The World Is Not a Rectangle by Jeanette Winter
Published by Beach Lane Books on August 22, 2017
Key Words: Education, Strength, Courage, Resilience, Inspiring
Summary: The World Is Not a Rectangle describes the real story of Zaha Hadid, an Iraqi-British architect with structures all over the world. As a small child living in Baghdad, Iraq, Zaha looked at the terrain of the rivers and marshes with her father, and was inspired to design by the world around her. Her dreams of learning more about cities led her to travel to London to study architecture. When Zaha graduated, she opened her office, “Studio 9,” and made drawings, which were unique with no harsh lines. She entered many competitions with her drawings, and although she won, people would not build her designs, yet Zaha made a choice not to give up. Zaha continues to design inspired by nature, such as the wind in the dunes, which helps her create a dessert building. Soon, Zaha’s buildings became world-renowned and were viewed around the globe, working with hundreds of architects on her buildings. When Zaha Hadid’s window goes dark, people continue to be remembered by her breathtaking work and the hundreds of architects working to make her vision come to life.
Book lesson: The lesson of the book is to encourage kids to follow their dreams and reassure them that nothing is impossible. Through the story of Zaha, kids see that if they want something they are passionate about, they should continue to work for it.
Censorship: Not banned or censored
Highlights: Towards the end of the book, it depicts creations that Zaha had built and the inspiration behind them, which I enjoyed. For example, it shows how out of shells and cradles she designed a stadium. Then, at the end of the book, it showcases where these buildings exist. The stadium, which is in Qatar, is called Al Wakrah Stadium.
Children’s identity: The narrative of Zaha reassures children that with hard work and passion for their work, they can achieve their dreams. For children who might fear that their identity might hinder them, the narrative of Zaha shows them that their identity could empower them and push them further. Illustrated through Zaha’s struggles to first get her creations built, with a city planner remarking that she is Arab and a woman; however, she overcame this and was motivated to work harder.
Sense of culture: Zaha is frequently inspired by Iraqi culture, visible throughout her creations. For example, as a young child, she reflected for a long time on Persian carpets, contemplating the designs and how the shapes and colors flow together, which is a pattern in her designs.
Sense of how others perceive us: Throughout her journey, Zaha got comments doubting her because she was Arab and a woman, but this did not stop her. Zaha stated that she “made a conscious decision not to stop,” which shows that she thought about how others perceived her, yet she did not allow it to stop her.
Sense of Belonging/community: Zaha does not seem to have difficulties with building a community around her. Due to her passion for architecture and discovering people who share that, from the start, she was able to find her community, and this only grew with her success.
