No Ordinary Assignment: A Memoir

This is a difficult book to read, a desperately sad childhood, an upbringing that was nearly bereft of love and nurturing, except for one elderly relative. Such trauma apparently played forward in her pursuit of journalism at the forefront of seriously unstable, dangerous war fronts. For a child growing up in the threatening era of Irish 'troubles' for civilians and soldiers alike, her naivety was unbelievable.

This was especially evident in arriving almost cavalierly in hostile countries (like Somalia), and trusting the Taliban in the author's apparent search for acceptance and approval from her employers. Astute readers won't be surprised to discover how fragile Ferguson's personal relationships were. The anecdotal repetitiveness of show more haring off on assignments throughout the middle eastern areas under fire created a drag on moving the memoir forward and it was not easy to understand the author's overarching insights or discover an enlightened retrospective philosophy.

For all of that, her exploits and reporting were amazing. She was undervalued all too often, as well as being cast into assignments in war zones many experienced journalists would likely not have accepted. While "the story of the regions' civilians" was valuable to be told, was it worth the risks and perhaps more to the point, did the stories change the status quo? Many aspects underlying the saga in this memoir are troubling. show less

Like so many others I admired and appreciated Jane Ferguson's reporting from war zones and fretted for her safety. This memoir brings additional depth to her story.

Jane Ferguson is an amazing woman. She has been so focused and outwardly fearless in her life. She has brought to light so many important stories purely through determination at great risk to herself. I am inspired by her and her book.