They do not have a strategic plan, nor do they care about the reasons for the invasion.

The lions’ priority is to stay together and live. At the end of each day, I watched as the horizon devoured the sun, in slow steady bites, spilling its blood across the azure sky. My first pride lived next to a hill, and in the evenings, I’d go to the very top of it. Ali, the curious lion cub was born in the zoo where he always yearned to see a sunset like the ones his father painted in his imagination. Safa is the oldest lioness who, given her prior life living in the wild, is apprehensive about her new status and prefers the stability of the zoo. Noor is the young lioness whom, although welcoming her new freedom, believes one ought to earn one’s freedom, rather than it being given by a foreign agent likely acting in their own interest. Zill is the adult lion who has grown accustomed to zookeepers and mundane life at the zoo. Four lions freely roaming the streets of Baghdad shortly after the 2003 invasion tell a story of survival, rapid change, and a first casualty of war, innocence.Ĭentered on a pride of lions that escaped the Baghdad Zoo, the author uses each lion as a point of view for this new freedom. Published in September 2006 by award-winning writer Kevin Vaughan and artist Niko Henrichon, Pride of Baghdad is a 136-page graphic novel inspired by true events. I confided with the student about my tour in Iraq and we engaged in a short discussion about the book and my experience-another day of learning from one another. It turned out to be about a graphic novel based on the 2003 invasion of Iraq. I overheard the words “Baghdad” and “Saddam.” I was curious about the discussion. Last fall, I heard one of our high school seniors discussing a book. One of the benefits of working in a school setting is that I get to learn from students, as they learn from me. US Vice-President, Dick Cheney (3/16/03) Now, I think things have gotten so bad inside Iraq, from the standpoint of the Iraqi people, my belief is we will, in fact, be greeted as liberators.

Brian vaughan's pride of baghdad