Book Review: With Ash On Their Faces By Cathy Otten

This book particularly focuses on the genocidal attack, executed one summer afternoon in 2014 when thousands of men were massacred, and women and children were enslaved. Otten talks about the slavery these women went through at the hands of ISIS men and their experiences of living with this horror for years, before their stories could be told. This book is a much-needed attempt to document the struggles of the Yazidi community.

Considered to be one of the first accounts of the genocidal attack unleashed by Daesh against the Yazidi community in Iraq, With Ash on Their Faces: Yezidi Women and the Islamic State speaks volumes about the resilience of Yazidi women. It is a collection of survivor’s accounts; stories of women who sailed through those turbulent times to tell their story. It begins with a short analysis of the political scenario present in Iraq with reference to the Yazidi community, the Kurdish (minority) and the government, both during and after Saddam Hussein’s rule. Further, the book is divided into three parts taking us through the course of events as and when they happened.

Read the full review here.