On All Fronts: The Education of a Journa

Thank you Clarissa for taking us through your incredible hardships while fostering your craft to capture the horrific atrocities going on in the far corners of our "modern" societies. The randomness of some humans to be born into privilege while other humans are birthed on make shift rafts fleeing death is real and we need to be reminded of it, have empathy for it as we are really all the same.Very much enjoyed the honest reflections from growing up, getting your first break to leading your teams into troubled territories as a seasoned veteran. The most strong and brave of us all have those same butterflies and self doubt while taking on those calculated dangers but the really good ones can do it humbly with self depreciating humor on how awkward, nerdy or scared we felt while still putting your head down and scrumming through.Thanks for pointing out that intelligent people see the grey because life is never black or white. Being a hard line zealot in any form is taking the easy route to anchor a thought process to, be it religion, politics, race, culture or what have you. People can't dehumanize and kill without only thinking in black and white, good vs evil. Refusing to learn the history and nuance of a scripture many hold so dear only to use that dumbed down iteration to compel masses to commit atrocities is the true evil that we've witnessed throughout history and is true to this day. Worst is the leaders usually do this knowingly for their own power.Lastly, you seem to be a cool and adventurous gal that many of us would love to through back a cocktail with. Hope you get to do it with your friend Austin. Cheers!

Great book. Absolutely loved reading it. Gripping at times but overall she had some breath-taking moments. I liked her as a correspondent as despite being American she doesn't have an annoying accent!

Very informative; easy to get hooked into, read. There is so much that goes on and into each minute of foreign news coverage that I didn’t know anything about. This book opens a window onto those journalists living and working in that often dangerous world.

A courageous woman, with a heart and smarts. Excellent writer and story-teller.Because she has covered so many conflicts, since 2003, her book is also a glance across our recent history, with her special view from the inside of those conflicts and her intelligence in analyzing them.I liked that it was Samantha Power who invited Ward to address the UN concerning Syria. Two excellent geopolitical women. Power’s book is called “The Education of an Idealist” and it is also excellent.A native Anglophone, at 20 Clarissa spoke French, Italian, Spanish and Russian. She subsequently added Arabic. She would use them all for her work and and in her personal life.“Bomb one terrorist and ten come to his funeral.”“Cannot file if dead.”“It never got any easier to understand or accept the randomness of privilege in this world.”“In a sense I had failed in my quest to act as a translator between worlds. There were too many who didn’t want to hear the stories of others, who felt that listening was tantamount to weakness, who believed that humanizing ‘the other’ was dangerous."But she does it anyway, thank God.

Lots of fun and interesting facts. A wonderful read.