
One of them, Noor, longs to be free from the captivity of the zoo - she is constantly lobbying the antelopes to support her escape plan. Another, Safa, bears her ominous suspicion of everyone like a cross. Zill, the head of the brood, is constantly worried about his family, especially his son Ali who struts around with the curiousity of a young child.

Although the premise might make your eyes roll, Pride of Baghdad is an incredibly human story. By making his primary characters animals, Vaughan is able to infuse his story with raw, unadulterated emotion that would have looked forced on humans. His story is a commentary on numerous issues - war, the environment, the delicate balance of animals in nature, the oppressive regime in Iraq and the force with which the country was rapidly brutalized. Early on, there is a brief, captivating examination of zoos versus the wild - told for the first time (I'm sure) from the lions' point of view.

Pride of Baghdad is a violent, heartbreaking tale. By giving us a story of animals rediscovering a different kind of wild, Vaughan is able to connect the dots for us between the tender yet savage behavior of the lions and our own primal nature. There is nothing civil, he seems to be telling us, about civilization.
4 comments:
Doesnt make me want to roll my eyes at all - i think its inspired. looking up amazon now...
Good for you! The first two people I mentioned it to rolled their eyes. :(
Seems to me like Madagascar meets Iraq.
Ha, well, i'm trying to write the genre so... :D
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