The Girl Who Escaped ISIS: This Is My Story
Written by Farida Khalaf and Andrea C. Hoffmann
Narrated by Lara Sawalha
4.5/5
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About this audiobook
“Farida Khalaf’s story is harrowing but crucial—especially when it comes to understanding what ISIS actually is and does.” —Glamour
“As gripping as it is appalling…a compelling testament to the suffering of ordinary people caught up in violence far beyond their control—and to the particularly terrible price it exacts from women.” —The Guardian
A young Yazidi woman was living a normal, sheltered life in northern Iraq during the summer of 2014 when her entire world was upended: her village was attacked by ISIS. All of the men in her town were killed and the women were taken into slavery.
This is Farida Khalaf’s story.
In unprecedented detail, Farida describes her world as it was—at nineteen, she was living at home with her brothers and parents, finishing her schooling and looking forward to becoming a math teacher—and the hell it became. Held in a slave market in Syria and sold into the homes of several ISIS soldiers, she stubbornly attempts resistance at every turn. Farida is ultimately brought to an ISIS training camp in the middle of the desert, where she plots an against-all-odds escape for herself and five other girls.
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.
Farida Khalaf
Farida Khalaf is from the Yazidi community of the small village of Kocho, Iraq. Farida was nineteen years old and preparing for her last year in school when ISIS descended upon her village, and she was sold into slavery. After making a daring escape, she reunited with her mother and her brothers in an Iraqi refugee camp and was granted asylum in Germany in 2015.
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Reviews for The Girl Who Escaped ISIS
58 ratings5 reviews
What our readers think
Readers find this title to be a heart-wrenching and harrowing story of bravery and resilience. It sheds light on the suffering inflicted by ISIS terrorists and the physical and sexual abuse endured by the protagonist. Despite the difficult content, readers are left breathless and in awe of the protagonist's unwavering fight for survival. The book is well-written and deeply moving, inspiring readers to fight for justice and work together to stop senseless violence.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5If you can withstand reading the harrowing content of physical & sexual abuse then I encourage you to read this incredible heart pounding true story of resilience & survival. Your perspective of what it means to endure will shift drastically.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5It’s an Amazing book. Must read!! (Listen) heart wrenching story.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I am so pleased this girl told the World about the suffering inflicted in these people by the Isis terrorists. A shame the quality of the story writer is so poor
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Wow! What a horrific story of bravery. It is important that we read these experiences so we can all work together to stop this senseless violence.
I have so much love and respect for Farida and all who have fought their way out of hell.
I am deeply moved. Let us all fight for justice for all people.
Sorry… the book is great. Well written. Finished it in 2 days. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Although a hard read, a necessary one. I was left breathless & in awe of brave Farida who didn't stop fighting for even a second for her life.