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syni's review against another edition
4.75
Very good book; well written, engaging, and only sometimes confusing (which is impressive given the amount of times she had to debrief complex geopolitical contexts!).
I did have a couple of gripes though:
There was a weird thing where things the West had done wrong were stated (Except in the case of the Western-backed Israeli colonisation and genocide of Palestine, which she only refers to as the 'Israeli/Arab conflict',) but at the same time Muslims seemed chastised for seeing themselves as victims and not pulling themselves up by the bootstraps (even if the individuals she was interviewing did pursue further schooling, that wouldn't resolve the systemic poverty in the community).
- Sometimes it seemed that she wrote herself to be more naïve ? than she was, e.g. repeatedly emphasising how she couldn't understand how people became terrorists even though by that point we'd already discussed the main reasons. Of course there's a difference between intellectual and emotional understanding, but it still seemed ??.
But these were just side-eyes, as the point of the book I found was more focused on how Western actors (governments, media, society) contribute to extremism.
I did have a couple of gripes though:
There was a weird thing where things the West had done wrong were stated (Except in the case of the Western-backed Israeli colonisation and genocide of Palestine, which she only refers to as the 'Israeli/Arab conflict',) but at the same time Muslims seemed chastised for seeing themselves as victims and not pulling themselves up by the bootstraps (even if the individuals she was interviewing did pursue further schooling, that wouldn't resolve the systemic poverty in the community).
- Sometimes it seemed that she wrote herself to be more naïve ? than she was, e.g. repeatedly emphasising how she couldn't understand how people became terrorists even though by that point we'd already discussed the main reasons. Of course there's a difference between intellectual and emotional understanding, but it still seemed ??.
But these were just side-eyes, as the point of the book I found was more focused on how Western actors (governments, media, society) contribute to extremism.
carolynu's review against another edition
4.0
So, so interesting and informative. I learned a lot about terrorists and religion in the Middle East. I had trouble at times following the story because of similar names and I still don’t understand a lot about the divisions, but I am on the road to a greater understanding. Well done!
vegantrav's review against another edition
5.0
I Was Told to Come Alone is a spy thriller.
And a biography.
And a dark comedy.
And a tragedy.
And a socio-cultural analysis of why and how the West and some Muslims in the West, North Africa, and the Middle East so often and so badly misunderstand one another.
Of course, it is also the story of exactly what it is like to be a journalist covering the stories of war, terrorism, refugees, and revolution in the Middle East, North Africa, and the West over the last two decades.
And it is surprisingly entertaining while also being extremely educational and enlightening.
If you are interested in a detailed, nuanced account of the roots of the terrorism that has plagued the West over the past 20 years, I Was Told to Come Alone is a must-read.
And a biography.
And a dark comedy.
And a tragedy.
And a socio-cultural analysis of why and how the West and some Muslims in the West, North Africa, and the Middle East so often and so badly misunderstand one another.
Of course, it is also the story of exactly what it is like to be a journalist covering the stories of war, terrorism, refugees, and revolution in the Middle East, North Africa, and the West over the last two decades.
And it is surprisingly entertaining while also being extremely educational and enlightening.
If you are interested in a detailed, nuanced account of the roots of the terrorism that has plagued the West over the past 20 years, I Was Told to Come Alone is a must-read.
bookssheread's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
It was an amazing book that was written so well in a story telling manner rather than reducing real human stories to facts and figures.
I wad hooked from the first page and there was not any point throughout the book that I found myself losing interest. Perhaps I found it an interesting read even more so because of the current global situation and the parallels I could draw or the links I could create. I also felt that the opinions the author stated were fair. She had justifiable criticisms for all parties, she never praised one singular side.
As a muslim woman though reading her accounts of the things she has done is empowering. It makes the barriers seem less concrete since alot of the barriers faced are similar. It fills me with joy to read books like this. It fills me with hope.
I wad hooked from the first page and there was not any point throughout the book that I found myself losing interest. Perhaps I found it an interesting read even more so because of the current global situation and the parallels I could draw or the links I could create. I also felt that the opinions the author stated were fair. She had justifiable criticisms for all parties, she never praised one singular side.
As a muslim woman though reading her accounts of the things she has done is empowering. It makes the barriers seem less concrete since alot of the barriers faced are similar. It fills me with joy to read books like this. It fills me with hope.
kathycolvi's review against another edition
5.0
Not only a well written and amazing personal story, but an excellent history of Islamic jihad over the last thirty years.
jbrundage's review against another edition
5.0
This book was fantastic. And this woman is one of the of the coolest and most badass people alive.
wooknight's review against another edition
5.0
A remarkable work of journalism that reads like a thriller. I could not put it down. The author did a remarkable job on shedding light on the reasons why young people are drawn to jihad and she also is fearless in shedding light on our own hypocrisies in dealing with freedom of speech and religion.