Playing Atari with Saddam Hussein By Jennifer Roy & Ali Fadhil
 
At the start of 1991, eleven-year-old Ali Fadhil was focused on soccer, video games, and American TV. But everything changed when Iraq’s dictator, Saddam Hussein, went to war with a coalition led by the United States. For forty-three days, Ali and his family endured bombings, fear, and uncertainty while clinging to normal life. This powerful and accessible story shares a child’s perspective of war with honesty and heart.
 
At the start of 1991, eleven-year-old Ali Fadhil was consumed by his love for soccer, video games, and American television shows. Then, on January 17, Iraq’s dictator, Saddam Hussein, went to war with thirty-four nations led by the United States.

Over the next forty-three days, Ali and his family survived bombings, food shortages, and constant fear. Ali and his brothers played soccer on the abandoned streets of their Basra neighborhood, wondering when or if their medic father would return from the war front. Cinematic, accessible, and timely, this is the story of one ordinary kid’s view of life during war.