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meredith_summers's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.0
audaciaray's review against another edition
3.0
The stories of this book all take place during a 2010 trip to Turkey, Iraq, and Syria - when Syria was the most stable of the places the group visits. American military invasion in Iraq is the central backdrop; it's really a book about how journalism is done, plus struggles with what the US has wrought in the Middle East. The main characters are a group of white American journalists and a vet who served in Iraq. Most of the action of the book are interviews and conversations, with only a little exploration of the cities. There's a lot of very compelling meta stuff about journalism and representation, with just the tip of the iceberg emerging around the conflicts in the region. If you want more about the political situation, this is not the right book. If you want to think more about journalism in conflict zones, I really recommend [b:The Photographer|5967064|The Photographer|Emmanuel Guibert|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1440566390s/5967064.jpg|6139997] (also a graphic novel) and [b:Shutterbabe: Adventures in Love and War|127503|Shutterbabe Adventures in Love and War|Deborah Copaken Kogan|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1171936405s/127503.jpg|1843967].
wastelandcompanion's review against another edition
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
3.0
I have mixed feelings about this one, but still glad I read it. There is a lot of time spent on one particular part of the story that dragged a little for me. It in no way detracts from the importance of the topics, but it was not a page-turner for me.
bryanzk's review against another edition
5.0
personal, insightful and intriguing. makes you thinking about the meaning of truth and the meaning of personal thinking, which might be conflict some time
saidtheraina's review against another edition
5.0
Follows Glidden's journey with journalist friends of hers to the Middle East.
It's fascinating to read about the journalistic processes of this up-and-coming group of reporters. How do they function as independent journalists? How do they formulate and choose their stories?
This follows one story-gathering trip from an outsiders perspective, so it was very accessible. I was particularly intrigued with the way technology influenced their methods - YouTube, the internet, recorders. There's a lot of gear here. Glidden also discusses what journalism is, ethics, and boundaries within the profession.
We meet a military veteran who accompanied them - he was a friend of one of the reporters. Watching how the group interacted and that part of the story develop was really interesting too.
There are definitely no solutions here.
But reflecting on the experience of reading it reminds me how many of our fingers in the world we amerikans are neglecting while we deal with all the turmoil at home.
I read this on my breaks at work - it does well in that context (read over a fairly long period of time, in short snatches), kind of like an NPR podcast. It's also bound in hard cover, and has a high quality binding, which holds up well. Yay Drawn & Quarterly!
Extra star for the unique elements in the story.
Read with:
[b: Out on the Wire: Uncovering the Secrets of Radio's New Masters of Story with Ira Glass|23742836|Out on the Wire Uncovering the Secrets of Radio's New Masters of Story with Ira Glass|Jessica Abel|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1422811801s/23742836.jpg|43356901]
[b: A Game for Swallows: To Die, To Leave, To Return|13773346|A Game for Swallows To Die, to Leave, to Return|Zeina Abirached|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1346958476s/13773346.jpg|2769651]
[b: Dare to Disappoint: Growing Up in Turkey|23310679|Dare to Disappoint Growing Up in Turkey|Ozge Samanci|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1423522811s/23310679.jpg|42864804]
It's fascinating to read about the journalistic processes of this up-and-coming group of reporters. How do they function as independent journalists? How do they formulate and choose their stories?
This follows one story-gathering trip from an outsiders perspective, so it was very accessible. I was particularly intrigued with the way technology influenced their methods - YouTube, the internet, recorders. There's a lot of gear here. Glidden also discusses what journalism is, ethics, and boundaries within the profession.
We meet a military veteran who accompanied them - he was a friend of one of the reporters. Watching how the group interacted and that part of the story develop was really interesting too.
There are definitely no solutions here.
But reflecting on the experience of reading it reminds me how many of our fingers in the world we amerikans are neglecting while we deal with all the turmoil at home.
I read this on my breaks at work - it does well in that context (read over a fairly long period of time, in short snatches), kind of like an NPR podcast. It's also bound in hard cover, and has a high quality binding, which holds up well. Yay Drawn & Quarterly!
Extra star for the unique elements in the story.
Read with:
[b: Out on the Wire: Uncovering the Secrets of Radio's New Masters of Story with Ira Glass|23742836|Out on the Wire Uncovering the Secrets of Radio's New Masters of Story with Ira Glass|Jessica Abel|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1422811801s/23742836.jpg|43356901]
[b: A Game for Swallows: To Die, To Leave, To Return|13773346|A Game for Swallows To Die, to Leave, to Return|Zeina Abirached|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1346958476s/13773346.jpg|2769651]
[b: Dare to Disappoint: Growing Up in Turkey|23310679|Dare to Disappoint Growing Up in Turkey|Ozge Samanci|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1423522811s/23310679.jpg|42864804]
carofrap's review against another edition
4.0
Very glad to have read this book. To be honest, I didn't know much about the Iraqi people's displacement after the war and it was quite the eye-opener. I like the way the author presented different views on the subject as well as a more in-depth background on the profession of journalism in this day and age. Highly recommend!
thecolourblue's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
2.0
I was really disappointed with this one. I really enjoy graphic journalism as a genre, and I'm been wanting to read this book for a long time, but what I got wasn't what I was hoping for.
I think I just wanted more actual journalism from the book, but what we really get is more of a meta-commentary on journalism and a focus on a group of four white Americans whose blogging project feels more like tourism than reporting. It doesn't feel like a story about the Middle East, or the repurcussions of war. The people and the events of the locations that the characters visit are more like a backdrop for their own personal exploration, in a way that just makes me roll my eyes.
I think I just wanted more actual journalism from the book, but what we really get is more of a meta-commentary on journalism and a focus on a group of four white Americans whose blogging project feels more like tourism than reporting. It doesn't feel like a story about the Middle East, or the repurcussions of war. The people and the events of the locations that the characters visit are more like a backdrop for their own personal exploration, in a way that just makes me roll my eyes.