Review: I Was Told to Come Alone: My Journey Behind the Lines of Jihad

I Was Told to Come Alone: My Journey Behind the Lines of Jihad by Souad Mekhennet
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed reading this memoir by Mekhennet that I first heard about on The Bustle. She is a German Muslim who becomes a well-respected journalist covering the Middle East for (among other publications) the Washington Post. Her stories about meeting leaders and sources from within Al-queda, ISIS, and other terror organizations are fascinating. She is both brave and honest in this book. I enjoyed learning about her personal conflicts and opportunities being Muslim, and I learned much more nuance about the current state of the Middle East than I had known. I also really appreciated reading this account from a non-American's point of view, which was definitely a different take than if she had been American. Highly recommended.

View all my reviews