Great stories have helped me through many difficult times. The librarian sitting on the bench telling stories amidst a war is a powerful symbol. I just read The Librarian of Basra to my class. This would be a great follow up - but right now. During covid, talk of war is a little too tough. I'll have to keep this one for another day.
Maybe this is why I enjoy scriptures so much as well - much of scripture is really simply stories.
At the back, the author writes:
I was inspired to write The Librarian's Stories after reading The Cellist of Sarajevo, a book based on the true story of a musician who played his cello for 22 days to mark the deaths of 22 innocent people killed after the bombing of a bakery during the Bosnian war.
As a writer, I believe in the power of stories to keep hope alive, to bring healing and light in the darkest of times. And who better to bring stories to families traumatized by war than a courageous librarian.
A second theme in The Librarian's Stories is the burning of libraries. Over centuries, thousands of them have been destroyed. One in particular stood out for me. During the Islamic Golden Age in the 13th century, an invading Mongol army set fire to all the libraries in Baghdad, and the books from the House of Wisdom were thrown into the Tigris River. There were so many of them that they created a bridge for the Mongol army to cross. Legend says that the paged bled ink into the river for seven days, draining them of their knowledge. When the books stopped bleeding, the courageous people of Bagdad started rebuilding their city.
Millions of books have been burned in the senseless violence of war. Many rulers in the past, and the present, feel threatened by stories and ideas and knowledge. They know that books can change people. They know that books can change the world. To them, this is dangerous. They don't want people to learn, to understand, to think for themselves. They don't want people to remember their history.
Goodreads says:
A village is left in ruins after the bombs fall. The beloved library is burned to ash. Food is scarce. Danger is abundant. Every aspect of daily life is changed. How will home ever feel as it once did?
But then one day, the Librarian emerges in the town square. Seated on a bench in front of the library's remains, she opens a book and begins to read aloud. The village children stop to listen. "Foolish woman," Papa says. "Too dangerous," Mama agrees, hurrying the children away. But day after day the librarian returns to her post, her voice carrying stories above the thunder of tanks and to the broken hearts of the people. Little by little, the persistent Librarian's stories seed hope in the people, and their village begins to mend.
Inspired by the bombing of the National Library of Sarajevo during the Bosnian War, and bombing of the library at the University of Mosul in Iraq, The Librarian's Stories is a testament to the enduring connection between stories and hope.
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