I Was Told to Come Alone: My Journey Behind the Lines of Jihad

Souad Mekhennet’s memoir blends investigative journalism with personal narrative as she recounts her work interviewing extremists across Europe and the Middle East. As a Muslim woman reporting on terrorism, Mekhennet navigates dangers and cultural barriers with remarkable clarity and courage. Her storytelling is vivid and suspenseful, offering rare insight into radicalisation, identity, and geopolitics. She interrogates both the motivations of her subjects and the biases of the societies that shaped them. It is gripping, humane, and profoundly illuminating.