First published 2016
In Timbuktu, a famed city of ancient learning, the greatest collection of medieval Arabic texts is under threat. When al-Qaeda militants advance on the city, a mild-mannered librarian named Abdel Kader Haidara mounts a covert operation to smuggle the priceless documents to safety. Assembling a motley crew of bookworms and eccentrics, Haidara must brave perilous desert sands and avoid detection by the ruthless jihadists to rescue humanity's cultural heritage.
Genres: history, adventure, non-fiction, africa
Vibes: suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family
Setting: Timbuktu
Period: 21st-century
336 pages · Paperback · Allen & Unwin