Questions: Pride of Baghdad

Not quite The Lion King, was it?  Onward, to the questions!

1)  Obviously, this book was written in response to current events at the time.  How do you feel about the message?

2) Do you think that the book is biased towards one side or the other, or do you think it is anti-war in general?

3) There is a running argument between Noor and Safa on the subject of freedom.  How does this relate to the conflict between the Americans and Iraqis?  

4) Is absolute freedom necessarily better than all other alternatives?

5) Is the keeping of wild animals ethical, whether in zoos or as personal pets?  What are human beings responsibilities to animals?

6) How did you feel about the turtle's story?

7) The official story of the shooting correlates with what the soldiers say in the book, that the lions charged at them, forcing them to shoot.  Do you think it is fair that the ending of the book paints this event in a different light?

8)  What other stories can you think of that use realistic animals as protagonists?  How does this story compare?

9) Recently, many women have come forward and stated that they feel using rape as a background for female characters is overused and chauvinistic.  How do you feel about that?  Was it necessary to include in Safa's background?

10)  How did the art maintain realism while simultaneously expressing emotion?  Do you feel this art was a good match to the story?