The Sirens of Baghdad - by Yasmina Khadra (Paperback)

About the Book

A masterful and chilling look at violence and its effects on ordinary people, this tale explores the depths of human nature and shows that, even in the most horrific circumstances, good can prevail.

Book Synopsis

The third novel in Yasmina Khadra's bestselling trilogy about Islamic fundamentalism has the most compelling backdrop of any of his novels: Iraq in the wake of the American invasion.

A young Iraqi student, unable to attend college because of the war, sees American soldiers leave a trail of humiliation and grief in his small village. Bent on revenge, he flees to the chaotic streets of Baghdad where insurgents soon realize they can make use of his anger. Eventually he is groomed for a secret terrorist mission meant to dwarf the attacks of September 11th, only to find himself struggling with moral qualms. The Sirens of Baghdad is a powerful look at the effects of violence on ordinary people, showing what can turn a decent human being into a weapon, and how the good in human nature can resist.

"Compelling. . . . Khadra brings us deep into the hearts and minds of people living in unspeakable mental anguish." --Los Angeles Times

Review Quotes

"Compelling. . . . Khadra brings us deep into the hearts and minds of people living in unspeakable mental anguish." --Los Angeles Times

"Khadra's work has been compared to that of his Algerian compatriot Albert Camus, and The Sirens of Baghdad has a similar blaze of heat, the same heavy, insoluble questions. . . . The novel builds to a startling and wrenching finish." --San Francisco Chronicle

"Nerve-wracking. . . . A blunt story line that has real passion behind it. The author's ear for Iraqi despair, fury and violation is keen." --The New York Times

About the Author

YASMINA KHADRA is the pen name of the former Algerian army officer Mohammed Moulessehoul. He adopted his wife's name as a pseudonym to avoid military censorship. He is the author of more than 20 books, at least six of which have been published in English, among them The Swallows of Kabul and The Attack, both shortlisted for the IMPAC literary award. Khadra's work has been published in 45 countries. He has twice been honored by the Académie française, winning both the Médaille de vermeil (2001) and Grand Prix de littérature (2012). His latest novel is The Angels Die (2016). He lives in France. The New York Times describes Khadra as, "a writer who can understand man wherever he is."