Sarah S. (tigrrrl) - reviewed on 5/6/2010 + 8 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

I rated this book 4 stars.

In The Woman Who Fell From the Sky, author Jennifer Steil recounts her engrossing adventure as an American journalist in Yemen working for an English-language newspaper. Throughout her memoir she explains various hurdles shes encountered as a Western woman living in an Islamic country. While her intentions are to adapt to the culture as seamlessly possible, including wearing a hijab to cover her hair, Steil quickly learns that she is not able to hide her Western ways in both appearance and as a journalist.

An intriguing window that allows the reader to peer into the life of Yemeni culture, Steils memoir expresses the hardships and restrictions imposed on Yemeni life through the eyes of a Westerner. Her writing tells of the struggles that women face in a country dominated by men, the difficulty for both foreign and Yemeni journalists to report accurate news stories in a country that lacks accountability and reliable witnesses, and the overall impact and influence of religion on day to day living. Despite all the hurdles and trials encountered, Steil paints a fascinating portrait of Yemeni life and quickly falls in love with all its beauty and mystery. Steils journalistic voice and descriptive encounters make for an entralling story that is difficult to put down.

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