Alia's Mission: Saving the books of Iraq

Inspired by a true story, Alia's Mission is the dramatic account of Alia Muhammad Baker, the chief librarian of the Central Library in Basra, Iraq, who undertook a mission of epic proportions. It is 2003. As the war in Iraq draws closer and closer to Basra, Alia grows increasingly fearful that the irreplaceable treasures of her library are in grave danger. Her pleas to government officials go ignored, so Alia comes up with a plan of her own. Determined to preserve the history and culture of her people, Alia, with the help of her neighbours, who assist her at the risk of their own lives, smuggles over 30,000 precious volumes to safety. Told in dramatic graphic-novel panels by renowned cartoonist Mark Alan Stamaty, Alia's Mission celebrates the importance of books and the freedom to read while examining the impact of war on a country and its people.