Poison for Breakfast

In July 1950, Avi Shlaim, only five, and his family were forced into exile, fleeing their beloved Iraq to the new state of Israel. 'Remarkable.' Max Hastings, THE SUNDAY TIMES Today the once flourishing Jewish community of Iraq, at one time numbering over 130,000 and tracing its history back 2,600 years, has all but vanished. Why so? One explanation speaks of the timeless clash between Arab and Jewish civilisations and a heroic Zionist mission to rescue Eastern Jews from backward nations and unceasing persecution. Avi Shlaim tears up this script. His parents had many Muslim friends in Baghdad and no interest in Zionism. As anti-Semitism surged in Iraq, the Zionist underground fanned the flames. Yet when Iraqi Jews fled to Israel, they faced an uncertain future, their history was rewritten to serve a Zionist narrative. This memoir breathes life into an almost forgotten world. Weaving together the personal and the political, Three Worlds offers a fresh perspective on Arab-Jews, caught in the crossfire of Zionism and nationalism. *** A TLS AND NEW STATESMAN BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023 A NOVARA BEST BOOK OF 2024 'A beautifully written book which artfully blends the personal with the political.' Justin Marozzi, SPECTATOR 'Three Worlds, by the Oxford historian of the modern Middle East Avi Shlaim, is an often enchanting memoir of his childhood in Baghdad... A gripping account... A lost world in Iraq is brilliantly brought back to life in this fascinating memoir.' David Abulafia, FINANCIAL TIMES

A gripping tale of conflict and survival that has inspired millions of young readers and adults alike, with three million copies sold worldwide Eleven-year-old Salva is forced to flee on foot when his village comes under attack. Braving every imaginable hardship ? including killer lions and hungry crocodiles ? he is one of the 'lost boys' travelling the African continent on foot in search of his family and a safe place to stay. Nya goes to the pond two times a day to fetch water. It takes her eight hours. But there is unexpected hope, as these two stories set in Sudan ? one unfolding in 2008 and one in 1985 ? go on to intersect with Nya?s in an astonishing and moving way.