So this book was written by my Arabic Professor Muhsin Al-Ramli. The book tells the story of his life and the story of the people of Iraq. He served as a tank commander with the Iraqi army during the Gulf War. He has been living in Spain since 1995 but it is his real-life experiences from his time living in Iraq that are the cornerstones of his novel. The story begins on the third day of Ramadan when nine banana boxes are discovered by a villager. Each contains the severed head of nine of the men from the village. Behind the brutal deaths are the stories of a war, a revolution and the secrets buried with the bodies in the President’s gardens. His brother was hanged for being an author and being part of a failed coup. This opportunity has been amazing so far. However, it is not without its challenges Mus as he has asked us to call him does not speak English. As such he teaches in Spanish and one of the other students helps me to translate. This experience is teaching me Spanish and Arabic. I am so grateful for the opportunity and am learning a lot about not only the language but so much of the Iraqi culture.