A Career in West Africa

In Pursuit of Disobedient Women: A Memoir of Love, Rebellion, and Family, Far Away
by Dionne Searcey
Publication Date - March 10, 2020
4 stars

Searcey, a New York Times journalist, and her husband were living a frantic dual-career life when she decided to uproot them all and take a West African post.  Moving into Senegal is itself a jolting experience but she also traveled widely as she covered war-torn areas and traumatized people.  As she did this, she understood that her husband was pushing pause on his own career and the resentment that this sometimes caused.  This is a fascinating and well written memoir with heartbreaking stories about the toll, especially on women, of civil war.  It also examines how women persevere against seemingly impossible ordeals.  I could have listened to her stories of West Africa for many more pages but I think that her own marital exploration was a bit weaker.  Overall, though, this is a book that I highly recommend.  I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.