Divya Manian commented on Baghdad Noir by Samuel Shimon (Akashic Noir)
These stories give a more full depiction of the horror visited upon the Iraqis with the American invasion. One story is about a man who leaves a mental asylum not knowing who he is – other than what is in his file – because the Americans demolished the walls thinking it was a military facility. Another is about how horrific it was to be a woman under the Baathist regime to be a leftist person who does not believe in Baathist regime ideals. I learned how close Iraq is to Iran and started looking for news about both the countries. I learned 3 Iraqi women who were influencers have been killed in Iraq www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/4/27/iraqi-tiktok-star-om-fahad-shot-dead-in-baghdad-night-attack and how Iran began a crackdown on women who did not cover their heads at the same time they launched their missiles on Israel military targets. www.theguardian.com/global-development/2024/apr/24/iranian-women-violently-dragged-from-streets-by-police-amid-hijab-crackdown