The Last Girl (memoir)
ISBN 9781524760434 | |
The Last Girl: My Story of Captivity, and My Fight Against the Islamic State is an
Synopsis
Part I details Murad growing up in the
In Part II, Murad recounts her and surrounding experiences during the
Murad narrates her escape of ISIS-held territory in Part III of the book. After wandering Mosul for almost two hours, she approached a family for help. An escape was arranged, and, using fake identities, Murad escaped with the younger son, who the family worried would join ISIS. They successfully entered
Release
Murad's attorney, Amal Clooney, a Lebanese-British barrister, wrote the foreword to The Last Girl.[1]
The Last Girl was simultaneously released in the UK, Germany and the Netherlands on October 31, 2017, with rights sold in twenty other territories.[2] According to the Associated Press, Murad noted in a statement "that she had lost numerous friends and family members to ISIS and hoped her story would 'influence world leaders to act'".[3] The release followed the October 2017 Iraqi–Kurdish conflict.[4]
Critical reception
Writing for The Washington Post, Alia Malek stated that Murad "writes with understandable anger but also with love, flashes of humor and dignity".[5] Ian Birrell wrote for The Times that Jenna Krajeski, the American journalist who co-authored the book, "captures Murad's tremulous voice well".[6]
Anna Della Subin of The New York Times praised the book as a primer on Yazidi religious beliefs.[7] Ashutosh Bhardwaj wrote for the Indian newspaper The Financial Express that Murad's book "vividly details the customs and life of Yazidism" and that she "cites instances how the Yazidi stories were misinterpreted by the Sunnis who termed them 'devil worshippers'".[8]
Critics focused on the fact that the
The
Malek concluded her review with: "Nonetheless, Murad gives us a window on the atrocities that destroyed her family and nearly wiped out her vulnerable community. This is a courageous memoir that serves as an important step toward holding to account those who committed horrific crimes."[5] Birrell felt that the final segment of the book was "slightly rushed", and finished his review with: "It is not always easy to turn the pages as Murad descends into hell. But this is an important book by a brave woman, fresh testament to humankind’s potential for chilling and inexplicable evil. Perhaps the ultimate tragedy is that this joins a packed library of similar tomes from the past.[6]
See also
References
- ^ Wulfhorst, Ellen (November 7, 2017). "Yazidi survivor recounts harrowing captivity, daring escape in new book". Reuters. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
- ^ "Nadia Murad to Share Her Harrowing Story in a Memoir to be Published by Tim Duggan Books". Penguin Random House. March 29, 2017.
- ^ "Human rights activist Nadia Murad writing memoir". Associated Press. New York. March 29, 2017. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
- ^ Balkissoon, Denise (November 13, 2017). "She escaped Islamic State captivity. Now, Nadia Murad is giving a voice to persecuted Yazidis". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
- ^ a b c d Malek, Alia (November 22, 2017). "'Slow, painful death' of Yazidi woman's body and soul while enslaved by the Islamic State". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
- ^ a b Birrell, Ian (November 18, 2017). "Review: The Last Girl: My Story of Captivity and My Fight Against the Islamic State by Nadia Murad and Jenna Krajeski". The Times. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
- ^ a b Subin, Anna Della (January 18, 2018). "When Rape Becomes a Weapon of War". The New York Times. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
- ^ a b Bhardwaj, Ashutosh (June 10, 2018). "Memoir of a sex slave: Autobiography of Yazidi woman enslaved by ISIS". The Financial Express. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
- ^ Akbar, Arifa (November 9, 2017). "The Last Girl by Nadia Murad and Jenna Krajeski - review". Evening Standard. Retrieved November 11, 2018.