The White Zone

by Carolyn Marsden

Overview

Nouri and his cousin Talib can only vaguely remember a time before tanks rumbled over the streets of their Baghdad neighborhood—when books, not bombs, ruled Mutanabbi Street. War has been the backdrop of their young lives. And now Iraq isn't just at war with Americans. It's at war with itself. Sunnis fight Shiites, and the strife is at the boys' doorsteps. Nouri is Shiite and Talib is half Sunni. To the boys, it seems like only a miracle can mend the rift that is tearing a country and a family apart.

In early 2008, Iraq experienced a miracle. Snow fell in Baghdad for the first time in living memory. As snow covered the dusty streets, the guns in the city grew silent and there was an unofficial ceasefire. During these magical minutes, Sunni and Shiite differences were forgotten. There was no green zone, no red zone. There was only the white zone.

Against this real-life backdrop, Nouri and Talib begin to imagine a world after the war.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781467732253
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	08/01/2013
Series:	Fiction - Middle Grade
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	192
Lexile:	710L (what's this?)
File size:	1 MB
Age Range:	9 - 10 Years

About the Author

Carolyn Marsden grew up in Mexico City and Southern California. Although she wrote for adults for many years, she began to write for children after the birth of her daughters. She attended Vermont College and earned an MFA in Writing for Children. Her first book, The Gold-Threaded Dress (Candlewick), was a Booklist Top Ten Youth Novel of 2002. Her second novel, Silk Umbrellas, was a Texas Bluebonnet nominee and Booklist Top Ten Art Novel of 2003. Since then, Carolyn has published many more award-winning middle grade chapter books,almost all with multicultural themes. Her most recent books are Starfields (Candlewick), set in Chiapas, Mexico, and The White Zone (Carolrhoda), set in contemporary Baghdad.

Editorial Reviews

A year in the life of a Shiite boy, Nouri, and his half-Sunni cousin, Talib, told from their alternating perspectives, provides a window into the terror-filled world of American-occupied Baghdad. Escalating financial, religious, and political tensions break apart families and destroy neighborhoods in Marsden’s (Take Me with You) commanding war story. Whether begging candy from American soldiers, doing homework while mortar shells burst outside, or driving by “a blackened car with a pair of legs poking out from underneath,” the boys go through their daily routines while the violence increasingly insinuates fear into their personal lives. Bereft at the loss of his uncle to a Sunni martyr attack, Nouri begins to distrust all Sunnis, while Talib, driven from school and home because of his religion, increasingly wants vengeance, as well. As the boys’ bitterness battles with their longstanding affection for each other, their passions drive them to actions ranging from cruel and cowardly to brave and generous. Author’s notes and a glossary expound on geographical places, historical events, and frequently used vocabulary. Haunting yet hopeful. Ages 9–14. Agent: Kelly Sonnack, Andrea Brown Literary Agency. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

"A year in the life of a Shiite boy, Nouri, and his half-Sunni cousin, Talib, told from their alternating perspectives, provides a window into the terror-filled world of American-occupied Baghdad. Escalating financial, religious, and political tensions break apart families and destroy neighborhoods in Marsden's (Take Me with You) commanding war story. Whether begging candy from American soldiers, doing homework while mortar shells burst outside, or driving by 'a blackened car with a pair of legs poking out from underneath,' the boys go through their daily routines while the violence increasingly insinuates fear into their personal lives. Bereft at the loss of his uncle to a Sunni martyr attack, Nouri begins to distrust all Sunnis, while Talib, driven from school and home because of his religion, increasingly wants vengeance, as well. As the boys' bitterness battles with their longstanding affection for each other, their passions drive them to actions ranging from cruel and cowardly to brave and generous. Author's notes and a glossary expound on geographical places, historical events, and frequently used vocabulary. Haunting yet hopeful." —Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

Young Iraqi cousins face their religious differences in war-torn Baghdad. Shiite Nouri is devastated when a Sunni martyr kills his uncle. Hakim's death is the first personal tragedy the boy has suffered since the Americans came to Iraq. He begins to take out his anger on his half-Sunni cousin, Talib. Although the two boys have always been close, Nouri and his mother soon begin ostracizing Talib and his Sunni mother, Fatima. Talib is also isolated from his friends at school, where his cousin is intent on highlighting his cousin's Sunni heritage. After the Sunni bombing of a Shiite mosque, Talib is banned from his school altogether. Nouri's final destructive (and anonymous) action is enough to convince Talib's family to move to the market where Talib's bookseller father plies his trade--and which is bombed, causing the devout Talib's faith to wobble, with potentially catastrophic consequences. As with many of Marsden's works, the ending is tidy and hopeful, while some of the child characters (particularly Talib) seem wise beyond their years. Timely though this effort is, the differences between the two factions of Islam may prove too subtle for many readers. A decently executed exploration of the American presence in Iraq and the tensions between Shiites and Sunnis. (author's notes, glossary) (Fiction. 9-13)

Kirkus Reviews