No Ordinary Assignment

Viac o knihe

A haunting memoir of disarming honesty, this remarkable testament captures the anguish and beauty of foreign correspondence. From award-winning journalist Jane Ferguson comes an unflinching account of ambition and war, spanning The Troubles to the fall of Kabul. Ferguson has reported from nearly every major conflict and humanitarian crisis of our time. She covered the Arab Spring in Yemen and gained rare access to rebel-held Syria during its civil war. In 2021, as the Taliban seized Kabul, she was among the last Western journalists at the airport, witnessing the desperate evacuation of Afghans, including her colleagues. Ferguson's early life in Northern Ireland during the 1980s and '90s was marked by sectarian violence, with bomb threats and military checkpoints a daily reality. Influenced by authors like Dervla Murphy and Martha Gellhorn, she found solace in literature and pursued a path in journalism, starting with a chance to study Arabic in Yemen. Lacking family connections or wealth, she operated as a one-woman reporting team, often with just a borrowed camera. Despite being told she lacked the right look or style, Ferguson repeatedly placed herself in danger to amplify the voices of civilians affected by war. Her bold debut chronicles her journey from a curious child to an intrepid war correspondent, revealing the authentic challenges of building a career against the odds.