The Watermelon Boys

By Ruqaya Izzidien,

Book cover of The Watermelon Boys

Book description

Shortlisted for The Betty Trask Prize

It is the winter of 1915 and Iraq has been engulfed by the First World War. Hungry for independence from Ottoman rule, Ahmad leaves his peaceful family life on the banks of the Tigris to join the British-led revolt. Thousands of miles away, Welsh…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked The Watermelon Boys as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Again set in the Middle East, this novel about Ahmad and Carwyn, Arab and Welsh, who are both drawn into the war on its Eastern Front, is an absorbing story from a part of the world that has been neglected in World War I fiction. The two men are both betrayed by the English in different ways, and Izzidien’s Iraqi-Welsh heritage allows her to draw a compassionate picture of both protagonists. It also shows how the rapacious European colonialist mentality that underpinned the entire war created the conditions for terrorism and strife in the region today.

Want books like The Watermelon Boys?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like The Watermelon Boys.

Browse books like The Watermelon Boys

Book cover of Anyush
Book cover of A Long Long Way
Book cover of Fallen

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,188

readers submitted
so far, will you?

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in World War 1, Iraq, and Mesopotamia?

World War 1 933 books
Iraq 98 books
Mesopotamia 25 books