Our Women on the Ground

I hope to return to this book soon. It is so powerful and so human, and the stories are more pressing than ever given the current conflicts in the Mideast. I have so much respect for these journalists: their thoughts, unrelenting strength in documenting war in a raw and human way, efforts to expose stories of women + peoples that might be otherwise overlooked, and courageous empathy. I hold war journalists in very high regard and I really appreciated hearing the unique perspectives of these reporters, their careers, and identities.

Reading this soon after [b:Generation Kill: Devil Dogs, Iceman, Captain America, and the New Face of American War|543103|Generation Kill Devil Dogs, Iceman, Captain America, and the New Face of American War|Evan Wright|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1441919496l/543103.SY75.jpg|908023] and before meeting/speaking with Iraqi exchange students helped me get a more nuanced view of the war in Iraq and, more broadly, Mideast countries and people.

I love all of these stories but The Woman Question (loved that she referenced Generation Kill) and Maps of Iraq stood out to me the first time I read it.

“It is our responsibility to do our utmost to acquire the answers, to dig them up with our bare hands if we must.”

Fascinating and powerful essay collection. So many varied perspectives within the collection give a well rounded picture of the difficulties facing women journalists, and women in general, in the unsettled Arab world of today.

4.5