Iraqi Doctor Ordered to Maim Deserters

Available for over a year

Munjed al-Muderis fled his native Iraq after defying an order to mutilate army deserters. He undertook an epic journey, and ended up being given asylum in Australia, where he is now a respected surgeon. Munjed's own story has captured the imagination of his adopted country. He comes from a privileged Iraqi family, but that didn't protect him from the country's violent history. Dickon Stone is a British artist who uses bugs to make music. He attracts them into a special box using light, and the insects themselves create the sounds of different instruments via an app. James Ellroy is an American crime fiction author whose novels have been turned into Hollywood film such as LA Confidential and The Black Dahlia. His books are often set in 1940s America and he himself admits he is obsessed with the past, in particular the criminal history of Los Angeles. Alaa is an ambulance driver based in the Syrian city of Aleppo, and he has taken it upon himself to feed the abandoned cats in his neighbourhood - and there are a lot!