THE WOMAN WHO FELL FROM THE SKY: AN AMERICAN JOURNALIST’S ADVENTURES IN THE OLDEST CITY ON EARTH
From : Putney Post Alumni Authors
In this fascinating and lively memoir, a young, American journalist makes the unlikely decision to upend her life and move to Yemen to become editor of the Yemen Observer, an English-language newspaper. The adventure that ensues is an eye- opening cultural tour and a powerful reminder that the greatest adventures in life come from taking the most dramatic risks.
In a world fraught with suspicion between the Middle East and the West, it’s hard to believe that one of the most influential newspapers in Yemen—the desperately poor, ancestral homeland of Osama bin Laden—would be handed over to an agnostic, Campari-drinking, single woman from Manhattan who had never set foot in the Middle East. Yet this is exactly what happened to Jennifer Steil.
Restless in her career and her life in general, Jennifer, a gregarious, liberal New Yorker, initially accepts a short-term opportunity to teach a journalism class to the staff of the Yemen Observer in Sana’a, the beautiful, old, and very conservative capital of Yemen. Seduced by the eager reporters and the enticing prospect of spreading democratic journalistic ideals there, she extends her stay to a year as the paper’s editor-in-chief. But she is quickly confronted with the conservative realities of Yemen—and their surprising advantages. In teaching the basics of fair and balanced journalism to a staff that included plagiarists and polemicists, she falls in love with her career again. In confronting the blatant mis- treatment and strict governance of women by their male counterparts, she learns to appreciate the strength of Arab women in the workplace; and in forging surprisingly deep friendships with women and men whose traditions and beliefs are in total opposition to her own, she learns a cultural appreciation she never could have predicted. What’s more, she just so happens to meet the love of her life.
The Woman Who Fell from the Sky gives readers a fresh, in-depth, and often surprising look at the Arab mindset and the role of the media in the Muslim culture. With infectious exuberance and bravery, Jennifer brings to life the wonder, mystery, humor, and beauty of liv- ing in an utterly foreign world and will inspire readers to seek out their own unlikely adventure.