In Pursuit of Disobedient Women follows Searcey’s sometimes harrowing, sometimes rollicking experiences in West Africa, the most powerful of which center on the extraordinary lives and struggles of the women she encounters.
“In Pursuit of Disobedient Women is an urgent and necessary work, taking the reader into the heart of one of the most dangerous terrorist militias on earth. Searcey’s fearless reporting on Boko Haram’s survivors is as compassionate as it is unrelenting. It’s a story you will not soon forget.”
—Kathryn Bigelow, Academy Award–winning director of The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty
“Through Searcey’s stunning descriptions and humorously self-deprecating honesty, we gain insight into the relentless (and at times, frustrating) reporting required for outstanding journalism, while shedding light on the never-ending juggle to balance work and home life.”
—Lynsey Addario, photojournalist and New York Times bestselling author of It’s What I Do and Of Love & War
“An intimate and at times hilarious look into the delicate balancing act of raising a family while being the NY Times correspondent in one of the most dangerous and volatile areas of our world, West Africa. Searcey’s book is a page turner that shows the intricate impact that policies decided in remote posh offices of the world’s large cities, can have in the most vulnerable communities.”
—Pierre Thiam, Senegalese chef, author of The Fonio Cookbook
“A revealing new take on what seems like a familiar story– what it’s like for a working mother to juggle her job and family. But in this case, Searcey’s job happens to involve reporting on some of the world’s most dangerous conflicts out of her home base in West Africa, and her children are dealing with unfamiliar challenges like their mother being punched in the face in front of them. In turns funny, wise, sad and terrifying, Searcey vividly puts the reader in her shoes and compellingly details the often ignored stories of women who live through conflict every day, including her own. ”
—Kim Barker, author of The Taliban Shuffle
“Compulsively readable and searingly honest, Searcey’s account begins as a personal journey, as she juggles motherhood, career, and guilt, and ends as a testament to the people whose stories she illuminates. Their tales lingered with me days after finishing the book.”
—Yangsze Choo, New York Times bestselling author of The Night Tiger and The Ghost Bride
“Gracefully moving between the personal and the geopolitical, Searcey gives a poignant and at times harrowing account of one of the more difficult jobs in journalism. A rare book that manages to be both entertaining, thought-provoking, and utterly transporting.”
—Ian Urbina, New York Times bestselling author of The Outlaw Ocean
“In Pursuit of Disobedient Women beautifully chronicles the sometimes harrowing challenges women in West Africa face as well as their triumphs. Searcey portrays African women for what they are: strong and clever, like women everywhere.”
—Oby Ezekwesili, global women’s advocate, founder of Bring Back Our Girls and former education minister of Nigeria
“Dionne Searcey left Brooklyn with her husband and children to cover West Africa for The NewYork Times. Her telling of what happened once she got there has produced a uniquely candid riff on love, parenting, and the so-often bittersweet craft of reporting—in cities and war zones thousands of miles from home.”
—Kate Kelly, co-author of The Education of Brett Kavanaugh