Full review and commentary here - https://bathruminations.substack.com/p/cobalt-red-and-iqbal

Ultimately a hopeful book, I think the narrative choice of writing from the perspective of a child brings moral clarity to the entire book. I must constantly remind myself to view the world in the clear-eyed way children do as they point out clear injustices and take immediate action to right wrongs. When we muddy the water and give ourselves reasons for inaction these are justifications to keep us from feeling guilt, a necessary feeling.




****Spoiler below:
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"Iqbal Masih was murdered on Easter Sunday in 1995 in Muritke, a village some thirty kilometers from Lahore, Pakistan. He was about thirteen.
His murderers have never been discovered.
'He was killed by the Carpet Mafia,' Eshan Khan declared.
Iqbal's name has become the symbol of the battle to liberate millions of children throughout the world from violence and slavery."

"The one afternoon two weeks ago, there was a knock on the garden door. It was a boy, dirty and with bruises from chains around his ankles. He told us he had been working in a carpet factory, that he had run away and come to us so that we would help arrest his master and free the other children.
And then, do you know what he said?
'I'm not afraid.'
I looked at him carefully, Fatima. It was Iqbal. I swear, he was identical! The same voice, the same eyes.
Three days later another boy appeared. And then at the market a boy rebelled against his master, one of the richest merchants.
They were Iqbal too."

A sad story, but a great way to view another culture and the issues that can go unnoticed when you live in a land of privileged.

Although based on a true story, there’s a lot more focus on the fictional narrator and her experience than I would have liked. This is for 3-5 graders as well, which I guess I didn’t realize before picking it up.

A fiction story, but based upon true events- Iqbal has been sold time after time when his defiance becomes more than his rugmaking skill is worth to his owners. His story picks up here when he is brought to a small rugmaking workshop and infects the other children with his dreams of what is right and just. The story is told by one of the girls he befriends and whose life he changes forever. This story would be perfect as a readaloud for middle school students learning about slavery during the Civil War and would provoke much discussion about justice and economics.

I heard about Iqbal by studying Malala. Turns out, there was another Pakistani child fighting for children's rights to education before Malala, only this child was shot and didn't survive. Every bit as powerful as Malala's story, Iqbal makes for a great companion piece, especially if one is struggling to hold the attention of the boys in the crowd.

A great choice for Middle School teachers focusing on issues of child slavery and standing up for social justice.