I Was Told To Come Alone: My Journey Behind the Lines of Jihad

` At once courageous, perceptive and deeply knowledgeable about the phenomenon of contemporary Islamic militancy. One would expect nothing less from a reporter who has repeatedly shown she is one of the best ' - Jason Burke, author of The New Threat from Islamic Militancy
I was told to come alone. I was not to carry any identification, and would have to leave my cell phone, audio recorder, watch, and purse at my hotel . . .

This is a compelling and evocative memoir of a Muslim woman born and educated in Germany who has spent her life balancing the two sides of her upbringing.
Souad Mekhennet, a reporter for the Washington Post journeys behind the lines of jihad: through radicalised German neighbourhoods; the Iraqi streets where Sunnis and Shia turned against one another; to the Turkish/Syrian border region where ISIS is a daily presence.
In her travels across the Middle East and North Africa, she tells of chilling run-ins with intelligence services and shows why the Arab Spring faltered. In London she uncovers the identity of the notorious ISIS executioner 'Jihadi John'. Unafraid to face danger she goes alone to meet people in the inner circles of Al Qaeda, the Taliban, ISIS.

`More than just a great narrative...a story for our time... dares to confront the issues head-on, often at great personal risk, and weaves her own experiences into an unforgettable and deeply absorbing tale' - Joby Warrick, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Black Flags: The Rise of ISIS.