How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
The houses usually had a courtyard behind a fence. The fence was locked with either a deadbolt or a bar across the entire door and if you had to bust through, you woke up the entire neighborhood. Once you broke through the fence, if you couldn't climb over it, you had to find the door. That would be a tough mother to crack as well.
"They act as if they're living in New York City!" Jonesy had said.
I didn't have a comeback for that. (10.58-60)
Jonesy's making fun how hard to break in Iraqi houses in Baghdad are—but really, can you blame them?
Quote #8
"A poor man in Iraq may never speak to a doctor," Jamil said. "In the West you complain about the cost in dollars. In Iraq your life is always in Allah's palm." (11.35)
Imagine never seeing a doctor. Ever. Your lifespan would probably decrease—a lot.
Quote #9
Outside the air was clear and crisp, already warm. The sky was slowly turning from a quiet predawn gray to the brilliance of the morning. In the distance the bright reddish gold of the Iraqi sunrise began to spread over the horizon. Dark silhouettes brightened into sprawling fields and square squat structures. The foul smell of the Euphrates River mixed with sweet odors rising from the sands along its banks, adding texture to the rising sun, like a chorus of strings backing up a sad saxophone. (13.139)
This is a beautiful description, but see where it ends? With the sad saxophone metaphor. That should give you an idea of Birdy's mood.