A young Iraqi student, unable to attend college because of the war, sees American soldiers leaving a trail of humiliation and grief in his small village. Bent on revenge, he flees to the chaotic streets of Baghdad where insurgents soon realize they can make use of his anger. Eventually he is groomed for a secret terrorist mission meant to dwarf the attacks of September 11th, only to find himself struggling with moral qualms. The Sirens of Baghdad is a powerful look at the effects of violence on ordinary people, showing what can turn a decent human being into a weapon, and how the good in human nature can resist.
 
"Nerve-wracking. A blunt story line that has real passion behind it. The author's ear for Iraqi despair, fury and violation is keen." The New York Times

Khadra's work has been compared to that of his Algerian compatriot Albert Camus, and The Sirens of Baghdad has a similar blaze of heat, the same heavy, insoluble questions. The novel builds to a startling and wrenching finish." San Francisco Chronicle