In a Time of Monsters is a fantastic book detailing the stories of Emma Sky, a former advisor to an American General in Iraq, as she travels throughout the Middle East following the Arab Spring.
Sky does a fantastic job of describing each country's political situation, going through important points in recent and sometimes more distant history in order for the reader to understand the current situation. As someone not overly familiar with the Middle East, I found her style of relaying information to be concise and easy to digest, and she never once strayed into overloading the reader with too much information.
While politics, post war rebuilding, simmering tensions and the rise of ISIS were the prominent topics throughout the book, this was juxtaposed with various travel stories. Sky vividly describes journeying to see the pyramids in Sudan, Palmyra in Syria and rafting in Iraqi Kurdistan. Her descriptions of her time spent in Kyrgyzstan especially made me want to visit.
Not only is this a great book about Sky's travels and personal experiences in the Middle East, it is furthermore a testament to the compassion and kindness of the people there. The hospitality she encountered throughout her travels is unparalleled. Overall it is an informative and insightful book that makes me want to read more of her work.
Sky does a fantastic job of describing each country's political situation, going through important points in recent and sometimes more distant history in order for the reader to understand the current situation. As someone not overly familiar with the Middle East, I found her style of relaying information to be concise and easy to digest, and she never once strayed into overloading the reader with too much information.
While politics, post war rebuilding, simmering tensions and the rise of ISIS were the prominent topics throughout the book, this was juxtaposed with various travel stories. Sky vividly describes journeying to see the pyramids in Sudan, Palmyra in Syria and rafting in Iraqi Kurdistan. Her descriptions of her time spent in Kyrgyzstan especially made me want to visit.
Not only is this a great book about Sky's travels and personal experiences in the Middle East, it is furthermore a testament to the compassion and kindness of the people there. The hospitality she encountered throughout her travels is unparalleled. Overall it is an informative and insightful book that makes me want to read more of her work.