Five thoughts on Clarissa Ward's On All Fronts:
I learned a ton about the Middle East- Ward is informative without being boring. She doesn’t weigh anyone down with excessive history or data, but instead provides the right amount of context for her various experiences.
Along with her own personal perspective, she works to bring voices to different people in areas like Syria, Georgia, and Libya. She refrains from making sweeping judgements, instead focusing on explaining why cultures and individuals may be the way they are (I heard her on NPR’s Fresh Air the other day doing the exact same thing, when explaining why in rural Afghanistan there is more of a concern for survival as opposed to women’s rights).
Her writing is solid- she strikes a good balance between being personable, descriptive, and informative (which is why she’s such a great journalist).
While I don’t have much of current desire to travel to many of the places she discussed, it was fascinating to feel so immersed in travel. I have some major wanderlust lately, so this was a treat.
So often with reporters we see them on camera, but her discussion is more behind-the-scenes moments seemed so honest. She talks about withdrawing from loved ones after tough trips, being concerned about what motherhood would do to her career, and how exhausting being in war zones was.
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