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98 reviews for:
Het meisje dat van IS won. Ontvoerd, verkocht, ontsnapt
Farida Khalaf, Andrea C. Hoffmann
4.35 AVERAGE
98 reviews for:
Het meisje dat van IS won. Ontvoerd, verkocht, ontsnapt
Farida Khalaf, Andrea C. Hoffmann
4.35 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
fast-paced
New English translation of the memoir of a young Yazidi girl's experiences in ISIS captivity. It's horrifying stuff, but she turns out to be more of a fighter than any of the ISIS soldiers she encounters.
I was so sad that a recurring thought she had was of being shamed and bringing shame on her family after what was done to her. When she ended up in a refugee camp after her escape, she indeed encounters some of this behavior, as if she'd done wrong just by surviving when that should've been celebrated. I was worried this difficult cultural aspect would go unresolved, but her explanation for how she faced this, dealt with it, and will continue to deal with it was very powerful. She's got this.
A very important book and a quick read - if you're even wondering if you should read it, the answer is yes. It's so crucial to understand what others are going through in these very messed up times. I can think of a lot of people who could stand to have a little more compassion for others and maybe a personal story like this one would help. I hope that it reaches a lot of people and helps.
The story itself is incredible, I loved that so much of this strong girl's spirit came through, but I had to knock off a star for some of the way too British slang in the translation. I liked that there were recreations of dialogue, especially since this all takes place in the very recent past so I would expect some of it to still be pretty fresh in memory. But it completely takes you out of the narrative to read some words or expressions that were so distinctly British when I think some more universal phrasing would've sufficed.
I received a copy from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I was so sad that a recurring thought she had was of being shamed and bringing shame on her family after what was done to her. When she ended up in a refugee camp after her escape, she indeed encounters some of this behavior, as if she'd done wrong just by surviving when that should've been celebrated. I was worried this difficult cultural aspect would go unresolved, but her explanation for how she faced this, dealt with it, and will continue to deal with it was very powerful. She's got this.
A very important book and a quick read - if you're even wondering if you should read it, the answer is yes. It's so crucial to understand what others are going through in these very messed up times. I can think of a lot of people who could stand to have a little more compassion for others and maybe a personal story like this one would help. I hope that it reaches a lot of people and helps.
The story itself is incredible, I loved that so much of this strong girl's spirit came through, but I had to knock off a star for some of the way too British slang in the translation. I liked that there were recreations of dialogue, especially since this all takes place in the very recent past so I would expect some of it to still be pretty fresh in memory. But it completely takes you out of the narrative to read some words or expressions that were so distinctly British when I think some more universal phrasing would've sufficed.
I received a copy from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
emotional
It is near-impossible to give a star-rating to a non-fiction book of this nature. The Girl Who Beat ISIS tells the heart-wrenching story of Farida Khalaf, a confident and intelligent schoolgirl and aspiring maths teacher. While enjoying her summer holidays, Farida’s village was attacked by ISIS. Her family were captured and separated, men and boys were killed, and women were kept as prisoners. Farida recalls the torture she endured: the beatings, the rapes, the markets where ISIS sold women like cattle.
One of the things that struck me about this book was the way it was written. It almost read like a children’s book. For this reason, this book is accessible, clear, and easy to follow. I, shamefully, know very little about the conflicts of the Middle East when I began this book. However, Farida explains events in a far more understandable way than anything I have heard in mainstream news/media.
This is a remarkable story of Farida’s strength, perseverance, and intelligence, and she is a young woman who we should all admire. However, I think it’s important to remember that while this is the story of how Farida beat ISIS, there are countless young women who continue to endure immense cruelty on a daily basis. My thoughts are with these young women.
One of the things that struck me about this book was the way it was written. It almost read like a children’s book. For this reason, this book is accessible, clear, and easy to follow. I, shamefully, know very little about the conflicts of the Middle East when I began this book. However, Farida explains events in a far more understandable way than anything I have heard in mainstream news/media.
This is a remarkable story of Farida’s strength, perseverance, and intelligence, and she is a young woman who we should all admire. However, I think it’s important to remember that while this is the story of how Farida beat ISIS, there are countless young women who continue to endure immense cruelty on a daily basis. My thoughts are with these young women.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
I bit the bait for this book for its title. And I only needed 3 days to finish the book. That was a delicious bait I bit into and it was worth to bite. I mean, the world is so engrossed with stories of ISIS' attacks here and there and to actually discover that a girl actually beat ISIS for once couldn't intrigue me any further.
The writer did a fantastic job describing her beautiful childhood and village. She wrote it on a personal level and I really could connect to what she was painting about her family and village. As compared to Malala's book, I highly preferred this book as it was entertaining, suspenseful and just the right amount of contents were in to help me understand the scenario well without getting bored of information overload.
To begin with, knowing this was a true story gave the book a new level of credibility. At every turn of the page, I felt like I was walking closer to the exact point of the story and then journeying on from there with the writer. The path Farida travelled with the other girls were of constant fright and torment. It was not hard to imagine the places these girls were taken too after being separated from their families and the filthy pigs they encountered along with who were pimps, slavers, human traffickers and soldiers who were hungry for quick sexual pleasures.
From the start, Farida was consistent in her character of being a fighter. She fought as much as she could to protect her friends and herself. Unfortunately, one man's lust overpowered her frail condition and in the man's world, she was badly tainted. But, that horrifying incident did not kill the fire in this girl who always had her gaze on escaping the cruel claws of ISIS.
Farida was also a leader among the girls she was with as they looked up to her for strength and hope. And I absolutely loved the fact and besides being a Mathematics genius, Farida was a superbly creative person especially under pressure where she constantly taught of ways to escape.
As I approached the ending of her story, I found some comfort knowing that although Farida has lost quite a lot, but, today, she is in Germany with a better opportunity to start over. But this little comfort is not enough to overwhelm my sorrow knowing that Farida's story is just one among the many who may have gone through worst than her and they did not have the fighting spirit and hope like Farida did.
The writer did a fantastic job describing her beautiful childhood and village. She wrote it on a personal level and I really could connect to what she was painting about her family and village. As compared to Malala's book, I highly preferred this book as it was entertaining, suspenseful and just the right amount of contents were in to help me understand the scenario well without getting bored of information overload.
To begin with, knowing this was a true story gave the book a new level of credibility. At every turn of the page, I felt like I was walking closer to the exact point of the story and then journeying on from there with the writer. The path Farida travelled with the other girls were of constant fright and torment. It was not hard to imagine the places these girls were taken too after being separated from their families and the filthy pigs they encountered along with who were pimps, slavers, human traffickers and soldiers who were hungry for quick sexual pleasures.
From the start, Farida was consistent in her character of being a fighter. She fought as much as she could to protect her friends and herself. Unfortunately, one man's lust overpowered her frail condition and in the man's world, she was badly tainted. But, that horrifying incident did not kill the fire in this girl who always had her gaze on escaping the cruel claws of ISIS.
Farida was also a leader among the girls she was with as they looked up to her for strength and hope. And I absolutely loved the fact and besides being a Mathematics genius, Farida was a superbly creative person especially under pressure where she constantly taught of ways to escape.
As I approached the ending of her story, I found some comfort knowing that although Farida has lost quite a lot, but, today, she is in Germany with a better opportunity to start over. But this little comfort is not enough to overwhelm my sorrow knowing that Farida's story is just one among the many who may have gone through worst than her and they did not have the fighting spirit and hope like Farida did.