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Our Women on the Ground

Essays by Arab Women Reporting from the Arab World

Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available
Nineteen Arab women journalists speak out about what it’s like to report on their changing homelands in this first-of-its-kind essay collection, with a foreword by CNN chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour
“A stirring, provocative and well-made new anthology . . . that rewrites the hoary rules of the foreign correspondent playbook, deactivating the old clichés.” —Dwight Garner, The New York Times

A growing number of intrepid Arab and Middle Eastern sahafiyat—female journalists—are working tirelessly to shape nuanced narratives about their changing homelands, often risking their lives on the front lines of war. From sexual harassment on the streets of Cairo to the difficulty of traveling without a male relative in Yemen, their challenges are unique—as are their advantages, such as being able to speak candidly with other women at a Syrian medical clinic or with men on Whatsapp who will go on to become ISIS fighters, rebels, or pro-regime soldiers. 
In Our Women on the Ground, nineteen of these women tell us, in their own words, about what it’s like to report on conflicts that (quite literally) hit close to home. Their daring and heartfelt stories, told here for the first time, shatter stereotypes about the region’s women and provide an urgently needed perspective on a part of the world that is frequently misunderstood.
INCLUDING ESSAYS BY: Donna Abu-Nasr, Aida Alami, Hannah Allam, Jane Arraf, Lina Attalah, Nada Bakri, Shamael Elnoor, Zaina Erhaim, Asmaa al-Ghoul, Hind Hassan, Eman Helal, Zeina Karam, Roula Khalaf, Nour Malas, Hwaida Saad, Amira Al-Sharif, Heba Shibani, Lina Sinjab, and Natacha Yazbeck
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  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Narrator Soneela Nankani delivers a clear and authentic performance of this essay collection by Arab women journalists. Most of the media coverage of the Arab world is created by Western journalists, but the Arab women featured in this collection have significantly better access to what is happening in their own countries. Nankani's narration is sensitive and emotional yet straightforward as she recounts the very real horrors these women face on the job. She maintains a conversational tone that invites listeners to change their ideas of what it means to be an Arab woman. Though the transitions between each work would benefit from a longer pause, these essays make for a truly compelling listen. A.K.R. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      June 17, 2019
      Lebanese-British journalist Hankir compiles essays by 19 female reporters from across the Middle East, including Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Sudan, Libya, Palestine, and Egypt. Some are veteran journalists, others just emerging in their fields. Many risked their lives at the centers of conflict zones, such as Hannah Allam, who focused on the “tragic and resilient Iraqi women, a metaphor for the country itself” while covering the Iraq War for McClatchy Newspapers, and Nour Malas, who reported on the Syrian refugee crisis as she grappled with her Syrian identity and the destruction of her ancestral homeland. Others offer cultural critiques: Eman Helal chronicles sexual harassment in Egypt; Donna Abu Nasr evokes the changing state of women’s rights in Saudi Arabia (“when I saw women selling underwear” in Riyadh, she writes, “I choked up”); and Amira Al-Sharif describes her “unusual situation” as a single female photographer in her 30s, working in her native Yemen, where photography is a “man’s job” and most Yemenis get married in their teens. Offering a blend of memoir, war reporting, cultural commentary, history, and politics, these powerful essays deliver insightful analysis of the upheavals in the Middle East from committed and skilled writers. Agent: Jessica Papin, Dystel, Goderich and Bourret.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • Lexile® Measure:1130
  • Text Difficulty:8-9

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