The Last Girl: My Story of Captivity, and My Fight Against the Islamic State

I have always been fascinated by real stories from real people--their culture, values, environment, the things, events and people that shaped them and added to their life's purpose or passion. This true story does not disappoint! In fact, I had a hard time putting it down once I started. In terms of the writing and all else that goes into writing a book, this one is of excellent quality. The grammar and punctuation, sentence structure, editing etc., are impeccable. The author provides a map so the reader can identify key places in the story. There are photos of various family members and adequate explanations for words that the average person, unfamiliar with the various ethnicities, politics, culture and religions of Iraq would not be familiar with. Nadia does an excellent job bringing her country to life for the reader and allowing us a glimpse of what life was like before ISIS took over her beloved village and changed the lives of so many. As we look back at even our own country's history, I'm sure there are tragedies that caused alarm, suffering and great loss. Tragedies such as: JFK's assassination, the Oklahoma City Bombing, the Holocaust, 9/11/2001,Columbine and other school shootings, the Challenger explosion, Patty Hearst kidnapping, the Las Vegas shooting, Hurricane Katrina, etc. So much devastation and yet so many of us banded together, shared our stories, offered our thoughts, prayers and support. We felt compelled to be a part of the solution rather than part of the problem. We faced the ugliness head on. And then time flew by and our memories faded some. Do we ever wonder at what cost? Who will the bad guys target next? Will it be more strangers, an acquaintance or friend? Will it be one of us and our families. What and who will be left? There may always be another terrorist or evil-doer in this world. Are we prepared to look at the ugly truths so we aren't caught unaware and forced to lose the very things and people who define us? One can only hope. Nadia and her courageous story brings us a step or two closer to looking at real world problems such as genocide, terrorism and much more. She reminds us to be aware, to help others and to take a strong stand against injustice!

Nadia’s heart breaking personal story of the Yazidi people in Iraq at the hands of Isis is a must read.

An incredibly moving account of the atrocities committed by ISIS militants and their co-conspirators. The story is told simply yet is riveting from the first page. The description of Yazidi people living their lives, their beliefs descended from ancient religion, became immediately real as if the reader has known the people all along. Heartbreaking moments, triumphant moments, real grief over the cruelty of the world who failed to help these people. The reader will feel pride for those who did help the Yazidis, and will perhaps will grow richer in understanding our common human bonds from having read this book.

I gave 'The Last Girl' five stars because this is one of the most haunting, affecting and inspiring stories I've ever read, including accounts by survivors of the Holocaust, the Gulag, Cambodia, Rwanda, North Korea, Darfur, Syria and all the other genocides which plague human society. Without revealing too many spoilers, the book's author, Nadia Murad, a young and highly intelligent Yazidi/Iraqi woman, reveals how she and her close-knit family and fellow villagers are ripped from a relatively peaceful existence in a poor farming town into a unimaginable nightmare when ISIS invades their town and destroys their lives and livelihoods. This book is a timely wake-up call for those of us who live in the West where ISIS and other terrorist groups' horrific tactics and inhuman cruelty seems distant and abstract until it happens to one of our own communities. This moving, compelling and well-written memoir, which won a well-deserved Noble Prize, demonstrates otherwise. Nadia's story will live in my mind and heart for a very long time, and has motivated to research what I can do to help these brave refugees and our veterans recover from the terrible consequences of these brutal wars. A life-changing read that made me even more grateful for everyone and every good thing in my life.

I couldn’t put this book down. It is so well written, but it is also painful to read. Thank you for sharing your story, Nadia. The Yazidi’s need your voice.

Exquisitely written memoir about the horrors of ISIS. Nadia Murad paints perfect pictures with her words of her beautiful small village and her amazing family members, neighbors, and friends whose lives are ripped apart one August day by men claiming allegiance to a god who would never justify the horrendous torture, murder, rape, enslavement, and genocide that those of Iraq and Syria endured. Nadia bravely escapes her captivity no matter the cost and goes on to win the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to bring justice for the Yazidi people. I couldn’t put the book down. It was a page turner. Her story is so deeply moving and heroic. I was in tears multiple times while reading this book. When the religious leader of the Yazidi group said there should be no shame in forced conversion and rape and lost it. The women were so afraid to tell their stories and ashamed until that moment. And that awareness and kindness was an affirmation that there is good in the world, even after the most horrible people come and try and destroy everything. There is also a documentary about her efforts in the UN called On Her Shoulders on Prime Video for more information.

"I know now that I was born in the heart of the crimes committed against me." -Nadia Murad Nadia tells us all very plainly and eloquently about the realities of her life as a Yazidi woman, both before and after the war, and about all the horrifying experiences she had to endure as a captive of the brutal Islamic state. She relays her experiences in great descriptive and emotive detail, all the beauty and all the tragedy, in a very open and honest manner. She shares the events and experiences that will be burned into her memory forever, so many things that even time can never erase. When this type of trauma is suffered and endured, one cannot simply go about life as before. Nadia, and so many others had their old lives cruelly and callously destroyed by those whose hearts and souls are full of nothing but hate, darkness, and a lust for power and control. After her escape, she is able to find a new purpose in life after the death of her old life. She begins a new life focused on telling the world her story - the reality of the pain, trauma, and shock of having people taken away from you and parts of your very being taken away from you that you will never ever get back. Some things in life can never be reclaimed once they are gone. This is the reality that Nadia is sharing in the hopes that we can all listen and learn. She hopes to be the last girl to tell this story.

A beautifully told account of the genocide of the Yazidi people by Isis, the massacres of men and women and the enslavement of all the young women and girls. I learnt so much about their history, culture, religion and gentle way of life. The terrible fate they suffered under Isis needs to be told and understood for the sake of their survival as a people and hopefully to protect other minorities in the future. This young woman’s courage and determination is truly remarkable.

El testimonio es crudo pero valiente y necesario. A pesar de lo crudo que es el tema, es llevadero y fácil de leer porque lo cuenta como es, sin darle vueltas, como si fuera una plática de tú a tú. Contiene fotos de su vida antes de que fuera destruida. En cuanto a las hojas, son de papel reciclado, por ende un poco delgadas, pero nada serio. Vale mucho la pena.

The Last Girl by Nadia Murad is a very moving book. It’s impossible not to feel deep sympathy for Nadia and all other Yazidis when reading about the gruesome crimes against humanity that ISIS put them through. It’s also a book that made me reflect a lot on minority issues, religion, and religious extremism. The way propaganda and terror were used to invoke fear made many people unable to help ISIS victims in areas under their control. It’s incredibly inspiring to read that Nadia kept fighting. She began receiving threats from ISIS when she started speaking out against them—and yet, she just kept going. At first, I planned to borrow this book from the library, but I decided to buy it instead to support Nadia. Hopefully, the proceeds from book sales and her other activities will help her continue spreading her story—and the stories of other Yazidis who don’t have a platform to share their message. 5/5.

Ottimo e molto accattivante racconto sullo stato reale della storia contemporanea nell'area geografica ancora segnata da tormenti e soprusi di ogni genere.