone Audio, downloaded from audible.com.
A student at Baghdad University has to leave his studies and return home because of danger to his family from the Americans and the war. In his own small village, he witnesses the senseless killing by an American soldier of a mentally disabled boy, witnesses the aftermath of an attack on a compound where a wedding party is in progress, the attack occurring More...
A student at Baghdad University has to leave his studies and return home because of danger to his family from the Americans and the war. In his own small village, he witnesses the senseless killing by an American soldier of a mentally disabled boy, witnesses the aftermath of an attack on a compound where a wedding party is in progress, the attack occurring More...
Oct 21, 2011
Lexie
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We were poor, common people, but we were at peace. Until the day when our privacy was violated, our taboos broken, our dignity dragged through mud and gore ... until the day when brutes festooned with grenades and handcuffs burst into the gardens of Babylon, come to teach poets how to be free men ...
We're honest by vocation.
My father had suddenly turned into an old man. His village-elder aura had vanished; his look of command had no more vigor and no more range.
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We're honest by vocation.
My father had suddenly turned into an old man. His village-elder aura had vanished; his look of command had no more vigor and no more range.
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Oct 09, 2010
CJ
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The Sirens of Baghdad is truly an eye-opener, provided us with an insight and perspective on the war and the people who directly involved in the war itself. The story was told from the point of view of a young Iraqis and took place during the invasion of US army in Iraq after the tragedy of September 11. He experienced all the damages including the emotional damage due to the cruelty of the war. This is a well crafted story with full of emotions, disappointments, sadness, anger and resentment. Y
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Oct 21, 2007
Pat
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Anyone who wants to understand why we should get out of Iraq today, every single American soldier, should read this book. To Iraqis, American style democracy is totally irrelevant. We need to understand what IS important to Iraqis to understand the harm we are doing. It also provides a window into the mind of a suicide "bomber".
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Oct 18, 2009
Deirdre
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If you haven't read this book, put it on the top of the stack! What is truth? What causes war? How can we come to a place of common ground? This novel reads with authenticity from the point of view of a young Bedouin man in Iraq. The remote, small village runs smoothly with respect and ancient patterns. After the Americans begin bombing, everything changes. Terrorized by senseless violence, he travels to Baghdad in search of revenge.
This is on my list of anti-war books, startin More...
This is on my list of anti-war books, startin More...
Aug 20, 2011
Jonathan
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This book is better written than The Swallows of Kabul (one of his other books), but the outcome is not hardly as shocking, and a bit of a let down really. The whole book hints at something massive, but never really reaches its potential both in the scheme of the plot and and the style of the writing. One thing I did like though is the correlation the style of writing has with the plot. In other words, when the main character is describing how boring his life is, I found the style of writing rec
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Feb 27, 2010
Julia
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When the Americans invade Iraq, a young man from a small desert village witnesses a number of atrocities by the americans which completely change his life. He becomes consumed by the desire to avenge these unspeakable acts. He goes to Baghdad, and there he is taken in by a group of radicals and tells them he will do anything they ask of him. He then becomes the focal point of a super secret mission to destroy thousands (or more) people in the Western world. This mission is bigger than just be
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Jun 21, 2009
Lynne
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A book truly filled with the existential angst of an Iraqi youth, I breathed a deep sigh of relief at a frank and multi-layered depiction of Iraqi resentment towards the West. Well-balanced and interesting to read, I found myself loving the protagonist despite his growing, unrelenting desire to destroy the culture that I call home. This book took an angered youth and focused, not on his ideology, but on the circumstances that shaped it. Brief and artfully crafted, I will definitely be keeping
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Jul 24, 2011
Ape
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My 2009 bookcrossing review:
Well, this book is really worth reading, although it is grim reading material. I know it's fiction, but all the same it feels like an on-the-ground account of Iraq after the American invasion; and through this you can understand why young men are becoming radicalised and prepared to kill themselves if only to take down a few Westerners with them. Not that I am saying I think it's ok to fall into this mind set at all - quite the opposite and I feel it's rea More...
Well, this book is really worth reading, although it is grim reading material. I know it's fiction, but all the same it feels like an on-the-ground account of Iraq after the American invasion; and through this you can understand why young men are becoming radicalised and prepared to kill themselves if only to take down a few Westerners with them. Not that I am saying I think it's ok to fall into this mind set at all - quite the opposite and I feel it's rea More...
Jul 26, 2009
Todd
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Along the lines of The Kite Runner, this book is a beautifully written and sometimes brutally graphic account of a young boy's comming of age. The story takes place in a small Arab village in the western sands of Iraq. I definitely recommend it if you want some insight into why people take certain routes to acheive their version of justice and/or salvation- and the roads that took them there. Yasmin Khadra is a gifted writer from Algeria, but I would have thought him an Iraqi from the accuracy o
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Nov 13, 2008
Roossy
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THE SIRENS OF BAGHDAD
This book was about individual sense of right and wrong, individual straggle with hatred and fear. It began in a quiet little town named Kafr Karam, where everybody knew everybody and addressed each other “cousin”. The main character of this story had faced a humiliation,a defeat and a tragic trauma in a short time. He witnessed a dear son of his friend being shot by a GI; a wedding party blew up by a missile and his family humiliation. His innocent was ripped More...
This book was about individual sense of right and wrong, individual straggle with hatred and fear. It began in a quiet little town named Kafr Karam, where everybody knew everybody and addressed each other “cousin”. The main character of this story had faced a humiliation,a defeat and a tragic trauma in a short time. He witnessed a dear son of his friend being shot by a GI; a wedding party blew up by a missile and his family humiliation. His innocent was ripped More...
Jul 05, 2010
Fadoua
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I read the French edition of this book. The book tells us the story of Iraqi boy who stoped his studies at University and went back to his village because of the war. He witnessed three tragic incidents in his small village, where the Americans were involved. The third incident took place in his home and it was so humiliating that he decided to revenge. He left to Baghdad were he joined a terrorist group. The peaceful boy became an angry and violent terrorist.
The book is scary. The More...
The book is scary. The More...
Jul 26, 2011
Kathleen
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This book was a interesting side of the conflict in the war in Iraq It was a hopeless and desolate take and well described from the view of the main character. His deeply held belief that in their culture honor is intrinsic tohow a man feels about himself but in my view he never once mentions that his mother and sisters are part of that society and he never discusses how he is feeling with them or does he ever ask them for any of their input only from his male friends and colleagues.Perhaps
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Apr 25, 2010
Arrial
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A young Iraqi man from a small town in Iraq, attends university in Baghdad , proud to honor his family, only to have to return home after the attack on Baghdad by the US. After witnessing American imposed acts of violence in his own home town and seeing his own family disgraced, this young man goes from someone very passive to someone full of rage , no other option exists except to go back to Baghdad and shed Western blood as a suicide bomber.This story brings us back to Iraq, and gives us the o
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Feb 27, 2011
Vionna
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A young man from a small village outside of Bagdad witnesses the humiliation of his elderly by American soldiers. His passivity turns to hatred and he flees to Bagdad to join forces with burgeoning terrorist groups. He is sent on an horrific mission of destruction, but his humanity rises up within him and he cannot accomplish it. A very well crafted book which is the last one Islamic Fundamentalist. I have enjoyed all three.
Jan 31, 2011
lyla
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Hatred can lead a man to great length. The unnamed narrator, from "just a boy" from a small village to a man full of hatred seeking revenge, the events that caused the transition is something to be delve with in the book. It's a story from the Iraqi point-of-view pointing out that American soldiers often insult Iraqi customs and cultural expectations that's very very important to Iraqis. Books like this one offer readers an opportunity to get inside the heads of the Iraqis who live onl
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Jul 27, 2011
Tatiana
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In fact, it was really interesting to get acquainted with the psychology of the "kamikadze".. I was overwhelmed especially at the moment, when the hero was setting off for London with this virus inside of his body! God! Just imagine it would've happened!!!!
The interestin detail: I suspected Omar in being gay from the beginning, so was not really surprised when the author revealed it..But isn't it strange, there are gays even in Bagdad!?
The interestin detail: I suspected Omar in being gay from the beginning, so was not really surprised when the author revealed it..But isn't it strange, there are gays even in Bagdad!?
Jul 26, 2011
Bart
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Nice and entertaining read, but I wasn't all that much impressed at the ending. The book builds up anger, depression and hate over almost two hundred pages, resulting in an overdetermined protagonist with a Cause. And then it only takes one newly introduced character, one deus-ex-machina, to sow a seed to turn it all around in a matter of only a few pages. That made the main story line not very credible to me.
Aug 06, 2011
I hate all forms of violence, and this book reaffirmed why I do. A look at experiences that turn a mild young man into a fundamentalist bent on revenge, this is an eye-opening look at the war in Iraq from the point of view of a young Bedouin boy. Powerfully told with nothing held back, it shows the perspective that's just not available on mainstream news media. Absolutely worth reading.
Nov 11, 2011
"[P]erhaps the most frighteningly plausible doomsday scenario yet to appear in fictional treatments of this seemingly insoluble crisis. And if it doesn't scare the hell out of you, you're not paying enough attention."-Kirkus Reviews
Listen to The Sirens of Baghdad on your smartphone.
Listen to The Sirens of Baghdad on your smartphone.
Jan 24, 2008
David
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Following last year's excellent The Attack, Khadra writes another scary, powerful story that asks tough questions about what's happening in the world as a result of US policies. The nameless narrator is from a small town in rural Iraq; coalition bombing of Baghdad forces him home form college, but even there the actions of the US forces shock him into resisting. His story arc, which takes him from being a regular guy who denounces violence, all the way to being a committed "terrorist,"
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Sep 07, 2007
Maggie
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Chilling supposition! What is frightening is that it could so easily come true. The story revolves around a young Iraqi who because of the American invasion was left without the possibility of continuing his studies and with no work becomes an idle man. But when the Americans mistakenly bomb a wedding party in a nearby village he starts to change into a religious zealot. The invasion of his home and humiliation of his family is the final straw and he embarks on a mission of revenge. The plo
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Jun 26, 2010
Anita
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Reading about the Iraq war from the perspective of a local made an interesting change from other books I've read on the subject. The question is raised about who the innocents really are in this dreadful, complicated war (perhaps all bar the leaders?). I felt really touched by the story of the people who lived in the small desert village, thought the Baghdad phase was a bit monotonous, and enjoyed the ending.
Aug 28, 2010
Joanne
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Great book. So well written. A view of the war in Iraq from the side of its citizens and how profoundly they have been affected. Although the story shows the inevitable creation of extremism among everyday Iraqi's you are left in the end with a sense of hopefulness. Well done.
Aug 08, 2011
Catherine
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"Le monde est géré par la finance internationale pour laquelle la paix est un chômage technique."
"Une brute reste une brute, même avec le sourire; c'est dans le regard que l'âme décline sa vraie nature."
"Une brute reste une brute, même avec le sourire; c'est dans le regard que l'âme décline sa vraie nature."
Aug 11, 2011
Khadra ecrit a nouveau sur le theme du terrorisme, de la naissance d'un kamikase, et reussit encore son pari. Toujours aussi bien ecrit, toujours aussi sincere et absolument pas manicheen ou moralisateur... du grand art. J'ai personnellement prefere Attentat, mais cela n'enleve rien au merite des Sirenes de Bagdad.
Sep 16, 2010
Haley
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An interesting perspective for someone like me who rarely wonders what goes on in the minds of people contemplating becoming a suicide bomber- I always think they're radicalized think nothing of their other motivations.
