Depicts life in Baghdad as only an insider can - very accurately and very beautifully

Lina is trying to lead a normal girl's life in Baghdad, but being Jewish in an Arab country is not easy as politics keep intruding. Violent government coups are almost annual events and it's difficult for a child to understand what's going on or who to believe.
The need for secrecy means Lina cannot tell her best friend that her family is just waiting for the right moment to flee. It is the 1960s and Lina is part of the dwindling Jewish community