The book we are reading is "Baghdad Burning" by an Iraqi girl who calls herself Riverbend. There is many reoccurring themes Riverbend talks about. She talks about the destruction and corruption of Bahgdad in many places in the text.
pg 1 " five days later the UN headquarters in Baghdad is bombed. Twenty-two people are dead, 100 injures."
"They were hijacking cars in the middle of Baghdad during April, May and June, claiming that the cars they were "confiscating" at gunpoint were "looted" (hence, property of Al-Chalabi?)."
Another reoccurring theme is how Iraqi people are stereotyped badly. On pg 34 “The Myth: Iraqis, prior to occupation, lived in little beige tents set up on the sides of little dirt roads all over Baghdad.” “The Truth: Iraqis lived in houses with running water and electricity.”
Finally, in my opinion the biggest theme of the book is the oppression on woman. It directly effects Riverbend herself because on pg 17 she states: " I am a female and Muslim. Before the occupation, I more or less dressed the I wanted to. I lived in jeans and cotton pants and comfortable shirts. Now, I don't dare leave the house in pants. A long skirt and loose shirt (preferably with long sleeves) has become neccessary. A girl wearing jeans risks being attacked, abducted, or insulted by fundamentalists who have been... liberated!"
