From my bookshelf
Our Women on the Ground
Our Women on the Ground
Nineteen Arab women write, in their own words, about reporting on conflicts that (quite literally) hit close to home.
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Why it’s on my shelf
Why Our Women on the Ground is on my shelf
Nineteen short essays, and I have read the news from the region differently ever since. These are the women whose names rarely make the front page, finally telling their own side of the story. If most of what you know about the Arab world comes from foreign correspondents, start here.
- For you if
- you follow the news from the Middle East and want to know who is actually on the ground.
- What it does
- It puts a face and a voice behind the byline. After reading it, you notice who wrote a story before you notice what it says.
Inside the book
The nineteen women on the ground
sahafiyat, female journalists
Edited by Zahra Hankir, with a foreword by Christiane Amanpour. Some essays were written in English, others translated from Arabic.
- 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
- Natacha Yazbeck
Get your own copy
Our Women on the Ground
read one essay a night. they stay with you.
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Quick facts about Our Women on the Ground
- Edited by
- Zahra Hankir
- Foreword
- Christiane Amanpour
- First published
- 6 August 2019
- Publisher
- Penguin Books
- Length
- 19 essays, 278 pages
- Language
- English, some essays translated from Arabic
- ISBN (Penguin paperback)
- 978-0143133414
- Reported from
- Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Sudan, Libya, Palestine, Egypt and more
Before you buy
Three questions people ask first
Is Our Women on the Ground hard to read?
The essays are short and clearly written, so the book is easy to pick up. Some are heavy going, about war, loss and harassment, so it reads best one essay at a time.
Do I need to know a lot about the Arab world?
No. Each writer sets the scene for her own country and story. The book is a good way in if most of what you know about the region comes from the news.
Which edition should I buy?
The Penguin Books paperback from 2019 is the original edition. There is also an audiobook if you prefer to listen.
More questions about the book
Who edited Our Women on the Ground?
The book was edited by Zahra Hankir, a Lebanese-British journalist, who also wrote the introduction.
Who wrote the foreword?
The foreword is by Christiane Amanpour, CNN’s chief international correspondent.
How many journalists contributed?
Nineteen Arab and Middle Eastern women journalists, reporters and photographers each wrote an essay for the book.
Who are the contributors?
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.
What is the book about?
Arab women journalists write about what it is like to report on conflicts in their own countries, from Syria, Iraq and Yemen to Sudan, Libya, Palestine and Egypt. The essays mix memoir and war reporting with stories about harassment, family and what it means to report on home.
When was it published?
Penguin Books published Our Women on the Ground on 6 August 2019.
Were the essays written in English?
Some essays were written in English and others were translated from Arabic.
I only put books on my shelf that I’ve read myself. This one I read cover to cover, and it moved me.
Lisanne x
Updated
From the bookshelf
“My primary goal was to give Arab and Middle Eastern women journalists a global platform.”— Zahra Hankir, editor
One book a month, read cover to cover, with my notes from the margins. This one was August’s.
Looking for something else to read?
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