I was told to come alone

An excellent book that functions both as an autobiography of the author and her accounting of some of more harrowing assignments she's had covering extremism post 9-11.

Even more than that, Mekhennet contextualizes the motivations behind the sects/movements of the extremists and jihadists she interviews. She's got the right bona fides for this because she has both Sunni and Shia parents, something she touches on repeatedly.

I'd recommend this if you're interested in the politics of the Middle East or journalism in general.

I hate to break the chain of 5-star reviews here, but I was underwhelmed by this book. I found it to be repetitive and the large number of characters confusing (it would have benefited from a “who's who” list). I didn't learn anything I didn't already know about the factors contributing to the radicalization of certain Muslims, nor did the author provide any helpful solutions other than, “we all have to respect each other and not assume that the West knows what is best for the rest of the world.” I think I would have been better off reading Mekhennet's original articles than her recollections of what she had to do to get the stories.