Christina Lamb

“Our Bodies, Their Battlefields: War Through The Lives Of Women” (2020)

In Our Bodies, Their Battlefields, longtime intrepid war correspondent Christina Lamb makes us witness to the lives of women in wartime. An award-winning war correspondent for twenty-five years (she’s never had a female editor) Lamb reports two wars—the “bang-bang” war and the story of how the people behind the lines live and survive. At the same time, since men usually act as the fighters, women are rarely interviewed about their experience of wartime, other than as grieving widows and mothers, though their experience is markedly different from that of the men involved in battle. Lamb chronicles extraordinary tragedy and challenges in the lives of women in wartime. And none is more devastating than the increase of the use of rape as a weapon of war. Visiting warzones including the Congo, Rwanda, Nigeria, Bosnia, and Iraq, and spending time with the Rohingya fleeing Myanmar, she records the harrowing stories of survivors, from Yazidi girls kept as sex slaves by ISIS fighters and the beekeeper risking his life to rescue them; to the thousands of schoolgirls abducted across northern Nigeria by Boko Haram, to the Congolese gynecologist who stitches up more rape victims than anyone on earth. Told as a journey, and structured by country, Our Bodies, Their Battlefields gives these women voice. We have made significant progress in international women’s rights, but across the world women are victimized by wartime atrocities that are rarely recorded, much less punished. The first ever prosecution for war rape was in 1997 and there have been remarkably few convictions since, as if rape doesn’t matter in the reckoning of war, only killing. Some courageous women in countries around the world are taking things in their own hands, hunting down the war criminals themselves, trying to trap them through Facebook. In this profoundly important book, Christina Lamb shines a light on some of the darkest parts of the human experience—so that we might find a new way forward. Our Bodies, Their Battlefields is as inspiring and empowering is as it is urgent, a clarion call for necessary change.

“Nujeen: One Girl's Incredible Journey From War-torn Syria In A Wheelchair” (2016)

Prize-winning journalist and the co-author of smash New York Times bestseller I Am Malala, Christina Lamb, now tells the inspiring true story of another remarkable young hero: Nujeen Mustafa, a teenager born with cerebral palsy, whose harrowing journey from war-ravaged Syria to Germany in a wheelchair is a breathtaking tale of fortitude, grit, and hope that lends a face to the greatest humanitarian issue of our time, the Syrian refugee crisis. For millions around the globe, sixteen-year-old Nujeen Mustafa embodies the best of the human spirit. Confined to a wheelchair because of her cerebral palsy and denied formal schooling in Syria because of her illness, Nujeen taught herself English by watching American soap operas. When her small town became the epicenter of the brutal fight between ISIS militants and US-backed Kurdish troops in 2014, she and her family were forced to flee. Despite her physical limitations, Nujeen embarked on the arduous trek to safety and a new life. The grueling sixteen-month odyssey by foot, boat, and bus took her across Turkey and the Mediterranean to Greece, through Macedonia to Serbia and Hungary, and finally, to Germany. Yet, in spite of the tremendous physical hardship she endured, Nujeen's extraordinary optimism never wavered. Refusing to give in to despair or see herself as a passive victim, she kept her head high. As she told a BBC reporter, "You should fight to get what you want in this world." Nujeen's positivity and resolve infuses this unforgettable story of one young woman determined to make a better life for herself. Told by acclaimed British foreign correspondent Christina Lamb, Nujeen is a unique and powerful memoir that gives voice to the Syrian refugee crisis, helping us to understand that the world must change—and offering the inspiration to make that change reality.

“Farewell Kabul: From Afghanistan To A More Dangerous World” (2016)

“I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up For Education And Was Shot By The Taliban” (2013)

When The Taliban Took Control Of The Swat Valley, One Girl Spoke Out. Malala Yousafzai Refused To Be Silenced And Fought For Her Right To An Education. On Tuesday October 9, 2012, She Almost Paid The Ultimate Price. When The Taliban Took Control Of The Swat Valley In Pakistan, One Girl Spoke Out. Malala Yousafzai Refused To Be Silenced And Fought For Her Right To An Education. On Tuesday, October 9, 2012, When She Was Fifteen, She Almost Paid The Ultimate Price. She Was Shot In The Head At Point-blank Range While Riding The Bus Home From School, And Few Expected Her To Survive. Instead, Malala's Miraculous Recovery Has Taken Her On An Extraordinary Journey From A Remote Valley In Northern Pakistan To The Halls Of The United Nations In New York. At Sixteen, She Has Become A Global Symbol Of Peaceful Protest And The Youngest Nominee Ever For The Nobel Peace Prize. This Is The Remarkable Tale Of A Family Uprooted By Global Terrorism, Of The Fight For Girls' Education, Of A Father Who, Himself A School Owner, Championed And Encouraged His Daughter To Write And Attend School, And Of Brave Parents Who Have A Fierce Love For Their Daughter In A Society That Prizes Sons. This Story Will Make You Believe In The Power Of One Person's Voice To Inspire Change In The World. -- Publisher's Description. The Day My World Changed -- Before The Taliban. A Daughter Is Born ; My Father The Falcon ; Growing Up In A School ; The Village ; Why I Don't Wear Earrings And Pashtuns Don't Say Thank You ; Children Of The Rubbish Mountain ; The Mufti Who Tried To Close Our School ; The Autumn Of The Earthquake -- The Valley Of Death. Radio Mullah ; Toffees, Tennis Balls, And The Buddhas Of Swat ; The Clever Class ; The Bloody Square ; The Diary Of Gul Makai ; A Funny Kind Of Peace ; Leaving The Valley -- Three Girls, Three Bullets. The Valley Of Sorrows ; Praying To Be Tall ; The Woman And The Sea ; A Private Talibanization ; Who Is Malala? -- Between Life And Death. God, I Entrust Her To You ; Journey Into The Unknown -- A Second Life. The Girl Shot In The Head, Birmingham ; They Have Snatched Her Smile -- One Child, One Teacher, One Book, One Pen-- -- Important Events In Pakistan And Swat. Malala Yousafzai ; With Christina Lamb.

“Small Wars Permitting” (2008)

An extraordinary collection of reportage that tells the story of some of the most important world events of the past 16 years, from one of the most talented and intrepid female journalists at work today.\n\nSince leaving England aged 21 with an invitation to a Karachi wedding and a yearning for adventure, Christina Lamb has spent 20 years living out of suitcases, reporting from around the world and becoming one of Britain’s most highly regarded journalists. She has won numerous awards, including being named Foreign Correspondent of the Year a remarkable four times.\n\n‘Small Wars Permitting’ is a collection of her best reportage, following the principal events of the last two decades everywhere from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe. But Lamb’s main interest has always been in the untold stories, the people and places others don’t visit. Undaunted by danger, disease or despots, she has travelled by canoe through the Amazon rainforest in search of un-contacted Indians, joined a Rio samb