The Dressmaker of Khair Khana (2011) and
Ashley’s War: The Untold Story of a Team of Women Soldiers on the Special Ops Battlefield (2015) in 2016, when a source tipped her off that an all-female militia was advancing the cause of women’s rights in Syria as they battled the Islamic State. Serving with the YPJ, the Kurdish Women’s Protection Units, the women were effective fighters and tacticians, widely respected by the men who served with them; yet, their story was largely unknown beyond the frontlines of the Syrian war. Lemmon is as fearless as her subjects, and her account of researching this story over three years in northern Iraq and northeastern Syria is an education in conflict reporting; her own story, connected to that of these women, makes for an incredibly compelling read.
Published:
5:38 PM January 28, 2021
Ros Green, director of the Essex Book Festival, with author Sarah Perry. The pair will be discussing Essex Girls at the launch of the 2021 Festival in June
- Credit: Nick Ilott Photography
The world may be still trapped in lockdown but some festivals are working hard to ensure that life goes on.
The Essex Book Festival has announced that contingency planning has meant that the event can go ahead as planned – online if necessary.
Unlike previous years, the Festival will run for three months with digital events taking place in June, followed by physical events in July and August, all made Covid-secure through outdoor settings and large indoor venues where social distancing is possible.