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.