The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu and Their Race to Save the World’s Most Precious ManuscriptsBy Joshua Hammer
While the destructive acts of Islamic extremists worldwide capture headlines, countless stories of heroic resistance rarely receive attention. Award-winning journalist Hammer shines a light on one such episode of bravery and defiance. As al-Qaida advanced on Mali’s fabled city of Timbuktu in 2012, a small group of archivists and librarians risked their lives on an elaborate plan to save thousands of rare manuscripts from the marauders. Full of detail about the event and the sociopolitical circumstances leading to it, Bad-Ass Librarians also serves as a rousing salute to ordinary civilians who make a stand to preserve cultural heritage against all odds.
