Reviews with content warning for Murder - Our Bodies, Their Battlefields: War Through the Lives of Women

○ Important reading on the sexual violence forced upon women in war and conflict. Lamb covers several conflicts during which sexual violence was not just 'something that happened' but rather was used as a tool for inducing fear in women and their communities. She described how society has -- and still -- largely ignore these crimes even though they are now considered war crimes. Yet, even with this acknowledgement of them as such crimes, when put on trial war criminals are rarely accused and/or convicted as it is often 'easier' to convict for other crimes, for example murder.

○ A number of women tell their stories in this book, each one as horrifying as the next. Painful memories are brought up and discussed how they have affected the women, many of whom have still not seen justice been brought. It also goes into details on how, just because the conflict(s) ended, the women are in some cases shunned from society as speaking up against their abusers meant they were looked down upon by their own communities.

○ At times repetitive, although understandable given the topic at hand. It is not easy reading, following one conflict and the women's accounts of how they were abused, some in one instance, others kept as sexual slaves for weeks, months, years. Each story deserves its place in history, for sure, but in this narrative they start to blend into each other some eerily similar. Which of course is a good point, showing that despite international condemnation, this type of violence directed toward women keeps on happening. But the book manage to convey this message and would have done so without such density of violence. A broader analysis is missing and could've easily fit in between the women's stories for a larger picture.

○ One complaint: Lamb tends to insert herself in the narrative, often commenting on how she did something, said something, that is not necessarily relevant to the narrative. She mentions her own trips in the countries she visits between her meetings with the women, commenting on how it's difficult to understand how blood had run in a certain building just years before. Or how she many times mention how someone told her, as if it is special that she's telling it to her and not someone else. It's a minor thing maybe, but not to me, because it jars with the idea that the books is about the women who suffered during the wars.

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tabitha_isabelle's review

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challenging dark emotional informative

4.25

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