The Girl Who Escaped ISIS: This is my story, by Farida Khalaf and Andrea Hoffmann (Atria Books [Simon and Schuster], 2016, 241 pages, $15.68)
City of Thorns, the story of refugees in a refugee camp for decades in Africa, is a book that remains in your heart and mind. The Girl Who Escaped ISISis another memoir that will also make an indelible mark on your soul not soon to be erased.
Remember?
We all remember that group of people somewhere in the Middle East whose villages, overrun by the bad guys, were forced to flee up a mountain, then were surrounded, many to eventually starve and die of thirst on that barren hilltop.
The Facts
Those people were the faithful Yazidi of northern Iraq. The ‘bad guys’ were ISIS. The mountain was Mt. Sinjar near Kurdistan. A plethora of black flags flew everywhere and women were fully veiled black bundles moving silently in the streets.
“After Murder, Life Goes On”
Executions were the norm, reminiscent of the Nazis in WWII – even mass executions like Lidice (Poland), and Vinnitsa and Babi Yar (Ukraine). And ISIS Muslims had to believe the Yazidis were sub-human in order to treat them like animals - so harshly - while the Yazidis kept their faith and honor strong until their end. On the other hand, ISIS could believe that only they were the true Muslims and all other humans were theirs to do with what they wanted.
Farida, our young author (18), was sold into slavery at a sex market in Raqqa, then sold and re-sold again to various soldiers and other men from Middle Eastern countries to "have fun with" (and beat): Farida finally managed to escape and miraculously was reunited with some of her family and friends (but not all). She is now well on the road to becoming a math teacher, her dream and final message to her captors. Hers is a story of courage whose details will remind you of Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10 by Marcus Luttrell.
The Girl may be hard to read but draws an unforgettable picture of life before and during ISIS. After reading this book, you will remember the Yazidis, ISIS, and Mt. Sinjar.
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