Synopsis
For as long as thirteen-year-old Azad can remember, the Islamic Republic of Iran, where he lives in the predominantly Kurdish town of Sardasht, has been at war with Saddam Hussein's Iraq, and his country has been a harsh society full of spies, secrets, and "disappearances." Still, most of the time Azad manages to live a normal life, hanging out at the bakery next door, going to school with his friend Hiwa, playing sports, and taking care of his parrot. Then Azad learns that his town may soon become a target for Saddam's weapons of mass destruction. Now more than ever, Azad feels torn between his divorced parents and his conflicting desires to remain in his home or escape. His father is somehow connected to the police and is rooted in the town. His mother may be part of the insurgency, yet is ready to flee. How can Azad make the choice?
The story of how one boy's world was turned upside down in 1987 Iran is a timely and memorable introduction to the conflicts in the Middle East.
KLIATT
With much of the news focus on the Middle East, many of us know something about the Kurds, the minority people in Iraq, Turkey, and Iran who are eager for autonomy. Mead tells the story of one Kurdish family living in Iran during the war between Iraq and Iran in the 1980s. The narrator is a young adolescent boy named Azad, a schoolboy living with his father, with a pet parrot and friends and a life that could be considered normal. It's true his parents are divorced, but he is able to visit his mother and her family fairly often. A crucial element of the plot is Azad's learning why his parents divorced. He is shocked to hear that his father, after being tortured, agreed to become a spy for the police, even against his own people. Children stay with the father during divorce, and Azad's mother and her family are far more dedicated to freedom and live under constant risk of being arrested, so Azad is safer with his father. The event that changes all their lives dramatically is the gassing of their town by Saddam Hussein's air force. Hundreds of people die and many more are ill. Azad and his best friend are gassed when the bombs fall, but they manage to cover their faces and get away from the worst of it. Azad seeks refuge in a mountain village with his mother's family, but their only hope of survival is to become refugees and leave Iran. Mead has written about other children in peril, including the book Girl of Kosovo. This story makes current events real to adolescent readers.