The White Zone

(Paperback)

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Description

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.

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. --Publishers Weekly

-- "Journal" (12/19/2011 12:00:00 AM)

Cousins Nouri, a Shiite, and Talib, half Sunni, describe life in Baghdad amid the second Iraq War, during which Iraqis also fought amongst themselves over religious differences. But in winter 2008, snow covered the city for the 'first time in anyone's memory, ' sparking an unofficial ceasefire. Though the reader is aware that peace won't last, this poignant wartime narrative is subtly hopeful. --The Horn Book Guide

-- "Journal" (11/1/2012 12:00:00 AM)

Five years into the second Iraq war, the violence that rages between Sunnis and Shiites divides young cousins Nouri, a Shiite, and Talib, who is half Sunni. When Nouri's beloved uncle is killed by a Sunni bomber, the boy blames his cousin and perpetrates a foolish act of violence against him. As a result, Talib and his family must move from their home and neighborhood. The relationship between the two boys--once best friends--is sundered, and it may take a miracle to restore it. Marsden's latest book puts a face on a bitter, centuries-old conflict that continues to rage. Though her characters are mostly interchangeable, their actions are emblematic of the larger conflict. Particularly moving is the wanton destruction of Mutannabi Street, once the cultural capital of Baghdad. This tense novel will be particularly useful in the classroom. --Booklist

-- "Journal" (1/1/2012 12:00:00 AM)

Nouri and Talib are cousins living in Iraq. They have enjoyed playing together as they were growing up, building joyful memories with other cousins. One day when Nouri's uncle is killed by the hands of a Sunni Muslim, the cousins' relationships forever change, along with so many things around them. Nouri is considered a Shiite Muslim, yet his cousin Talib is considered half Shiite and half Sunni because one parent belongs to each of the two groups. While Nouri grows to resent his cousin Talib because of his background, Talib struggles with taking part in his daily prayer rituals because he blames Allah for everything that is happening to them. As the Sunnis and Shiites rebel against each other with the backdrop of Baghdad's raging bombs, the two cousins and their families face tragic losses. Marsden tells a story that resonates highly in today's society where there are many different types of chaos disrupting lives and homes worldwide. The account will mostly appeal to instructors who would like to enlighten their students on certain issues, and also to readers with specific interest in the topic. Told in the third-person, the narrative is sometimes dull and will require some pushing through. --VOYA

-- "Journal" (4/1/2012 12:00:00 AM)

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. --School Library Journal

-- "Journal" (2/1/2012 12:00:00 AM)

This contemporary novel explores the complex and changing relationship between two Iraqi cousins: Nouri, a Shiite who just lost his beloved uncle at the hands of a Sunni car bomber, and Talib, whose father is Shiite and mother is Sunni. As violence increases in their Baghdad neighborhood, so does Nouri's rage towards his cousin for being half-Sunni, a rage that ultimately climaxes in Nouri sneaking out at night and launching a rock through Talib's bedroom window.Talib's family escapes the growing violence against Sunnis to Mutanabbi Street, a neutral zone close to his father's work, but even Mutanabbi Street proves unsafe as a car bombing results in his father getting injured and the family's book stall being destroyed. There is no real ending to Nouri and Talib's story, just as there is no foreseeable end to the Sunni/Shiite conflict, but the two boys do work out an awkward truce. The novel itself concludes with a description of an actual event: in January 2008, snow fell on Baghdad and, as the white flakes fell from the sky, the city fell silent--no gunfire, no mortar shells, just the enveloping white. Marsden's knack for getting deeply into a culture and creating realistic, believable characters proves effective once again; this is an accessible and engaging window into a specific time and place that will have current relevance to many young readers and units of study. Nouri and Talib alternate narration, with Talib's voice the more powerful, particularly as he explores his own previously devout religious feelings and questions which side of the conflict Allah is on. Descriptions are evocative, and juxtapositions between everyday realities and the violence effectively hint at the senselessness of the conflict. A brief author's note and glossary are included. --The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

-- "Journal" (6/1/2012 12:00:00 AM)

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. --Kirkus Reviews

-- "Journal" (1/1/2012 12:00:00 AM)

Author Bio

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.