The Woman Who Fell From the Sky: An American Journalist in Yemen
Jennifer Steil
2010
321 pages
Published by Broadway
she was a woman
who fell from the sky in robes
of dew
and became
a city
In 2006, Jennifer Steil accepted an offer of a short-term job to teach journalistic skills to the employees of the Yemen Observer, an English-language newspaper in Sana’a, Yemen. Despite the poor English and almost non-existent journalism skills of her students, Steil was sad to leave at the end of the three weeks. When the owner offered her another job, to act as editor-in-chief and continue mentoring the staff, she jumped at the chance to return to a city and people she had fallen in love with.
Friends and co-workers were less enthused. As her then boss exclaimed, “Holy fucking shit, are you kidding me? Are you out of your fucking mind? You’re crazy! You’ll die over there! I can’t believe you are seriously doing this! Why?”
This book tells of Steil’s experiences in Sana’a and her travels in Yemen during those initial three weeks, and then during her year as editor at the Yemen Observer. Sana’a is known as the oldest city on earth, and Steil shares her delight in the gingerbread houses of the Old City. She talks about the frustration of working with qat-addicted men who take four hour lunches and the joys of watching her women journalists become talented reporters. (Qat is a stimulant that the majority of Yemenis rely on. It’s a plant…you stuff the leaves in your cheek and chew. Qat chewing is also a very social activity.) She discusses her experiences with the medical system, and her embarrassment over packages seized by customs (a friend sent her a vibrator). Steil truly immersed herself in Yemeni culture, eating at local restaurants with her fellow employees (but only the men, as women do not eat out), joining in qat chews, and attending women-only weddings (the men and women celebrate separately). Yet she also reveled in the expat experience (after she got the newspaper under control and found some free time), going on weekend vacations with friends, drinking alcohol at expat parties, and hooking up with a few men.
I really enjoyed seeing Yemen through the author’s eyes. While she was certainly frustrated at times by the sense of male entitlement and the restrictions many women faced, Steil fully participated in Yemeni work and life. She is able to share a wide variety of experiences, thereby giving me a glimpse into a culture that I previously knew nothing about. It’s also interesting and entertaining to read about her efforts to instill a work ethic and journalistic ethics into a group that had no previous training in journalism.
Despite my vow to not buy any books, I bought this one last weekend. Because it has a truly gorgeous cover…so really, who can blame me?
Oo, sounds interesting! I cannot blame you at all for buying it, and it looks like it turned out to be worth it.
Oh, this book sounds fascinating. I adore woman in a foreign land memoirs (well, novels too). It’s always a nice reminder for me that I made the right choice to take my journalism degree and head to library school to read about other’s adventures in foreign lands. I’m definitely putting this one on my list!
This sounds like a good one. I don’t think I’ve ever read a “woman in a foreign land memoir” – at least not with that as the focus – but the premise sounds interesting. Thanks for the suggestion. Maybe I’ll break my own book buying ban and go grab this.
My sister lived in Yemen for a year and I love her stories and pictures from there. I’m definitely adding this one to the list!
A beautiful cover always makes me break my no buying rule as well. This one sounds worth it; thanks for bringing it to my attention.
This really sounds fascinating. I’ve been on such a travel kick lately, and I don’t think I could have resisted this one either. I have to admit, I pretty much know nothing about Yemen, but this seems like a fun and interesting way to get one’s feet wet.
I’m in love with the cover too, so I was glad to see your review. This book sounds like it’s well worth reading.
Oh wow! This sounds like such an excellent read, and I am going to have to grab a copy of this book right away! I am a big armchair traveler, and it sounds as if this book would really intrigue me. Thanks for the excellent review! I am off to look up this book!!
That is a fabulous cover, and it sounds like the books innards are just as good. I’ve never read a thing about Yemen, so I think I might have to try this one.
Well, Jill, I will NEVER fault you for buying a book for its cover (and I agree this one is especially sumptuous)…since I do that ALL the time LOL! This sounds like an interesting read…and I had not heard of this book before, so I thank you for bringing it to my attention! Great review
Yemen scares me and I’ll go pretty much anywhere (55 foreign lands and counting!). Looks like something I’d love.
What a fabulous book. I love the title, it is awesome. I love this style of travel book and know I would enjoy reading it. My only knowledge of Yemen, is from Friends when Phoebe’s boyfriend goes off to work in Yemen.
So… Does the book not mentioned that she screwed around with the British Ambassador of Yemen?
I would think that since the affair has resulted in an out of wedlock child, the end of a 25+ year marriage, a blatant case of adultery in a country where it is punishable by death, embarrassment to the British government and diplomatic core and the replacement of the British Ambassador to Yemen by someone who hopefully can keep is dick in his pants, that you might want to mention that she is leveraging her recent publicity from this scandal to sell this book.
Sorry for the long sentence. I could not resist putting all that stuff in one rant :>)
I will not buy her book. I am embarrassed that she confirms what many Yemeni’s think about people from the west and their lack of moral values.
Hello! This is a terrific blog. I feel compelled to respond to this one misguided poster, so I hope I am allowed to write something here? First, I did not “screw around with” the British ambassador. We are engaged to be married. Second, we could not wait until we were married to have a child because I was 39 when we became engaged and divorce in the UK apparently takes a very long time. So we knew if we wanted to have children we could not wait. After months of serious consideration, we decided we definitely wanted a child. Third, I did not “wreck the marriage.” The marriage was over long before I came along, for reasons that are personal and thus not included in my book. No one walks away from a happy marriage. Marriages end for their own reasons, and not because of a third party.
Most importantly, there was no scandal other than that invented by ridiculous British tabloids. And no diplomatic crisis. Tim is still the UK ambassador to Yemen (he has NOT been replaced – that was never even considered), and still working very hard at this posting. In fact, he was asked to extend his posting, which normally would have ended earlier this month. So “W” might want to get his facts straight.
Lastly, I was sickened and appalled by the lies and misrepresentations perpetrated in the British press, and the last thing I would ever do is leverage that garbage for publicity! Anyone who actually believes tabloid stories should perhaps consider getting better sources.
Sorry – I couldn’t help defending myself on this one!
Thanks, Jennifer
It is a beautiful cover–you were fully justified! And well rewarded. What an incredible experience in a place that is so very different from our lives.
okay, the excerpt you included was hilarious! i was onboard with the boss on this one. yemen? really? it’s not even on my list of 100 places to visit…but should i reconsider? i love memoirs and just from the excerpt i think i’ll enjoy this one.
Recently, I’ve begun to realize that a lot of books either have the same title, or very similar titles. This one, I got confused with The Girl Who Fell From The Sky, which is about a mixed race girl growing up in the US. Very different story, very similar title.
I know nothing about Yemen except that brief reference to it on a Friends episode!
I’ve become quite addicted to books that relate an author’s foreign experience…I’m not sure why, heaven knows I’ve done more than my fair share of world travel. But whatever the reason, books like these fascinate me and this one looks wonderful.
This sounds good!! Though it sounds like she got to experience Yemen as a man instead of a woman in many ways.
I would have bought this book for the cover alone too and the subject would have kept me around!
I haven’t heard of this one but wow — my reaction would have been the same as her boss’s — what *was* she thinking. Yet because she took the job, we are able to see Yemen from a fairly intimate, female, and Western viewpoint — sounds like I’m going shopping.
Oh wow — it’s available in audio — does the print book have photos or maps that I must have, or do you think audio will work?
For some reason, travel memoirs don’t really do it for me. Maybe it was Eat, Pray, Love that gave them a bad rap for me because I really disliked that book. Still, this does sound like a promising read so I may have to rethink my stance.
This book sounds really interesting and remarkable. Definitely going on my wishlsit!
Dude, I really want to read this book! It is absolutely going on my wishlist
The cover is gorgeous – I could see myself giving in to buying a book like this. So interesting. Plus, even though I didn’t end up really following the journalism track, I’m still immensely interested in the subject. Would love to get my hands on this book for sure!