A thoroughly fascinating essay collection which I read for May’s Bookety Book Club - so good in fact that they could almost all be described as standout and I cannot pick a favourite. Western reporting about the Arab Spring and conflicts in the Middle East tends to focus on attention-grabbing atrocities, bombs and casualty numbers, and we don’t hear so much about the everyday impacts and the mundane details of how people’s lives have been altered, which is where this collection of essays really shines. As women, these journalists have access to and an interest in spaces and that most (predominantly male) Western war journalists do not, but are also often subject to far greater restrictions, especially those reporting within their own countries - reporting takes on far higher stakes when your family may be at risk as a result, and most of these women have made huge personal sacrifices to continue their work. I also found the changing nature of journalism and journalists’ ability to access information when unable to travel to certain zones really interesting - it was particularly poignant to read about Skype contact lists that steadily dwindle as sources are killed, join the fighting or leave. An insight into the lives, realities and challenges of Arab women journalists working in the Middle East and reporting on stories that are often overlooked by Western mainstream media.