Pride of Baghdad

Title- Pride of Baghdad

Author- Brian K. Vaughan

ISBN -1401203140

Publication Information- Vertigo, 2006

 

Plot Summary- Pride is the story of the lions that escaped the Baghdad zoo during the war. In this case the story is told from the point of the pride, two females, one male, and one cub. The eldest of the three, a female Safa remembers life before the zoo as harsh and unforgiving where she was raped by male lions and scarred by them for fighting. The youngest female has virtually no memory and wants her freedom from the 'keepers' or humans. As they debate the issue, the zoo is destroyed by American bombs and they find themselves freed whether they want it or not. They begin to wander but are driven into the cities by a string of tanks. Once inside the town, they see the devastation firsthand. They become increasingly hungry. After a terrible battle with a bear used for animal fights, the pride stumbles across American soldiers.

Critical Evaluation- This anthropomorphic tale of the effects of war on these animals is both a good tale of the true story of the lions that escaped and were eventually killed by American soldiers as an act of mercy and a critique of the nature of war on those who are innocent. The pride's instincts have been dulled by their captivity for all those years, and they are surrounded by forces they cannot explain. They are surrounded by death and destruction and try to make sense of it. The characters all have interesting character backgrounds: Safa, who knows the dangers of the wild and likes the safety of the zoo; Noor ,who vaguely remembers freedom but never understood the difficulties; Zill, who never had to do anything hard and remembers only the beautiful sunsets and the cub, who is completely innocent. The last page is perhaps the most poignant noting that "there were other casualties as well." Overall, it tells the reality of war from a very different perspective.

 

Reader's Annotation- During the invasion of Baghdad, a group of lions escaped the zoo. This is their story.

Author Information- Brian Vaughan is a varied and talented writer. He began his career as a main line comic book writer with stories like Batman and X-Men, but has also written some of the most famous independent style comics including Y: the Last Man and Ex-Machina. Interestingly, he was also a screenwriter for the television series Lost for three years.

Curricular Ties- History

Genre- Graphic Novel, War

Book talking ideas- How do the lions symbolize people in Baghdad? How do Noor and Safa's conflict reflect the nature of soldiers?

Challenge issues- Graphic violence, rape

1. Re-read the text to familiarize myself with the story
   
2. Ask parents for their specific objections (they are required to file that with our school district)
   
3. Review approved books list from California Department of Education for similar materials
   
4. Review approaches from ALA
   

Interest Age- 15-18

Why I selected this piece- Library recommendation