Bombs, Blow Outs, & Best Friends

Talking About Jane Austen in Baghdad: The True Story of an Unlikely Friendship

I received this as a gift as part of a “Jane Austen” exchange and was actually interested about cross cultural understandings of Austen. Alas, this is not that kind of book. This book is a misnomer. There is only a brief mention of “talking about Jane Austen in Baghdad”. That being said the book was very interesting and pleasantly unexpected.

The development of a close female friendship via email across the world and vastly different contexts was very intriguing. As someone how grew up during the “War on Terror” (I was 11 when the US invade Iraq) hearing an Iraqi’s view on the war/invasion and day-to-day life was extremely thought-provoking and heart-wrenching. For that component, I highly recommend the book as well as the very real stories of refugees that have huge hurtles to overcome merely to find a safe haven.

Themes in these letters include: family struggles, motherhood, work/life balance, war, seeking refugee status, cultural traditions, and of course, as the title says, friendship.

Happy Reading!

RT