The girl who beat ISIS
In August 2014, Farida, like any ordinary teenage girl, was enjoying the summer holidays before her last year at school. But Farida lived in the mountains of northern Iraq — and what happened next was unimaginable. Her village was an ISIS target.
ISIS jihadists murdered the men and boys, including her father and brother, before taking Farida and the other women prisoner. This is the story of what happened to Farida after she was captured: the beatings, the rapes, the markets where ISIS sold women like cattle, and Farida's realisation that the more resistant she became, the harder it was for her captors to continue their atrocities against her. So she struggled, she bit, she kicked, she accused her captors of going against their religion, until, one day, the door to her room was left unlocked. She took her chance and, with five younger girls in her charge, fled into the Syrian desert.
Farida showed incredible courage in the face of the unthinkable, and now with The Girl Who Beat ISIS she bravely relives her story to bear witness. Searing and immediate, this is the first memoir by a young woman that shows first-hand what life is like for innocents caught up in the maelstrom of day-to-day life with ISIS.
Information
ISBN-10: 1910931020
ISBN-13: 978-1910931028
The girl who beat ISIS was released in the following countries: Germany, England, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Serbia, Czech Republic, Finland, USA, Hungary and France.
More lincensed countries: Croatia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Greece.
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Press commentaries
How much can a single person endure? Traumatised, uprooted, abused – Farida continues to deal with the consequences of ISIS. Nevertheless, this memoir is full of hope. She is a very strong individual, she has the heart of a lioness. An amazing story that encourages us never to keep quiet or to give in Frank Heinrich, German Parliamentary Speaker on Human Rights
"In her new book 'The Girl Who Escaped ISIS,' co-authored by journalist Andrea C. Hoffman, Farida offers an incredible account of what global jihad looks like from the inside." NEW YORK POST
Farida’s story is a horrifying glimpse into the barbaric inner workings of the caliphate. The Independent
"Farida provides a unique insight into life under ISIS... It is a story of loss of innocence but also discovery of an amazing inner strength that drives Farida to survive the nightmare and to bear witness to what happened." New Yor Journal of Books
"A riveting firsthand account of life in captivity and a courageous flight to freedom, this astonishing memoir is also Farida’s way of bearing witness, and of ensuring that ISIS does not succeed in crushing her spirit. Her bravery, resilience, and hope in the face of unimaginable violence will fascinate and inspire Marion Star
"THE GIRL WHO ESCAPED ISIS is [Farida Khalaf's] incredible account of captivity and describes how she defied the odds and escaped a life of torture, in order to share her story with the world." Book Reporter
"Unimaginable and courageous..." Care2
"Farida Khalaf recounts the horrors of being sold into sex slavery by one of the world’s most infamous terrorist groups… The subject matter is difficult, but her courage and resilience is powerful." Bustle
"[Farida's] will against tremendous odds is relentless and indomitable, and getting to know the incredible spirit of Farida Khalaf the person makes this memoir a must-read. One does not need to know the strategic or military setup of the Middle East to appreciate the book, as enough such information is included around Farida’s story by co-author Andrea C. Hoffmann for anyone to understand... I recommend picking up a copy of this rare type of modern memoir that could become all too common if the conditional status quo in the region continues. The world needs to know what ISIS did to Farida and others --- as she wants it --- and she is more than ready to tell her story." Book Reporter
“Farida Khalaf's story (Khalaf is a pseudonym) is harrowing but crucial—especially when it comes to understanding what ISIS actually is and does." GLAMOUR
“Farida Khalaf's story (Khalaf is a pseudonym) is harrowing but crucial—especially when it comes to understanding what ISIS actually is and does."
"The book comes at a critical moment as ISIS tightens its hold on the estimated 3,000 Yazidi women and children still in its grasp… Even in hiding, Khalaf demonstrates her incredible courage. The courage it took to survive and, now, to tell her powerful story." NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
THE GIRL WHO ESCAPED ISIS was named one of New York Post’s Best Books of 2016! New York Post
The book comes at a critical moment as ISIS tightens its hold on the estimated 3,000 Yazidi women and children still in its grasp… even in hiding, Khalaf demonstrates her incredible courage. The courage it took to survive and, now, to tell her powerful story New York Daily News, July 9, 2016
Farida tells her story in an almost bellicose tone as she describes how she resisted attempts to convert, marry and rape her, for so long in some cases that the ISIS henchmen actually left her alone Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
painstakingly reconstructed by the journalist Andrea Hoffmann The Times
This powerful testimoney is... as gripping as it is appalling Guardian
A mesmerizing study of human cruelty and a brave depiction of the monsters that arise when reason sleeps The Sunday Times
Farida shows the good and bad sides of religion… She criticises aspects of her own upbringing like certain religious taboos – such nuance is impressive HEUTE.de
Shattering, brave, angering account The Bookseller
Unimaginable and courageous… care2.com, July 13, 2016
THE GIRL WHO ESCAPED ISIS is [Farida Khalaf’s] incredible account of captivity and describes how she defied the odds and escaped a life of torture, in order to share her story with the world. Book Reporter, July 12, 2016
Her story highlights atrocities, but it is also a moving account of how friendship, love and the will to survive are mightier than any barbarism Anzeiger