Playing Atari with Saddam Hussein: Based on a True Story

by Jennifer Roy, Ali Fadhil

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. 

Genres: Historical Fiction, Middle Grade, War, Historical, Young Adult, Fiction, Realistic Fiction

176 pages, Paperback

First published February 6, 2018

About the author

Jennifer Roy (see also Jennifer Rozines Roy) is an American children's writer. She is best known for fiction including Yellow Star, which won a Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Award (2006), Sydney Taylor Honor Award, The William Allen White Children's Book Award (2009), a New York Public L Book, an ALA Notable Book, National Jewish Book Honor Award, and received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, VOYA and Booklist. She has written 35 educational books for children ages 5–16, including the "You Can Write" series.
Her latest book is Playing Atari with Saddam Hussein (February 2018), inspired by the true story of a young boy growing up in Iraq under the first Gulf war. Her Co-author Ali Fadhil was that boy and he grew up to be a translator in the trial of Saddam Hussein.
Her first illustrated book is "Jars of Hope", (August 2015). She is also the coauthor of the Trading Faces series (Simon and Schuster), a series co-written with her twin sister, Julia DeVillers. The second book in the series is Take Two, the third book is Times Squared, and the fourth is "Double Feature". The fifth book in the series is "Triple Trouble". Her book MindBlind, about a boy who is profoundly gifted and has Asperger syndrome, was published in October 2010 and received a YALSA award.

Reviews

[Mischenko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Playing Atari with Saddam Hussein is inspired by the true story of Ali Fadhil, a boy living in Basra, Iraq during the first Gulf War in 1991. Ali was like other children and went to school, loved to play football, read comics and play video games, but what set him apart from others was that he had a myriad of things to worry about, including a war right on his doorstep. Rather than living a life of peace, Ali had to deal with living in a safe room with his siblings and parents in fear of bombs. He had to endure food and water shortages and wonder about whether or not his father would make it back home. With all this anger and frustration inside due to all that’s happening, he has to refrain from expressing his true thoughts, because if you’re caught speaking against Saddam Hussein, you risk being killed. It was nightmarish and somehow he still managed to find some optimism in his life.

“I have fighting blood in my veins. I may not be able to directly fight with my fists or a gun but I have…I have…

Heart.

I love my country. I love my family. I love life.”

It’s declared that the book is slightly fictionalized and I’m unsure exactly which parts of the narrative are fiction, but I can say that all of it felt authentic to me in every way. I can still remember sitting in front of the television as this war was heavily televised for all to see. It was enough to cause anxiety to those living on the outside of the war, let alone what the people must’ve been experiencing living in Iraq under the rule of Saddam Hussein and smack dab in the heart of the war. There was no way out for them and they didn’t ask for the war, they were against it.

“I hate Saddam,” my sister, Shireen, says loudly. “He’s ruining my life.”

The circumstances and experiences that Ali and his family must endure are eye-opening and I think this is an excellent book for middle-schoolers to get a sense of what life is like in war. It’s written well and told from Ali’s point of view so readers will disern his feelings and emotions throughout the book. I loved some of the educational references which shed light on the different religions and groups to help readers understand the differences with their cultures, histories, and belief systems. Of course, I also enjoyed reading about Ali’s love for stuffed grape leaves and baklava because these were foods I grew up with in my own childhood due to my Syrian ancestry. I too experienced a love for Atari as Ali was just a few years younger than me so there was even a little nostalgia here. A post-script and epilogue which reveal fourteen years later during Saddam’s trial and where Ali Fadhil is today ties up everything nicely. With that said, there was an upsetting event or two in the book that might be a bit too much for sensitive readers (one that includes public executions), but it’s short-lived.

Overall, this book kept me engaged. There’s so much discussion to be had after reading it and it definitely belongs in every middle-school classroom. After reading this with my kids, they now have a better understanding of life in war, what it’s like living under a dictator like Saddam Hussein, and about Operation Desert Storm in general. My rating is 5*****.

You can also read this review @ https://readrantrockandroll.com/2018/...

[Brittany McCann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a beautiful and quick read for a younger audience that would like to learn more about world events through the eyes of a peer. Ali tells the story of 1991 events with Iraq and Kuwait and later catches up to more relevant issues with Saddam. It was written to keep the attention of younger readers while still educating them about daily life during the war.

The MAIN negative point I have with this book is the title. I think it is misleading and doesn't make a TON of sense with the content. The main takeaway is that Ali is obsessed with Superman comics and video games and has many daydreams about playing them with Saddam as his target, but still, that was a reach for the title.

I still recommend it as a quick and enjoyable read. Having a middle-grade Iraqi perspective on such a massive historical event was great.

4 Stars

[Elisabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of realistic historical fiction and this book for middle school kids jumps right up there with my top favorites. I'm curious as to how much of this book is actually fiction and not fictionalized, but either way, I found it simply un-put-downable. I was in high school during the first Iraq war and I remember it fairly well. My friends and I were fascinated by it, in a naively idealistic, we-are-the-saviors-of-the-world kind of way. To read about the war from the perspective of a kid who was just a few years younger than me at the time was mind blowing. Playing Atari is very well written with tons of intimate details about everyday life in Iraq, at least as everyday you can get during a war. I felt like Ali's thoughts, reactions, and feelings were incredibly genuine and will give kids reading the story a unique perspective on life in the Middle East. There are a few intense scenes, so this may not be appropriate for more immature middle schoolers.

[Mississippi Library Commission · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Ali was eleven, all he wanted to do was play soccer and video games. He had as normal a life as can be expected growing up in Saddam Hussein's Iraq, although he was bullied some for being half-Kurdish. Then, the country he most admires, the United States, is suddenly embroiled in a war with his country. Extremely well-written and impossible to put down, this book is perfect for middle schoolers that like reading about regular kids in exceptional times.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had no idea what to expect with this book and ended up really enjoying it. I read it for the February #yabookchat discussion on Twitter. It tells the story of Ali Fadhil, the co-author of the book, who was a boy in Iraq during Desert Storm. This is his retelling of what it was like for those 40 days, and then his work as a translator during Saddam Hussein's trials later. My only drawback: it did read like a co-authored biographical work, meaning that some points were choppy/disjointed since it was a recounting of memories instead of being a completely fictionalized and stylized piece of literature.

Overall, I would recommend this book to my students. I think it is a good piece of historical fiction, especially since it is about a time period that many of the popular historical fiction doesn't cover (i.e.-it's not a Holocaust/WWII book). For my students, 1991 is a LONG TIME AGO, even though it doesn't seem that way to me.

[Hoover Public Library Kids and Teens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fadhil’s childhood in Iraq forms the basis of this dramatic fictionalized account of life during Operation Desert Storm, the 43-day war that followed Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in 1991.

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I was generally annoyed by how the actual atari playing was a plot point at the very beginning and very end of the story with nothing added throughout, I understand that the point was merely to showcase the things that were given up during war time only to be picked back up afterward.

This is the story of Ali's family, living in Basra, south of Baghdad and just next to Kuwait after Hussain decided to take Kuwait for himself and American along with other nations decided to fight back against it. Ali has always had a fascination with American cultures, which is evidenced in his love of superhero comics, but I also adored the relationships among the family members, particularly Ali's math professor mother and in light of their father's disappearance fairly quickly after the war begins (he's a government dentist).

It's fast-paced with a very abrupt ending SPOILER . It's a wonderful story that gives a lot of direct and easy-to-understand history of Iraq, Kuwait, religion (Ali's father is Kurdish), education in the Middle East, but just as wonderfully, food, culture, and the love of futbol!

[Scottsdale Public Library]

I was close to the age of Jennifer Roy's protagonist during Operation Desert Storm, so it was interesting to experience the war from a young Iraqi's perspective. Based on events from Ali Fadhil's childhood, we meet Ali and his family in the city of Basra during the war: schools are closed, food is dispersed in rations, and citizens are just trying to make it through each day. Yet Ali and his friends are still kids, coming together to play ball, making a game of scavenging through war debris, and dreaming of life shown on American TV shows. A life where they would be safe. In one passage, a newscaster describes how the bombings in Iraq show up in night vision cameras as glowing dots against greenish skies. I remember those scenes vividly being displayed during news segments, and being compared by some to video games. But from the perspective of those living in cities being bombed, the comparisons were insulting. This is a good book for young kids to read, to understand that fears and interests can be universal among different cultures. -Sara Z.

[Rainy Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inspired by a true story, Playing Atari with Saddam Hussein is about 11-year-old Ali Fadhil and his family, who had to endure the pain of war in Iraq in 1991. Ali saw his father who worked as a dentist, being sent to the front as a part of medical team. From there, Ali, his mother and his other siblings, Shirzad, Ahmed and Shireen had to maintain their lives in constant fear of bombing, rationed food and disappearance of friends and family.

This book is okay for me. I don't know much about conflicts in Iraq during Saddam Hussein's reign so this book gave me some insights on them. A quick read and suitable for young adult readers.

[Chance Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

A cute map at the beginning taught me some geography, but this story isn't for me. I like books that weave the setting into the story. In this book, the setting is the story. The first two chapters are almost exclusively the narrator addressing the reader, telling us the context of the story. I wanted to read it long enough to see if the narrator thought his Atari game would save the initials he put into the high score board (it won't), but I couldn't.

[Amina Mirsakiyeva · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not sure that this book describes thoughts of all people who lived under Saddam Hussein reign. And I was so much confused how heroe (which is kinda a real person) likes american democracy, apretiate american way of thinking, but thinks that a sister who the only one helps with house work is spoiled. Double standards of a rich muslim boy are still there, although the heroe went through the war.
Cant recommend it.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is amazing. I very much recommend it for adult readers, and I would hesitate to have a middle grader read it if they are anything like me. I'm around the same age as the authors, and reading this boy's perspective on living under such horrific rule that we all watched from the safety of the USA made me just sick. This story is inspiring and scary and amazing. A must read.

[Herzl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. I just realized how ignorant I had been about the war-torn Iraq. The news I have heard about it over the years were not enough to paint me its despairing picture. It took a kid's perspective on the crisis for me to feel as emphatic as I should have been long ago. There was so much I learned about Iraq and its culture through this book.

"I turn the globe to Iraq. My country is small compared to most. Will it exist after the world stops bombing us? Will it take the destruction of my country to get rid of Saddam?"

My dad was actually working as an OFW in Saudi Arabia when the 1991 war happened. I feel a lot more grateful now that I've read this book and I could visualize the life of danger and indigence he had experienced back then.

[Wendy MacKnight · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love historical middle grade, and this book, about the 1991 Iraq War, does not disappoint. Excellent read.

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I plan on recommending this one widely as a middle grade historical fiction option. Ali's experiences growing up during the first Gulf War were very real and engaging. Lining up for rations, playing soccer in the empty streets, reading comic books again and again, sleeping on the floor of a safe room, being careful of bullies whose father's are well-connected politically; these were all daily realities. This narrative was based closely on the co-author Ali Fadhil's life and the story absolutely rings true without a lot of emphasis on large messages but rather on a child's view of war. The last chapter that details Ali's role as a translator during Saddam Hussein's trial made for a fascinating finish.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A possible theme is that sometimes it may be hard to see that someone else is struggling, especially if you are struggling too.

[Tirzah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The unique title is what made me research this book. When I found out it was based on a true story of a boy who had survived Operation Desert Storm, I knew I had to read it. I haven’t read any literature on that particular historical event and I was glad to see that this book was specifically geared towards the younger audience. I was a toddler during Desert Storm, but when the Second Persian Gulf War took place, I was old enough to be aware of the situation and remember it. Some children today may not be informed about Desert Storm and Saddam Hussein, so I think this book is a great way for teachers and/or parents to educate children. While there are heavy themes of war (i.e., bombing, shooting, reference to torture), it is told in a non-graphic tone that makes it appropriate for children approx. 3rd grade+ to handle (unless they are sensitive readers in which I suggest adults read it first). It was interesting to me as an adult and American to learn some of the Iraqi culture and be shown some first person accounts of how many innocent people suffered and died during this ruthless time. Besides the tragedy of war, there are shining moments of friendship and family bonds. Recommend for teachers and history buffs, young and old.

[Beth P · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️, I love that the size of the book and the writing style is approachable for middle grade and older readers who may not have the stamina for long books or complex texts. Many readers may not have the background knowledge for this subject, but Roy clearly describes the setting, and explains in simple terms things like the difference between Sunni and Shia Muslims. Ali Fadhil as co-author shares an authentic perspective that you can feel as you read.

[Allyson Bogie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I chose this book because I was so intrigued by the title--and I am really glad that I read it. It started with a moment that I experienced on my 11th birthday, the beginning of the Persian Gulf War. I experienced this from San Francisco, and I was so grateful to hear the perspective of someone who was experiencing it in the moment, instead. This book was sad, moving, engaging, and very interesting.

[Mary Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating that the family is Christian and Kurdish. There are students in my school for whom this book will be a mirror, but for the rest of us...what a powerful window.

[Tasara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Valuable perspective on living during a war, but so curious that the narrator never feels any animus towards the American bombs raining down on his city.

[Jo Oehrlein · Rating 3 out of 5]

An Iraqi boy's view of Desert Storm, from Basra. His family is no fan of Saddam Hussein; I don't know if that makes it better or worse when they suffer during the war.

Plain talk about food rationing, being hungry, not having running water or electricity, watching for planes when playing outside, not getting enough sleep due to bombing, worrying about whether their father is alive (he's a medic), torture of people who oppose the Ba'athist party, and watching the execution of several men in the street.

Ali, the main character, copes by imagining he's in various video games (catching bombs before they can hit, etc.). He also loves his Superman comics and wishes that he could be Superman for his family.

Of course, he's still just a child. He has the normal conflicts with siblings, parents, and neighborhood kids. He's half Kurdish, which means there's extra prejudice from others.

Ali and his family were lucky. Their neighborhood wasn't bombed. Ali's father makes it home. However, they still suffered the impacts of war, even though the war was relatively short-lived.

[Owen Townend · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title piqued my interest then the subject matter. I have never come across a children's book about the Gulf War before but then it occurs to me that that time is now considered history.

I found reading about Ali's life intriguing mostly because it is a child's perspective of atrocity. Together Roy and Fadhil communicate unthinkable trauma in a way that young Westerners can identify with. Then again, I was personally never out of my comfort zone for too long.

I did find the video game references a bit lacking: with a title like Playing Atari with Saddam Hussein, one would expect more metaphorical battles in 8-bit graphics. Also there was no actual gameplay between Ali and the dictator. Regardless the final meeting gave the rest of the narrative much greater significance. After all, while it is a sad tale, we know young Ali grows up to become a man of some influence.

I recommend Playing Atari with Saddam Hussein to parents and teachers wanting to engage with their children on the subject of Iraq, especially if they have no memory of Project Desert Storm or Hussein himself.

[Kirsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

14 year old Ali Fadhil, is a lot like any other boy his age. He loves comic books,video games, playing football in the street with his friends and watching American television. But, unlike some kids, he and his family huddle together in their "safe room" in Basra, Iraq, through the 43 days of Desert Storm--an American bombing effort to stop the dictator, Saddam Hussein, from occupying nearby Kuwait. Ali often dreams of himself in a video game or as a comic book character where the good guys always win. But do they? And at what cost? An up close and very personal view of children living through devastating war--based on a true story. Excellent. Some violence (it is war, after all.)

[Beth Matsoukis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was going to give it only 4 stars because “it’s a kids book”. But then I thought about it, no this is a 5 Star book. It’s a serious topic and you can feel all of the angst of war as it oozes in from the perspective of a child. School is indefinitely cancelled? Yay! We don’t have access to the food we like in the quantities we like? Boo! The story is jazzed up a bit for artistic license, but there is a real Ali Fadhil that lived through Desert Storm.

[Shay · Rating 4 out of 5]

The writing is tween-friendly, but that didn't stop the authors from including talk of torture, execution, and the brutality of war. Though it's not about the modern Iraq war, it's impossible not to thing about everything that's happened in the last twenty years - the bombings, civilian casualties, etc. It was a sobering reminder of all the people just living their lives that get caught in the middle of government spats and have their lives wrecked in the process.

[Elizabeth Meadows · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this because it's on the Sunshine State reading list for 2019-2020, but I put off reading it until almost the end of the list because I was a bit cautious of the subject matter. I need not have feared. It was a very good account of a young boy's life during the war in Iraq in 1991. I was in my 20s at that time in a fairly new career and was not paying close attention to world events. So I was happy to learn more about this event and enjoyed hearing about it through the eyes of someone who experienced it. This book is heart-felt and very good.

[Lori Benson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this in an afternoon to be ready for a book talk on Monday. I love historical fiction and this book is a good read on a topic I should know more about. It starts in Iraq in 1991 and is the story of 11 year old Ali Fadhil and his family through Operation Desert Storm. This book is on the Charlie May Simon award list for 2020-2021.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a little kid myself when this took place and I learned a lot about the war from this book. Not much happened in the story but for middle grade, this is a good introduction to the subject matter.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really Enjoyed this book. I was in college during Operation Desert Storm. I found it fascinating to see this time period from the viewpoint of a young boy living through the war. I work in a 4-5th grade elementary school, this would make a great read aloud to show students what it’s like to live through a war on your home soil during modern times. I found the title a bit misleading, but loved the references to Atari games I used to play.