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Guest House for Young Widows: Among the Women of IsisA gripping account of thirteen women who joined, endured, and, in some cases, escaped life in the Islamic State based on years of immersive reporting by a Pulitzer Prize finalist. FINALIST FOR THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE NAMED ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY PUBLISHERS WEEKLY AND ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The New York Times Book Review NPR Toronto Star The Guardian Among the many books trying to understand the terrifying rise of
A gripping account of thirteen women who joined, endured, and, in some cases, escaped life in the Islamic State--based on years of immersive reporting by a Pulitzer Prize finalist.FINALIST FOR THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE - NAMED ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY PUBLISHERS WEEKLY AND ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The New York Times Book Review - NPR - Toronto Star - The Guardian Among the many books trying to understand the terrifying rise of ISIS, none has given voice to the women in the organization; but women were essential to the establishment of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's caliphate. Responding to promises of female empowerment and social justice, and calls to aid the plight of fellow Muslims in Syria, thousands of women emigrated from the United States and Europe, Russia and Central Asia, from across North Africa and the rest of the Middle East to join the Islamic State. These were the educated daughters of diplomats, trainee doctors, teenagers with straight-A averages, as well as working-class drifters and desolate housewives, and they joined forces to set up makeshift clinics and schools for the Islamic homeland they'd envisioned. Guest House for Young Widows charts the different ways women were recruited, inspired, or compelled to join the militants. Emma from Hamburg, Sharmeena and three high school friends from London, and Nour, a religious dropout from Tunis: All found rebellion or community in political Islam and fell prey to sophisticated propaganda that promised them a cosmopolitan adventure and a chance to forge an ideal Islamic community in which they could live devoutly without fear of stigma or repression. It wasn't long before the militants exposed themselves as little more than violent criminals, more obsessed with power than the tenets of Islam, and the women of ISIS were stripped of any agency, perpetually widowed and remarried, and ultimately trapped in a brutal, lawless society. The fall of the caliphate only brought new challenges to women no state wanted to reclaim. Azadeh Moaveni's exquisite sensitivity and rigorous reporting make these forgotten women indelible and illuminate the turbulent politics that set them on their paths.
Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Random House
Published: 09/10/2019
ISBN: 9780399179754
Pages: 352
Weight: 1.20lbs
Size: 9.40h x 6.30w x 1.20d
Review Citations: Publishers Weekly 07/29/2019
Library Journal 09/01/2019 pg. 86
Kirkus Reviews 01/01/0001
Booklist 09/01/2019 pg. 12
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4.2 ★★★★★
Based on 23 reviews
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Product Reviews
★★★★★ 5
Add this to every DoD Reading List!
Format: Kindle
There were so many great excerpts throughout the book that my highlights filled 16 pages in MS Word. This is a must read for all Pentagon personnel, those in operational commands, the acquisition community, and defense industry. Chris' insights as McCain's advisor were invaluable to understand the nuances and competing incentives of the DoD, industry, and Congressional perspectives.
"The problem is that America is playing a losing game. Over many decades we have built our military around small numbers of large, expensive, exquisite, heavily manned, and hard to replace platforms that struggle to close the kill chain as one battle network. China, meanwhile, has built large numbers of multi million dollar weapons to find and attack America’s small numbers of exponentially more expensive military platforms."
"It requires a sweeping redesign of the American military: from a military built around small numbers of large, expensive, exquisite, heavily manned, and hard to replace platforms to a military built around large numbers of smaller, lower cost, expendable, and highly autonomous machines."
"New technologies alone will not save us. We need new thinking — an ambitious effort to reimagine the ends, ways, and means of US military power, as well as the role of our allies in this effort — to succeed in a future world where America’s military superiority will likely erode further if China’s military technological development continues."
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Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2020
★★★★★ 5
The Real Arms Race
Format: Kindle
I am a life-long Democrat, supposed to bristle at the very idea of military spending. Brose's book convinced me the problem is not how much we spend, but what we're spending it on. "Kill chain" is military-speak for the three phases of combat -- figuring out what's going on, deciding what to do about it, and taking effective action. Brose spells out how technology changed all three phases while the Defense Department and its minders in Congress weren't paying attention. The result has been to significantly undermine our military preparedness and, more importantly, the ultimate goal of deterrence. For all the money we're spending, Brose shows how it's mostly on the wrong things, i.e., large, expensive platforms that are only incremental improvements over prior systems designed for different times. He shows how the military-industrial complex, abetted by a Congress invested in the status quo, is arming our military with technology inferior to what you'd find in a modern automobile. The development of the Internet may have been kick-started by the defense department back in the 1960s, but the information revolution that followed largely left the U.S. military behind. Meanwhile, potential adversaries are compensating for relatively lower defense budgets by exploiting emerging technologies that could change the character of war, raising multiple ethical, geo-political, and governance issues. The Kill Chain is compelling, scary, and must-reading for our political leaders and all intelligent voters.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2020
★★★★★ 5
Well written and thought-out approach to change DoD acquisition
Format: Hardcover
I'm a Navy acquisition manager and former Navy officer. I very strongly recommend this book as required reading for Pentagon (especially flag officers and SESs), congressional staffs, defense contractors and those who would be defense contractors, Silicon Valley companies, and everyone who cares about the future of the United States. The author expertly characterizes the current world situation and the issues with DoD acquisition practices. He is not brutal about it, but fair. He explains the background and history behind how we got to where we are, and identifies a path forward. I believe that following the approach recommended is very hard, but very worth while. The author worked for Senator McCain for almost ten years, and it is clear that this book benefits from his experience.
My only gripe (and it is a minor one) is that very occasionally the author allows his feelings about Trump to manifest in a negative way. This is often justified, but it shouldn't be so one-sided. Nevertheless, this book is must-read, and deserves five stars.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2021
★★★★★ 4
Very Educational
Format: Paperback
I enjoyed the book. I wish the average American would take more of an interest in these kinds of issues facing the U S in the China sea region of the world.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 7, 2024
★★★★★ 5
The Future Efficiency of Killing
Format: Hardcover
A sobering review of how to efficiently kill one another.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2025
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