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aflovell2's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
slow-paced
4.0
taylersimon22's review against another edition
4.0
A balanced look at how extremism affects women, the first time I’ve seen this through a genders lens.
kelsiepixler's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.5
kangaruthie's review against another edition
5.0
This is an incredibly important and thorough account of the nuanced experiences of Muslim women who were drawn to ISIS. There is no room in the narrative in the U.S. for accounts that consider how ordinary women in the Middle East, Europe, and U.S. were drawn to militancy as a last resort. There is no conversation about WHY they might have felt that joining such an extremist group was a good solution. Moaveni's prerogative is to explore this why, without passing judgement or sympathy.
"To the public, they were either naïve jihadi brides or calculating monsters. But most of the women in this book were neither passive nor predatory, and trying to pin down their degree of agency seemed to be only one line of inquiry, and certainly not the most revealing. Some collaborated or acted knowingly; some were so young that, despite the outward appearance of deliberate choice, they were not mature enough to exercise anything approaching adult judgment. Most policy papers, public discussions, and security initiatives dealing with gender and extremism seem wholly disconnected from the lived experiences of women in the Middle East."
Moaveni does an amazing job of telling the complicated and detailed stories of the women's motivations. This book is not meant to be sympathetic towards the actions of terrorists. Instead, it is an account of the complex circumstances of these women's lives which are critical to understanding their stories.
As she states, "I am acutely aware that these stories do not tell the comprehensive story of all ISIS women, and that many engaged in atrocities that amounted to war crimes. That fact stands starkly as its own truth. I have tried to write most closely from the perspective of the women themselves, while providing background that might make their actions intelligible. The context is there to illuminate not to justify, and judgment remains the prerogative of the reader."
I am grateful to Moaveni for telling the untold stories of these women, and for doing it so well.
"To the public, they were either naïve jihadi brides or calculating monsters. But most of the women in this book were neither passive nor predatory, and trying to pin down their degree of agency seemed to be only one line of inquiry, and certainly not the most revealing. Some collaborated or acted knowingly; some were so young that, despite the outward appearance of deliberate choice, they were not mature enough to exercise anything approaching adult judgment. Most policy papers, public discussions, and security initiatives dealing with gender and extremism seem wholly disconnected from the lived experiences of women in the Middle East."
Moaveni does an amazing job of telling the complicated and detailed stories of the women's motivations. This book is not meant to be sympathetic towards the actions of terrorists. Instead, it is an account of the complex circumstances of these women's lives which are critical to understanding their stories.
As she states, "I am acutely aware that these stories do not tell the comprehensive story of all ISIS women, and that many engaged in atrocities that amounted to war crimes. That fact stands starkly as its own truth. I have tried to write most closely from the perspective of the women themselves, while providing background that might make their actions intelligible. The context is there to illuminate not to justify, and judgment remains the prerogative of the reader."
I am grateful to Moaveni for telling the untold stories of these women, and for doing it so well.
katiegaylorr's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
4.0
whtbout2ndbrkfst's review against another edition
5.0
Guest House for Young Widows: Among the Women of ISIS is a powerhouse of a novel by Azadeh Moaveni. It is not a quick read and is sometimes hard to keep track of as it follows the story of more than a dozen women from 2007 - 2017. However, the writing is clear and engaging and Moaveni takes the time to walk readers through the historical context of what's happening in each country as well as globally. The women she chose to highlight were fascinating and had a diverse array of backgrounds that brought them to ISIS.
Their stories were treated with finesse and understanding and Moaveni didn't hesitate to call out the US, UK, and Germany alongside Syria, Iran, and Iraq for their role in both creating ISIS and a culture that allowed these girls and women to be manipulted by it. She was able to be critical of these women's descisions without losing compassion. Many of them were children, or mislead by lovers, or truly in search of a way to practice their religion freely, and Moaveni was able to capture their idealistic intentions without forgiving the end result.
Some have criticized her work saying Moaveni has extreme negativity for the West or too much forgiveness for the women of ISIS. I personally, didn't find this to be the case. While she treats these subjects with empathy, she never excuses their actions - only seeks to find the influences behind them. Moaveni also acknowledges in text that there are other women not included in this novel who committed atrocities. I feel books like this are essential to understanding how cults, extremism, terrorist groups, etc. prey on the most vulnerable - turning bullying, frustration, laws against religions freedom, poverty, and shame into a catalyst for membership by preying on society's most vulnerable.
These accounts felt real and truthful. From a Western perspective it so easy to dismiss these women as unforgivable, but Moaveni asks the reader to reevaluate that gut instinct and instead look to the plethora of reasons an individual turns to extremism and how, we, as a society, can better counteract that - through education, policy reform, religious freedom, unbiased reporting, and better protection of our youth.
I also appreciated the excerpts from her previously published articles as they helped add context to the timeline and what was happening around the world as these 12 girls/women navigated it.
Their stories were treated with finesse and understanding and Moaveni didn't hesitate to call out the US, UK, and Germany alongside Syria, Iran, and Iraq for their role in both creating ISIS and a culture that allowed these girls and women to be manipulted by it. She was able to be critical of these women's descisions without losing compassion. Many of them were children, or mislead by lovers, or truly in search of a way to practice their religion freely, and Moaveni was able to capture their idealistic intentions without forgiving the end result.
Some have criticized her work saying Moaveni has extreme negativity for the West or too much forgiveness for the women of ISIS. I personally, didn't find this to be the case. While she treats these subjects with empathy, she never excuses their actions - only seeks to find the influences behind them. Moaveni also acknowledges in text that there are other women not included in this novel who committed atrocities. I feel books like this are essential to understanding how cults, extremism, terrorist groups, etc. prey on the most vulnerable - turning bullying, frustration, laws against religions freedom, poverty, and shame into a catalyst for membership by preying on society's most vulnerable.
These accounts felt real and truthful. From a Western perspective it so easy to dismiss these women as unforgivable, but Moaveni asks the reader to reevaluate that gut instinct and instead look to the plethora of reasons an individual turns to extremism and how, we, as a society, can better counteract that - through education, policy reform, religious freedom, unbiased reporting, and better protection of our youth.
I also appreciated the excerpts from her previously published articles as they helped add context to the timeline and what was happening around the world as these 12 girls/women navigated it.