SOCIAL SCIENCES

The Beekeeper: Saving the Stolen Women of Iraq

by Dunya Mikhail
New Directions. Mar. 2018. 240p. tr. from Arabic by Max Weiss. ISBN 9780811226127. $16.95; ebk. ISBN 9780811226134. BIOG
COPY ISBN
Mikhail, a native of Iraq, returns to her home country from New York to tell the harrowing stories of Yazidi women living under the control of Daesh, known to Westerners as ISIS. A painful, wrenching read, these chronicles expose tremendous horrors of brutal rape, kidnapping, sex slavery, and incomprehensible domination as these women desperately search for some semblance of peace and escape—mental, physical, and emotional. Mikhail's poetic background lends a unique voice to these women in a narrative style that can be difficult to grasp and follow at times.
VERDICT These women need to be heard, making this an important, commendable work. However, the atypical narrative format, which switches gears often and includes granular retellings of phone conversations, subjectively affects the reading experience.
Reviewed by Erin Entrada Kelly, Philadelphia , Feb 15, 2018
Comment Policy:
  • Be respectful, and do not attack the author, people mentioned in the article, or other commenters. Take on the idea, not the messenger.
  • Don't use obscene, profane, or vulgar language.
  • Stay on point. Comments that stray from the topic at hand may be deleted.
  • Comments may be republished in print, online, or other forms of media.
  • If you see something objectionable, please let us know. Once a comment has been flagged, a staff member will investigate.

RELATED 

NONFICTION

The Church of Stop Shopping and Religious Activism: Combatting Consumerism and Climate Change Through Performance
by González, George
NONFICTION

Not My Type: Automating Sexual Racism in Online Dating
by Williams, Apryl
NONFICTION

When We Sold God’s Eye: Diamonds, Murder, and a Clash of Worlds in the Amazon
by Cuadros, Alex
NONFICTION

Blood and Lightning: On Becoming a Tattooer
by Kiskaddon, Dustin
REFERENCE

The Transgender Encyclopedia
by Pickett, Brent L.
NONFICTION

Southern by the Grace of God: Religion, Race, and Civil Rights in Hollywood’s American South
by Hunt, Megan
More
ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?

We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?