Samo3113

Juvenile and Contrived

Reviewed: 08-14-22

I tried to like this book, but ended up rolling my eyes every time the author talked about "the soul of the world" or one's "personal legend," among many other nonsensical, repetitive ideas. The attempts at profundity struck me as juvenile and not at all novel. Had I read this book when I was 15 I might have found it inspiring, but I regret having spent any time reading it now.

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Educational, Timely, Engaging

Reviewed: 08-02-22

If you have an interest in Afghanistan, women's rights, international development, or gender theory, I highly recommend this book. I found the book after helping to resettle Afghan refugees over the past year, though it is a worthwhile read for anyone who wants to have a better understanding of Afghan culture and life under the Taliban. The author tells the stories of Afghan girls and women (and those who identify as male - or something in between) in an honest, straightforward way that forces the reader to reflect on the missteps the West has taken in trying to introduce our values of democracy and gender equality. I was engaged the whole way through, and would love to see a second volume where she updates us on each person she introduced in this work.

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Take It For What It Is

Reviewed: 03-01-21

I found this book mostly entertaining, though keep in mind that it's a memoir and not in any way an authoritative text on Saudi or it's human rights record. Certainly the authors had experiences worth sharing, and their work points to many fundamental differences between American and Saudi values. Their perspectives on life in Saudi are overwhelmingly negative (unsurprisingly) and I was left wanting something a bit more informative. It is useful to hear about firsthand experiences, though there were some mundane details. For example, I could have done without all the explanations of drama between English teachers. Overall it's a short read, and worth it if you want to hear a Westerner's view of daily life in Saudi.

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1 person found this helpful

Should be required reading

Reviewed: 04-30-20

Albright writes a comprehensive account of fascists/problematic leaders over the last 100 years, from Hitler and Mussolini to Kim and Duterte. She discusses her career as Secretary of State and her assessments of many of these leaders, whom she met in person. Then she brilliantly ties it all back to current trends of populism in Europe and the US, warning about how small changes can eventually add up to major transformations in our government (i.e., a slide from democracy).

The second half of the book in particular is highly engaging, and her chapter about Trump is eye-opening and at times a little frightening. She still manages to close in a way that leaves the reader energized instead of depressed. This is one book I'd recommend to almost anyone.

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