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In 1987 Christina Lamb, a young reporter in London, interviewed Benazir Bhutto, then in exile. A few months later a gold-script invitation to Bhutto’s wedding landed on her doormat. The wedding in Karachi was her first trip to Pakistan; soon afterwards she gave up her job to live there, and from Peshawar she covered the mujahideen fighting the Soviet army. Twenty years later, in October 2007, she was on top of Bhutto’s bus in Karachi when it was bombed. Born in London in 1965, Lamb is chief foreign correspondent of The Sunday Times. She co-wrote I Am Malala (2013), and in Our Bodies, Their Battlefield (2020) she turned to what war does to women. The ten writers below share her method: go to where the war is, and stay long enough to hear the people it happens to, very often women.
By Lisanne Swart · 10 authors · War reporting · Afghanistan · Women in war · Updated October 2026
Quick answer
If you like Christina Lamb, start with Svetlana Alexievich, whose The Unwomanly Face of War (1985) is built from the testimony of Soviet women who served in the Second World War. Marie Colvin reported for Lamb’s paper, The Sunday Times, from 1985 until she was killed in Homs in 2012, and Lyse Doucet’s The Finest Hotel in Kabul won the 2026 Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction. Further down are the Kabul-born novelist of A Thousand Splendid Suns, and a Dutch journalist who argues that aid can feed the wars it is meant to ease.
10 authors like Christina Lamb
Where to start if you loved Christina Lamb
If you want women’s war in their own words, read Alexievich.
The Unwomanly Face of War (1985) is built from the memories of Soviet women who served in the Second World War.
If you want the classic war correspondent, read Gellhorn.
The Face of War (1959) collects her war journalism, from Spain onwards.
If you want Afghanistan through one building, read Doucet.
The Finest Hotel in Kabul (2025) won the 2026 Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction.
If you want the argument against easy rescue, read Polman.
War Games asks who really benefits when humanitarian aid arrives in a war.
If you are new to Lamb herself, start with The Sewing Circles of Herat.
Her Afghan years in one book (2002); I Am Malala (2013) is the best known, and Our Bodies, Their Battlefield (2020) the most ambitious.
Frequently asked questions about authors like Christina Lamb
Who writes like Christina Lamb?
Svetlana Alexievich, Marie Colvin and Lyse Doucet are the closest matches, with Martha Gellhorn and Janine di Giovanni among the war correspondents who put civilians first.
What should I read after I Am Malala?
Nadia Murad’s The Last Girl (2017), a first-person account by a young woman who became an activist and shared the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize.
What should I read after Our Bodies, Their Battlefield?
Svetlana Alexievich’s The Unwomanly Face of War (1985), built from the testimony of Soviet women who served in the Second World War.
Is Christina Lamb like Marie Colvin?
Both reported wars for The Sunday Times and both put civilians at the centre. Colvin’s journalism is collected in On the Front Line; Lamb has written ten books.
Did Christina Lamb write I Am Malala?
She co-wrote it with Malala Yousafzai. It was published in 2013 and named Popular Non-Fiction Book of the Year at the National Book Awards.
Which Christina Lamb book should I read first?
The Sewing Circles of Herat (2002) for her Afghan years, or Our Bodies, Their Battlefield (2020) for her most ambitious book.
Does Christina Lamb have a new book?
Her most recent book is The Prince Rupert Hotel for the Homeless (2022). She is still chief foreign correspondent of The Sunday Times.
Sources
- Christina Lamb — Wikipedia
- About — Christina Lamb
- Veteran war correspondent on her relationship with Benazir Bhutto — RFE/RL
- Lyse Doucet wins the Women's Prize for Non-Fiction 2026 — Janklow & Nesbit
List last reviewed 31 October 2026.
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