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jonaska's review against another edition
4.0
An impressive book full of courage and an inspiring drive to educate the world around her. I’ve learned a lot
jazidukes's review against another edition
4.0
I found this book to be a very compelling story of her career as a journalist as well as a history lesson for me on the many conflicts that are driving the actions of some people in the Middle East. I appreciated her pursuit of answers to hard questions that not many other people were looking into, and the use of her background to connect with people to get those answers. I'm interested in reading some of her articles to get more context.
monicalevine's review against another edition
4.0
3.75 interesting stories but got confused with all of the different names and people and didn’t feel compelled to keep going
conniecjohnson's review against another edition
5.0
I know so little about the politics of terrorism...I don’t trust the media much and so feel like I don’t fully understand it. Written by a Muslim journalist, the author takes you to the stories of people across the war torn Middle East and North Africa. The stories we don’t hear much. An important book I highly recommend
ronitamohan_louisskye's review against another edition
4.0
That was a very interesting and harrowing read. The author has a very good style of writing and managed to share her experiences, both joyful and horrifying, with objectivity. I guess this is to be expected considering her extensive career as an investigative journalist.
However, there were some areas where I thought an editor was needed. A number of phrases are repeated in close succession as are some descriptions. It was a little annoying to read those paragraphs.
There were also a couple of incidents which were built up but didn't end the way I thought they were intended to.
I would have liked to get a little more insight into the nitty-gritties of investigative journalism. Specifically how the author cultivated sources because she has such an extensive network! How does one do that?
This was a very interesting book to read. Incredibly fascinating and detailed. Hard to put down and a real page turner.
However, there were some areas where I thought an editor was needed. A number of phrases are repeated in close succession as are some descriptions. It was a little annoying to read those paragraphs.
There were also a couple of incidents which were built up but didn't end the way I thought they were intended to.
I would have liked to get a little more insight into the nitty-gritties of investigative journalism. Specifically how the author cultivated sources because she has such an extensive network! How does one do that?
This was a very interesting book to read. Incredibly fascinating and detailed. Hard to put down and a real page turner.
keberis's review against another edition
5.0
"This was an amazing read. I feel like it should come with maps and information on the different people she meets and works with along the way. I spent as much time reading as I did googling the different names and places she discusses. An excellent book."
sherylk's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed reading this memoir by Mekhennet that I first heard about on The Bustle. She is a German Muslim who becomes a well-respected journalist covering the Middle East for (among other publications) the Washington Post. Her stories about meeting leaders and sources from within Al-queda, ISIS, and other terror organizations are fascinating. She is both brave and honest in this book. I enjoyed learning about her personal conflicts and opportunities being Muslim, and I learned much more nuance about the current state of the Middle East than I had known. I also really appreciated reading this account from a non-American's point of view, which was definitely a different take than if she had been American. Highly recommended.
greeninsides's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
5.0
lostinfrance's review against another edition
4.0
I have no memory of how this book got added to my to read list, but I am grateful it did. I am always looking for other people's perspective outside my experience so that I can better understand the world....this was a great place to jump into ME politics. Souad is a German journalist who's family immigrated from Turkey and Morocco before she was born. This book is part memoir--- but also recount of different things that have happened in the past 15 years with Muslims in Europe and happenings in the Middle East that she has been able to explore. She has a different take on the world because she is Muslim and understands the different subtleties in the different sects of the religion. She has been given a chance to interview hidden wanted people and explore regions that have been shut off to the Western world because she is Muslim and is trusted to give both sides of the story.
I found this book thought provoking and her writing captivating. It was also interesting to read about different terrorist attacks that I had forgotten about--- or only read about in the American media.
Read if you are interested in World politics or enjoy memoirs written by women.
I found this book thought provoking and her writing captivating. It was also interesting to read about different terrorist attacks that I had forgotten about--- or only read about in the American media.
Read if you are interested in World politics or enjoy memoirs written by women.