The Daughters of Kobani: A Story of Rebellion, Courage, and Justice
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- Author：Gayle Tzemach Lemmon
- ISBN：0525560688
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Summary
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
The extraordinary story of the women who took on the Islamic State and won
The Daughters of Kobani is an unforgettable and nearly mythic tale of women's power and courage。 The young women profiled in this book fought a fearsome war against brutal men in impossible circumstances--and proved in the process what girls and women can accomplish when given the chance to lead。 Brilliantly researched and respectfully reported， this book is a lesson in heroism， sacrifice， and the real meaning of sisterhood。 I am so grateful that this story has been told。--Elizabeth Gilbert， author of Big Magic and Eat， Pray， Love
Absolutely fascinating and brilliantly written， The Daughters of Kobani is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand both the nobility and the brutality of war。 This is one of the most compelling stories in modern warfare。--Admiral William H。 McRaven， author of Make Your Bed
In 2014， northeastern Syria might have been the last place you would expect to find a revolution centered on women's rights。 But that year， an all-female militia faced off against ISIS in a little town few had ever heard of: Kobani。 By then， the Islamic State had swept across vast swaths of the country， taking town after town and spreading terror as the civil war burned all around it。 From that unlikely showdown in Kobani emerged a fighting force that would wage war against ISIS across northern Syria alongside the United States。 In the process， these women would spread their own political vision， determined to make women's equality a reality by fighting--house by house， street by street， city by city--the men who bought and sold women。
Based on years of on-the-ground reporting， The Daughters of Kobani is the unforgettable story of the women of the Kurdish militia that improbably became part of the world's best hope for stopping ISIS in Syria。 Drawing from hundreds of hours of interviews， bestselling author Gayle Tzemach Lemmon introduces us to the women fighting on the front lines， determined to not only extinguish the terror of ISIS but also prove that women could lead in war and must enjoy equal rights come the peace。 In helping to cement the territorial defeat of ISIS， whose savagery toward women astounded the world， these women played a central role in neutralizing the threat the group posed worldwide。 In the process they earned the respect--and significant military support--of U。S。 Special Operations Forces。
Rigorously reported and powerfully told， The Daughters of Kobani shines a light on a group of women intent on not only defeating the Islamic State on the battlefield but also changing women's lives in their corner of the Middle East and beyond。
The extraordinary story of the women who took on the Islamic State and won
The Daughters of Kobani is an unforgettable and nearly mythic tale of women's power and courage。 The young women profiled in this book fought a fearsome war against brutal men in impossible circumstances--and proved in the process what girls and women can accomplish when given the chance to lead。 Brilliantly researched and respectfully reported， this book is a lesson in heroism， sacrifice， and the real meaning of sisterhood。 I am so grateful that this story has been told。--Elizabeth Gilbert， author of Big Magic and Eat， Pray， Love
Absolutely fascinating and brilliantly written， The Daughters of Kobani is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand both the nobility and the brutality of war。 This is one of the most compelling stories in modern warfare。--Admiral William H。 McRaven， author of Make Your Bed
In 2014， northeastern Syria might have been the last place you would expect to find a revolution centered on women's rights。 But that year， an all-female militia faced off against ISIS in a little town few had ever heard of: Kobani。 By then， the Islamic State had swept across vast swaths of the country， taking town after town and spreading terror as the civil war burned all around it。 From that unlikely showdown in Kobani emerged a fighting force that would wage war against ISIS across northern Syria alongside the United States。 In the process， these women would spread their own political vision， determined to make women's equality a reality by fighting--house by house， street by street， city by city--the men who bought and sold women。
Based on years of on-the-ground reporting， The Daughters of Kobani is the unforgettable story of the women of the Kurdish militia that improbably became part of the world's best hope for stopping ISIS in Syria。 Drawing from hundreds of hours of interviews， bestselling author Gayle Tzemach Lemmon introduces us to the women fighting on the front lines， determined to not only extinguish the terror of ISIS but also prove that women could lead in war and must enjoy equal rights come the peace。 In helping to cement the territorial defeat of ISIS， whose savagery toward women astounded the world， these women played a central role in neutralizing the threat the group posed worldwide。 In the process they earned the respect--and significant military support--of U。S。 Special Operations Forces。
Rigorously reported and powerfully told， The Daughters of Kobani shines a light on a group of women intent on not only defeating the Islamic State on the battlefield but also changing women's lives in their corner of the Middle East and beyond。
Reviews
James N Ruckh
，
This was great reporting of the true story how the Kurdish women of NE Syria and Iraq not only picked up weapons and joined the Kurdish militia to initially defend and then eventually drive ISIS out of their territory but also establish full and equal women's rights to justice， education， and employment opportunities。 All almost unheard of in any middle eastern societies。 It provided their side of the story which never seems to get much coverage in the media with their long struggle against more This was great reporting of the true story how the Kurdish women of NE Syria and Iraq not only picked up weapons and joined the Kurdish militia to initially defend and then eventually drive ISIS out of their territory but also establish full and equal women's rights to justice， education， and employment opportunities。 All almost unheard of in any middle eastern societies。 It provided their side of the story which never seems to get much coverage in the media with their long struggle against more powerful neighbors。 。。。more
Anna
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It's a great book on a very important topic， but I feel the author sometimes amperes up USA's role and good intentions in the fight against ISIS。 It's also a bit repetitive at times （some sentences are repeated almost literally in different pages）。 I definitely recommend it though。 Kurds are all too ignored by the world at large， when most of them are true heroes。 This book presents them as such （as it should） with solid proofs。 It's a great book on a very important topic， but I feel the author sometimes amperes up USA's role and good intentions in the fight against ISIS。 It's also a bit repetitive at times （some sentences are repeated almost literally in different pages）。 I definitely recommend it though。 Kurds are all too ignored by the world at large， when most of them are true heroes。 This book presents them as such （as it should） with solid proofs。 。。。more
Irene
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Feminism lives in the Middle East。 Remarkable reporting on women who fight for freedom， for the rights of all Syrian women。 Courageous indeed。
Mary Unkel
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Oh my gosh， incredible true story about how a band of young girls did what the super powers couldn't do。。。drove ISIS out of Syria。 Oh my gosh， incredible true story about how a band of young girls did what the super powers couldn't do。。。drove ISIS out of Syria。 。。。more
LAPL Reads
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What began as the Arab Spring in early 2010， spread to country after country， in a region known as the Middle East。 What began in Syria as a minor protest， devolved into a major catastrophic war that has not ended， and has had major effects worldwide。 Caught up in all of this were the Kurds， an ethnic group native to Western Asia， with many of them living in parts of Iran， Iraq， Syria and Turkey。 The complex intricacies of their cultures， values， religions （groups and sub-groups）and political id What began as the Arab Spring in early 2010， spread to country after country， in a region known as the Middle East。 What began in Syria as a minor protest， devolved into a major catastrophic war that has not ended， and has had major effects worldwide。 Caught up in all of this were the Kurds， an ethnic group native to Western Asia， with many of them living in parts of Iran， Iraq， Syria and Turkey。 The complex intricacies of their cultures， values， religions （groups and sub-groups）and political ideas are delineated as clearly as possible by journalist Lemmon。 Theirs is a history that has numerous twists and turns， and at times is difficult to absorb。 Her journalistic skills and analysis shine a light on the fact that newsworthy events and catastrophes portraying events in terms of friends and foes could not be further from reality。Globally， modern women have been fighting to get into the fight， to be legally admitted to governmental armed forces。 There is nothing new about the history of women warriors， in fact and myth， going back centuries， e。g。， Queen Boudica of the Celts; the Amazons; Diana the Huntress; and women bandits and pirates。 For the most part， what is significant about the women who fought in Kobani is that many of them were not clamoring to be warriors， but events， the desire for freedom and equality， the anger over the brutal savagery of ISIS proved to be decisive factors。 Added to these motivating elements was the modern ideology of the imprisoned Kurdish leader， Abdullah Ocalan， who espoused that "women must be equal for society to be truly free。" A fateful phone call to Lemmon called her back to a war， to witness， report and research the YPG， the Kurdish Women's Protection Units that were partners to U。S。 forces in the region。 These women were well-trained， highly motivated， careful and calculating fighters who led both women and men into battle。 In numerous instances， the YPG women were in the lead in these battles， crossing the Euphrates River to liberate Manbij， and in the final liberation of Raqqa that was a major defeat for ISIS。 Lemmon takes readers to the battlefronts with individual women who fought for territory and for ideals。Kobani， Syria is located at the border with Turkey， and it is where the YPG hit ISIS with a major clear loss。 Part of the complex history of the Kurds is that the Turks had been fighting for many years with what they deemed to be Kurdish extremists。 At a decisive time during the fighting， Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was about to deny access to Turkey’s Incirlik Air Base， which was used by the US Air Force。 The YPG was part of a coalition that included US forces that depended upon support from the US Air Force。 What ensued were alternating and confusing decisions by both the Obama and Trump administrations， and ended with an armed expansion of forces known as the Syrian Democratic Forces。 This resulted in great victories over ISIS， but tragic and unjust results for the Kurds， as President Trump withdrew US troops from the region， which gave the green light for Turkish forces to lead an offensive against Kurdish-led northeastern Syria。 The women of YPG were shocked but not deterred。 In 2019， when Lemmon last visited the area， the women's councils， that were part of the overall plan for justice， were still in existence and there were towns in northeastern Syria that Turkey had not captured。 As one of the women stated， "It is really painful to have to fight Turkey in the same places we liberated from ISIS。" These women have not given up and know， " … it is so very difficult to build something in the middle of destruction。" There is nothing certain about how this will be resolved。 The only certainty is that the women， who fought for justice， remain dedicated to that cause and are encouraging others to do the same。 Reviewed by Sheryn Morris， Librarian， Literature & Fiction 。。。more
Kira Olson
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Amazing book of real life heroes full of courage， and all women。 I have heard some criticism that there is not enough details on the YPJ and that the author was not Kurdish。 I want to respect and think about those points but this story， these women。。。。wow
Diane Langworthy
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Deep respect and admiration for the fierce women who fought against a monster ideology。 Glad to know a bit of their astonishing stories。
Mary McCutcheon
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Fascinating story or women fighting equally with male soldiers against ISIS， and often leading them into battle。 But I wanted to know more/ how did the men come alto accept them？ What was it about this particular group that accepted women in battle？ Also， heartbreaking to read in the epilogue， as well as in current news， that the US isn’t supporting them because it wants to keep other allies happy。
Megan
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3/4 stars on the writing。 5 stars for the Kurdish women and their fight for autonomy and justice。
Rustie
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This book revolves around the Women's Protection Units （YPJ）， the famed all-female militia of Rojava many might have heard of。 Specifically， it centres on three members of the YPJ: Azeema， Rojda， & Nowruz。 It goes into their background， the struggles they faced in their early lives， & how these struggles & developments leading up to the civil war led to their joining of the YPJ。 This provides a good tie-in toward exploring the feminist philosophy of Ocalan that inspired them & members of the YPJ This book revolves around the Women's Protection Units （YPJ）， the famed all-female militia of Rojava many might have heard of。 Specifically， it centres on three members of the YPJ: Azeema， Rojda， & Nowruz。 It goes into their background， the struggles they faced in their early lives， & how these struggles & developments leading up to the civil war led to their joining of the YPJ。 This provides a good tie-in toward exploring the feminist philosophy of Ocalan that inspired them & members of the YPJ， as well as the political ideologies of the main actors in Rojava & around it。The author is American， so generally the POV of the book leans toward American liberalism; it doesn't shy away from describing American actions that are clearly detrimental toward the Kurdish cause but nonetheless is not as critical of the US as it is of， for example， the Assad regime or the Russians。 Regardless， the book provides as excellent a primer a 288-page book can give to Ocalan's philosophy， those of the Syrian Kurds， & of the surrounding actors。On an interesting side note， the audiobook is interestingly enough narrated by the author herself， & narrated well。 A very short PDF file is provided with a map of the region & a guide to the main characters in the story: this is very helpful for learning about the name of the main characters & for learning about the geography of the relevant locations。Overall this is a great read the detailed well the journey of the three main casts & their oppressed people in the turmoil that is the Syrian Civil War。 The weakest part is maybe the portions on the members of the U。S。 Special Operation members， which whilst relevant， can maybe be better spent on further detailing the lives of the Syrians characters or including the story of other Syrians。 。。。more
Ebirdy
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More like 3。5 stars。 Extremely well researched for sure but to me lacked a connection to the people the story was about， or at least it didn't translate well to the page。 The time line also jumped around and so I found it hard to follow。 Definitely an amazing group of women， and what they and the others who fought to get ISIS out of Syria endured and accomplished was amazing。 It just didn't "grab" me like I thought it would。 More like 3。5 stars。 Extremely well researched for sure but to me lacked a connection to the people the story was about， or at least it didn't translate well to the page。 The time line also jumped around and so I found it hard to follow。 Definitely an amazing group of women， and what they and the others who fought to get ISIS out of Syria endured and accomplished was amazing。 It just didn't "grab" me like I thought it would。 。。。more
Kathryn
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I was really looking forward to learning about the women /daughters of Kobani and was very disappointed with the lack of development of the individuals。 A decent recitation of the events and battles， minimal history of the Kurds as a people or any insight into the history of events in Syria。
Ronjuliemax
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Such a great book about a piece of history that I did not know this much about。
Marie
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Excellent book about the Syrian Kurds and the women of YPJ who helped to defeat ISIS。 I enjoyed reading about these incredibly brave women。
Carolyn Klassen
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I'm quite conflicted with this book。 So The Daughters of Kobani is about the Kurdish fight against ISIS and how their military forces advanced women's rights both in previously ISIS-occupied territories （an organization known for kidnapping and rape） and in other areas where women's futures were largely decided by patriarchal systems。 This is not an Own Voices book。 The author is half-Iraqi but not ethnically Kurdish。 I've seen mixed reviews from Kurds， some saying this is great and helps shed l I'm quite conflicted with this book。 So The Daughters of Kobani is about the Kurdish fight against ISIS and how their military forces advanced women's rights both in previously ISIS-occupied territories （an organization known for kidnapping and rape） and in other areas where women's futures were largely decided by patriarchal systems。 This is not an Own Voices book。 The author is half-Iraqi but not ethnically Kurdish。 I've seen mixed reviews from Kurds， some saying this is great and helps shed light on little heard stories or others who feel that this is profiting off Kurdish stories and pain。 I can't speak on either side of this discussion as I'm not Kurdish but I'm removing my rating （previously 3。5 stars） until further notice。 I did enjoy the human aspect of this study quite a bit。 Tzemach Lemmon follows the lives of four women who turned their backs on traditional expectations and formed a female inclusive militia group that directly clashed multiple times with ISIS。 Each of these women had fascinating stories that need to be told。 I really enjoyed the portions that detailed their experiences and near-death encounters。I struggled to follow the political aspects of this novel and to immerse myself in the diplomatic discussions that are covered。 If you like political writing， this may work for you but for me， it was dry and confusing to follow the many moving parts。 All the stuff about American diplomats， peace talks， liaisons just didn't fit with this otherwise intimate portrait of four women in the heat of battles。content warning for: patriarchal restrictions on women， arranged marriage， violence， roadside bombings， injuries being described in detail， hospitalization， descriptions of ISIS crimes such as massacres， executions， systemic rape， forced marriage etc。， potential for misrepresentation because not an Own Voices book and has caused concern from some Kurds。 。。。more
Leslie Zemeckis
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Fantastic - a must read - fearless Syrian Kurdish women - young women - fighting and defeating ISIS
Jihane B Bergaoui
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I was a Northeast Syria analyst for 2 years， and this is one of the best books I’ve read about the YPJ。 It’s incredibly well researched and detailed， and yet still engaging even for readers who may not be as familiar with the Syrian context。 The description of the battles will make your heart race with every page。
Andrew
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I listened to the audiobook。An extraordinary story bogged down by historical information， facts， and international politics。 Written more for informative purposes， like a newspaper article。 For that reason， it didn’t keep my interest。
Kerry
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I gave this book 5 stars because Goodreads says that means I thought it was "amazing，" and it was。 What an incredible account of women who defied their families， their traditions， and the unmitigated evil of ISIS to fight for themselves and their nationality。 Truly amazing。 America's role in the conflict is elucidated in some detail， with a balanced and neutral tone。 The author does a good job with the daunting task of identifying and explaining the positions of the different groups， factions， s I gave this book 5 stars because Goodreads says that means I thought it was "amazing，" and it was。 What an incredible account of women who defied their families， their traditions， and the unmitigated evil of ISIS to fight for themselves and their nationality。 Truly amazing。 America's role in the conflict is elucidated in some detail， with a balanced and neutral tone。 The author does a good job with the daunting task of identifying and explaining the positions of the different groups， factions， sects， and ethnic minorities that are endemic to Middle Eastern politics。 I understand why she resorted to acronyms to designate the various fighting units， but as a Westerner I still found it difficult to keep everything straight。 Our State Department has had the same issue for decades。 。。。more
Linda
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This book explained in detail the history of the Kurds and their struggles。 My lack of knowledge of this was clear and present。 Thanks to the author， I am now more informed。 What these women did and are still doing is astounding。
Lee
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The story of these relativity unknown women deserves 10 stars。 The research that the author did to find out the story of these Syrian women fighting ISIS deserves 4 stars。 The writing of the book， though， needed some help。 This story and this part of the world are both extremely complicated and so， would have been very difficult to condense down to a readable book。 Filled me with admiration and awe of these women and what they did for their Kurdish people。 Also filled me with shame on the way ou The story of these relativity unknown women deserves 10 stars。 The research that the author did to find out the story of these Syrian women fighting ISIS deserves 4 stars。 The writing of the book， though， needed some help。 This story and this part of the world are both extremely complicated and so， would have been very difficult to condense down to a readable book。 Filled me with admiration and awe of these women and what they did for their Kurdish people。 Also filled me with shame on the way our country treated them and how we abandoned them to reestablish our ties to Turkey one ISIS was defeated。 。。。more
Carol Ann Metzner
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I started listening to the e-book but hated the narrator’s voice and style of reading （I know it is also the author）。 Could not continue。 Had to stop after six minutes into it。 I may download and listen again if another narrator does the reading。
Firoze Cassim
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An excellent account of the war that The Kurds are fighting on many fronts。 Specifically the book brought home vividly the bravery and courage of the women's unit， the YPJ who defeated ISIS at Kobani in Syria 。The description of the fighting street by street portrayed the harsh realities of war and the dangers faced by the YPJ very realistically。 An excellent account of the war that The Kurds are fighting on many fronts。 Specifically the book brought home vividly the bravery and courage of the women's unit， the YPJ who defeated ISIS at Kobani in Syria 。The description of the fighting street by street portrayed the harsh realities of war and the dangers faced by the YPJ very realistically。 。。。more
Eric
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Might this be a first draft of what liberty looks like to the Kurds？ A grand story of Kurdish women and their contribution in Syria， but I sometimes had to wonder if Lemmon may not have been indulging in a touch of wishful thinking in relaying the story。 Time will tell。
Tracie Gutknecht
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Non-fictionI am going to preface my review by saying that this isn't the kind of book that I normally read。 I like non-fiction and was intrigued by the title， but was concerned about the geo-political aspects of this book。If the author would have stayed on the story of the women， this book would have been a home run。 She spends most of the book detailing the rise of the different groups， so much so that they all blend together as they have several names and use initials as signifiers。 We get a l Non-fictionI am going to preface my review by saying that this isn't the kind of book that I normally read。 I like non-fiction and was intrigued by the title， but was concerned about the geo-political aspects of this book。If the author would have stayed on the story of the women， this book would have been a home run。 She spends most of the book detailing the rise of the different groups， so much so that they all blend together as they have several names and use initials as signifiers。 We get a lot of the history of the Kurdish fight， some of which was needed， but it bogged down the story。Ultimately， other than learning that these are amazing women， I don't know much about them。 。。。more
Helene
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It brings tears to your eyes to read this historically important book documents one aspect of a very tragic development In the middle east。 It is a story of women’s emancipation， of contemporary politics and of the age old betrayal of people And their ideals。 As all of this happened so recently one is left with unsettling thought that there should’ve been more that we should have done as these terrible things happened while we were busy following the latest self-absorbed tweets of a narcissistic It brings tears to your eyes to read this historically important book documents one aspect of a very tragic development In the middle east。 It is a story of women’s emancipation， of contemporary politics and of the age old betrayal of people And their ideals。 As all of this happened so recently one is left with unsettling thought that there should’ve been more that we should have done as these terrible things happened while we were busy following the latest self-absorbed tweets of a narcissistic president。。 。。。more
Philip Meneses
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Fantastic book about the female YPG units that have been fighting on the front lines。 They fight for their freedoms and equal rights among the Kurdish people and in general。 They are models for others and should not be forgotten in their stand against absolute evil。
Micebyliz
，
I don't think i'm qualified to comment on this book。 I will say it's an important book to read and absorb， that it widens our understanding of Afghanistan and our compassion for those involved。 I don't think i'm qualified to comment on this book。 I will say it's an important book to read and absorb， that it widens our understanding of Afghanistan and our compassion for those involved。 。。。more
Scotty
，
Brilliant introduction into the Kurds of Rojava， their ideology， and especially the struggle for women's rights。 It mainly focuses on the battles to retake Kobani and Raqqa。 Brilliant introduction into the Kurds of Rojava， their ideology， and especially the struggle for women's rights。 It mainly focuses on the battles to retake Kobani and Raqqa。 。。。more
John Locke
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