The White Zone

Gr 4–7—Ten-year-old cousins Nouri and Talib live in Karada, a Shiite neighborhood in Baghdad's Red Zone, the hazardous area surrounding the U.S.-occupied Green Zone. Nouri is grief stricken about the death of his favorite uncle, who was killed in a Sunni suicide bombing. The boy blames Talib, who is half-Sunni, for his loss. As conflicts between Shiites and Sunnis worsen, Nouri does something that prompts Talib and his scared parents to leave their home and take shelter in Mutanabbi Street, the center of booksellers and intellectual life and a traditional neutral zone. After it is the target of a Shiite car bomber, Talib becomes obsessed with thoughts of revenge. However, when snow falls for the first time in living memory, all weapons are silenced as everyone, including Talib, views the white flakes as a miraculous message from Allah to cease fire. Based on actual events, this novel is a realistic depiction of children caught up in hostilities they cannot fully understand. Although it touches on the American presence, the focus is on the conflicts between Shiite and Sunni Muslims. An author's note briefly explains the differences between these two sects, but readers still might be confused. Marsden's detailed descriptions of everyday life make this culture come alive.—Kathleen E. Gruver, Burlington County Library, Westampton, NJ