It's very important to twelve year-old Salman Shasha that he is what it says in the title - a boy from Baghdad. But in 1951 it's not easy to be a boy from Baghdad - especially if you're Jewish: because the Iraqui government has given the Jews of Iraq a year to get out of the country. They will not be allowed to take anything with them apart from one suitacase, and they will not be allowed to take any money with them. Up until now, Salman's family has had a comfortable life in a pleasant house. His mother is a marvellous cook - there are luscious descriptions of family meals, and they want for nothing. Salman's only problem is that he oves swimming, but he knows his father would not approve of his ambition to be an olympic swimmer, so he has to train in secret - he swims as often as he can in the River Tigris, with his cousin Latif keeping time for him.
He knows about the government edict. The fledgeling state of Israel has agrred to take in the Iraqui Jews, and finally, the family has a place on a plane which will take them there. They are told that it will be a land of milk and honey, with jobs, houses, and prospects for all. Salman doesn't care about any of this: he loves Baghdad, it's his home and he wants to stay there.
But go they must. And when they arrive, they find that their new home is a tented camp, and there is little prospect of work for Salman's father. Conditions are harsh, there is little food, and Salman's mother, in despair, sinks into depression and takes to her bed. As his father looks for work in the nearby city, it's up to Salman - and Latif - to find food for the younger children.
And that's not all. It turns out that prejudice exists here too. The Ashkenazi (European) Jews had arrived first, and they look down on the Jews like Salman, who are from Arab countries. Salman is told he must only speak Hebrew, and he must change his name to a Hebrew one - Shimon.
At first he resists, determined to hold on to his identity. He still holds on to his dreams of becoming a swimmer - but how is that ever going to happen now?
But gradually, Salman and his family find friends who help them: friends who come from all the different groups now living in Israel, including Ashkenazis and Arabs. They find hope again, and eventually - spoiler alert - Salman finds a way to get his swimming back on track. But really, the lessons Salman learns about how to live are the important ones.
Apologies if I've related too much about the story of the book (which is based on Miriam's husband's family): the book only arrived yesterday, and I sat down and read it in one go, and I'm rather full of it.
But also, more importantly, it has a very clear relevance to the terrible things that are happening at the moment. I have only a fairly hazy idea of how Israel came to be. This book isn't an explainer of that (if you want a brief, but very clear explanation of that, try Rory Stewart on The Rest Is Politics podcast). But what it does do, very clearly and vividly, is take us into a small corner of that time: and by allowing us to enter the lives of this family, it enables us to see just how it was for the people living through that time - how complex were their circumstances, how difficult the decisions they had to make. (And indeed, that sometimes, there are no choices to be made: the Shasha fmily had no choice about whether or not to leave Iraq.)
It's a very, very good book, and I strongly recommend it.
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Top reviews from other countries
Susan Purkiss
A book about belonging, and about growing up in challenging circumstances.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 9, 2023Alison Smith
A beautifully told story of one boy's attempts to realise his dreams despite prejudice & persecution
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 14, 2023helenbonney
Another riveting read from Miriam Halahmy!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 12, 2023
