In Pursuit of Disobedient Women

Praise

“Dionne Searcey’s In Pursuit of Disobedient Women offers a candid and riveting backstory of the powerful series she crafted on Boko Haram and independent women in Nigeria during her tenure as West Africa bureau chief for The New York Times. Through Searcey’s stunning descriptions and humorously self-deprecating honesty, we gain insight into the relentless (and at times, frustrating) reporting required for such outstanding journalism, while shedding light on the never-ending juggle to balance work and home life as a foreign correspondent.”—Lynsey Addario, photojournalist and New York Times bestselling author of It’s What I Do and Of Love & War

“In Pursuit of Disobedient Women is an urgent and necessary work, taking the reader into the heart of one of the most dangerous terrorist militias on earth. Searcey’s fearless reporting on Boko Haram’s survivors is as compassionate as it is unrelenting. It’s a story you will not soon forget.”—Kathryn Bigelow, Academy Award–winning director of The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty

 “In Pursuit of Disobedient Women beautifully chronicles the sometimes harrowing challenges women in West Africa face as well as their triumphs. Searcey portrays African women for what they are: strong and clever, like women everywhere. She weaves stories of family life and motherhood throughout her tales, rounding out a unique and relatable portrait of womanhood.”—Oby Ezekwesili, global women’s advocate, founder of Bring Back Our Girls and former education minister of Nigeria

“Compulsively readable and searingly honest, Dionne Searcey’s account of her tenure as New York Times West Africa bureau chief begins as a personal journey, as she juggles motherhood, career, and guilt, and ends as a testament to the people whose stories she illuminates. There’s not enough space on the pages of a newspaper to tell their tales, which lingered with me days after finishing the book. Thought provoking, at times deeply uncomfortable and moving, yet filled with humor and honesty, this is a book that everyone should read.”—Yangsze Choo, New York Times bestselling author of The Night Tiger and The Ghost Bride

“In turns funny, wise, sad, and terrifying, Searcey vividly puts the reader in her shoes and compellingly details the often ignored stories of women who live through conflict every day, including her own.”—Kim Barker, author of The Taliban Shuffle

“Gracefully moving between the personal and the geopolitical, Searcey gives a poignant and at times harrowing account of one of the more difficult jobs in journalism. A rare book that manages to be both entertaining, thought-provoking, and utterly transporting.”—Ian Urbina, New York Times bestselling author of The Outlaw Ocean