"Behind the Beautiful Forevers meets Under an Afghan Sky in this mesmerizing true story of the Nigerian girls taken captive by the terrorist group Boko Haram In April 2014, the world awoke to the shocking news that the terrorist group Boko Haram had kidnapped nearly 300 school-aged girls and taken them deep into the forests of Nigeria. When veteran journalist Mellissa Fung travels to Nigeria, she discovers that the scope of the kidnappings has been vastly under-reported. Hundreds--possibly thousands--more girls have been taken against their will and forced to become child brides of the soldiers and leaders of Boko Haram. Some of the captives have escaped and returned to their villages, many with children in tow. Most of these girls, still children themselves, are shunned by their former friends and family. Other girls are never seen again. A former captive herself, Fung shared her experience in the bestselling memoir Under an Afghan Sky. During several visits to Nigeria over four years, she sits down with the girls who got away and their families, conducting hundreds of hours of interviews, listening to horrific stories of capture, rape and torture, as well as escapes and excommunications. She also portrays strong women who resist the terrorist group in their own powerful ways: Aisha the Hunter, who moves stealthily into the forest, taking out Boko Haram with her faithful followers; and Mama Boko Haram, an Igbo woman who knows the fighters and those haunted by their experiences and tries to empty the forests of terrorists and captives alike. This is raw, honest and heartbreaking storytelling at its best."--
Language
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Dimensions
Height: 193 mm
Width: 130 mm
Thickness: 23 mm
Weight
ISBN-13
978-1-4434-5610-4 (9781443456104)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
MELLISSA FUNG is a veteran journalist, bestselling author and filmmaker. In 2008, as a field correspondent covering Afghanistan for the CBC, she was taken hostage, an experience that led to her #1 bestselling book Under an Afghan Sky. Her story, and those of three Nigerian girls, were the subject of her first feature documentary, Captive, which premiered in 2021 and has been nominated for several major awards. Since leaving the network, Fung has focused on human rights reporting. Her work has been featured in the Globe and Mail, the Huffington Post, the Walrus and the Toronto Star, and on Al Jazeera, CNN, PBS and in other media. She has received numerous awards, including the Gracie Award, a Commonwealth Broadcasting Association award and the New York Festivals Gold and Silver Awards. Fung holds a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University.
