Our Women on the Ground

The journalists in this book have demonstrated the highest professional achievements and courage… Without them, the stories of today and tomorrow will remain only partly told. – Christiane Amanpour, from the Foreword
A refreshing insight…our knowledge of the Middle East is richer and more nuanced thanks to these courageous women; it is long past time that we looked at things from their perspectives. – Bethan McKernan * Guardian *
Showcases journalism at its bravest. Determination, grit and humour shine through the writing. – Lindsey Hilsum * Observer Books of the Year *
Zahra Hankir’s pioneering collection is required reading… An antidote to the endless stream of ‘clickbait’ and ‘content’, this is journalism at its most honest and reflective – a multi-dimensional narrative about what it means to be a female journalist in the Arab world and in the West… Hankir shines a light on the strength of those who have reported on war and womanhood and invites us to ‘listen to what they have to say’. I urge you to accept her invitation. – Sarah Collins * The Arts Desk Books of the Year *
A stirring, provocative and well-made new anthology … a book that banishes all manner of silences… that rewrites the hoary rules of the foreign correspondent playbook, deactivating the old clichés. – Dwight Garner * New York Times *
[An] inspiring and extraordinary essay collection… the stories these women have to tell are unique, and deeply needed at a time when our gaze so often turns to what’s happening in the Arab world. – Sarah Shaffi * Stylist *
These nineteen brief, riveting essays argue for a more honest, experiential approach [to journalism]… Combining personal and professional history, they pull what can often register as distant, indistinguishable struggles into sharp focus…The journalists in Our Women on the Ground both break the rules and take advantage of them, describing as only they can the private lives of women who comprise the bulk of populations where so many men have died. – Maria Golia * Times Literary Supplement *
The essays are at turns searing, poignant, and funny, but what shines through in all of them is the sheer strength of the women writing. – Kim Ghattas * The Atlantic *
Several of the[se women] have reported bravely on the conflict in Syria and the travails of women living under ISIS rule… . They provide a perspective and a range of contacts and ideas born of experience that had previously been largely missing. * The New York Review of Books *
Candid, evocative and above all, daring. * Harper’s Bazaar Arabia *

Zahra Hankir (Author, External Editor)

Zahra Hankir, a Lebanese British journalist and the editor of Our Women on the Ground, writes about the intersection of politics, culture and society. Her work has appeared in publications including Conde Nast Traveller, the Observer, Times Literary Supplement, BBC News, Al Jazeera English, Bloomberg Businessweek, the Los Angeles Times, and The Rumpus. She was awarded a Jack R. Howard Fellowship in International Journalism to attend the Columbia Journalism School and holds degrees in politics and Middle Eastern studies.

Christiane Amanpour (Foreword By)

Christiane Amanpour is CNN’s chief international anchor and host of the network’s award-winning, flagship global affairs programme Amanpour, which also airs on PBS in the United States. She is based in the network’s London bureau. Christiane’s illustrious career in journalism spans more than three decades. After joining CNN in 1983, Amanpour rose through the organisation, becoming the network’s leading international correspondent reporting on international crises in the Gulf, Iraq, Afghanistan, North Korea, Palestinian territories, Iran, Sudan, Israel, Pakistan, Somalia, Rwanda, the Balkans, Egypt and Libya. Amanpour has interviewed most of the top world leaders over the past two decades and has received every major broadcast award, including an inaugural Television Academy Award, eleven News and Documentary Emmys, four Peabody Awards and nine honorary degrees. In 2014, she was inducted into the Cable Hall of Fame and in 2018 was inducted into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, an honorary citizen of Sarajevo and a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador. Amanpour is a graduate of the University of Rhode Island.

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