The Woman Who Fell from the Sky

Fascinating memoir/ethnography of an American journalist who takes on the task of becoming managing editor for the Yemen Observer, an English language newspaper headquartered in Sana'a, the capital of Yemen.

Because the author is already a talented journalist, the writing is clear, engaging, and pulls the reader in with just the right amount of description and observation. Not only is this book a great example of honest travel/culture writing, but also it's a great read for anyone interested in how to write as a journalist no matter where you are. In explaining, editing and teaching the basics of reporting, fact-gathering, interviewing and ethics to her Yemeni reporters, Jennifer Steil (the author) treats the reader to a “mini-workshop” in journalism.

The cultural aspect of the book was also enlightening. Since Yemen is a Muslim country, the second-class status of women created many obstacles and trials for Jennifer as she struggled to teach and train the few female reporters on her staff. However, male attitudes of entitlement and their dependence on qat was often even more frustrating. Most distressing to me was the “learned aversion to education and absence of a culture of reading” the author found among the Yemeni people. As the author observes, this puts the Yemeni people at a huge disadvantage in understanding the world and other people's experiences.

I marked the following quote because I think it is true for any reader and a clear statement of the path to empathy and understanding towards anyone not like ourselves:
“How does one develop compassion for someone with a completely different set of values without reading something from their point of view? Books are one of the few ways in which we can truly get into the heads of people we would never meet in our ordinary lives and travel to countries we would otherwise never visit.”

This book isn't a non-stop rant against Yemen or the Muslim culture or the Middle East, though. The author clearly loves the scenery, and is fascinated by the architecture and history of Yemen. She is curious and engaged in her surroundings and experiences and I finished the book with more than a passing interest in learning more about Yemen.