I have been looking forward to reading this book for about a year now. The author is a former CNN news anchor and correspondent. I have to admit to being a little disappointed. The book was focused much more on her own experience in covering the kidnapping and finally meeting the girls who were released than on the girls’ own experiences. Having said that, it is a horrific story that we shouldn't soon forget, and I admire the journalist for her persistence in bringing the story to the world.If you aren’t familiar with the story of these girls, you should definitely read this book.

This is a great account of the Nigerian girls tragedy. I had no idea much of this had happened or that they all weren't brought home together. The government fumbling of this story was vast and I'm glad someone tried to bring them to account. What I didn't love was the author trying to place herself in with these girls at every turn. It got almost awkward to read. Like why would they want a selfie with her when they were going through a tragedy? Yikes.

I really enjoyed this book, perfect for those who read biographies and Memoirs. This book was generously provided to me through NetGalley. Highly Recommended!

This is the first book-length account of the Boko Haram kidnapping of over 250 Chibok schoolgirls. This was the kidnapping that sparked the Bring Back Our Girls movement. I was really intrigued to read this book and learn more about this tragic and terrifying event. I did appreciate the information about what happened, which Sesay cobbled together from interviews of a few of the girls and their families, but I wanted more of this information. Scattered throughout stories of the girls, Sesay shares information about her own life, family, upbringing, and more. While this wasn't uninteresting, I just wanted more of the BBOG story. What was missing from the book for me was the history of Chibok, Boko Haram, information about gender roles, the school, the relations between Boko Haram and the local communities. I have no doubt that Isha Sesay could fill a memoir with interesting stories from her time as a CNN journalist and nonprofit founder, etc. but this book could've been filled with so much more info about the girls.

On April 14, 2014, terrorists from the Islamic group Boko Haram invaded the small town of Chibok in northeastern Nigeria. There, they found 276 girls in the dorms at the Government Girls Secondary School who were inadequately guarded. Boko Haram spoke out against Western education, education for girls, and democracy, and the Chibok school wasn’t the first they’d targeted, but the poor students there were determined to climb out of the poverty of the region not just for themselves but for their families. Their very dreams made them enemies of the Islamic group.

During a multi-day trek, the militants led the girls, some on foot some on vehicles, through the Sambisa Forest. Some of the girls were able to escape by jumping out of the transport trucks while others bravely fled when they were supposed to be taking bathroom breaks. The rest were taken to a camp and left under a tamarind tree which would be their home for months.

Back in Chibok, families were beside themselves with grief, but didn’t have the resources or political savvy to pressure the government to engage in a search for the missing girls. Instead, president Goodluck Jonathan claimed the kidnapping was a hoax designed to damage his reelection campaign.

Ibrahim Abdullahi, a corporate lawyer, first used the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls, and Obiageli Ezekwesili, a former vice president of the World Bank for the Africa region, was the first to publicly proclaim the four words. The theme became popular on social media, and, for a time, national and international media were focused on the story. Isha Sesay, a CNN anchor and native of Sierra Leone was one of the first journalists to cover the event, and even when other journalists and networks lost interest in the girls, her attention never waned. She was on site when the first group of thirty-one girls was released (two years after their abduction), and she developed relationships with them as well as with the families of the missing girls.

In Beneath the Tamarind Tree, Sesay’s narrative centers on four of the kidnapped students, and she provides harrowing details from the confusion of the first moments Boko Haram stormed the compound to the fear of beatings and hunger, the bonds of friendship, and the solace of faith. She also recounts the Nigerian government’s sobering inaction, with President Jonathan and later administrations using the kidnapping as a political tool rather than trying to rescue the girls. Sesay also interjects her own experiences as a journalist covering the story and the pressures she was experiencing in her own life and from the network that made covering the story challenging.

I had some technical quibbles with the book: I thought there was some unnecessary repetition and I was less interested in Sesay’s personal narrative than that of the girls’, but I think this is an important account to read. We should be witness to what these girls experienced and how they have been shamefully used as pawns in a war between the Boko Haram and legitimate governments. Their story also underscores the importance of educating girls and giving them opportunities to thrive outside of communities where they have only a single option for their future. Even more critical is the fact that 112 girls are still unaccounted for. It’s unlikely that a group of 112 wealthy or Western girls would have been abandoned as these have seemingly been.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for providing an advance reading copy in exchange for an honest review.

Think back several years ago and you will recall hearing and seeing in the news the horrific story of the Nigerian school girls who were kidnapped by Boko Haram. For a time the hashtag #Bringbackourgirls circulated on social media. As news stories do, this event eventually was replaced by other stories. The recently published book Beneath the Tamarind Tree by Isha Sesay returns to this heart-wrenching story.

Isha Sesay is uniquely situated to tell this story for several reasons. To begin, while employed with CNN she reported this story from the ground and interacted with both the girls and their families. As such she had formed relationships with them and was able to tell their stories. Beyond her access via CNN, as a native of Sierra Leone, Sesay also approaches these events from the perspective of an African woman. As she indicates frequently throughout the book, this could have been her story if it not for her privileged upbringing.

Sesay alternates between telling the story of the kidnapped girls, her own story, and providing background information related to the politics and military of Nigeria as needed. The stories of specific girls, their dreams, and families allows you to get to know them personally. As you read, your heart breaks for what they experienced. However, your faith is encouraged as Sesay emphasizes the Christian faith of these girls and how it sustained them throughout their imprisonment. Alas, many of the girls are still being held.

Beneath the Tamarind Tree is highly recommended for many audiences. Individuals who enjoy reading about current events and other cultures will enjoy this. Mature high school students will benefit from reading this book.

I remember when news stories regarding the kidnapping of nearly 300 Chibok girls by the group Boko Haram began showing up on a regular basis. I also recall the appearance of #BringBackOurGirls on social media, sparking a global movement demanding the release of the school girls to their families. Just as quickly as the story sparked an outcry for the safe release of the girls, the story seemed to almost disappear from news and social media feeds even though some of the girls have yet to be released. Isha Sesay is determined to keep their story alive, ensuring the story of the Chibok girls is not simply forgotten and relegated to the same fate as similar stories regarding the kidnapping of black girls and women.

The story told by Sesay is equal parts educational, engaging, and heartfelt. From the inclusion of their upbringing to their experiences at the school in Chibok to their kidnapping, Sesay masterfully laid the foundation that helped in conveying the wave of emotions felt by the girls. I can only imagine what it took for the girls to tell their stories after what they went through, so I applaud Sesay for capturing who they are and who they want to become. I also appreciated the details included regarding Sesay’s life and experiences as a journalist because it helped in providing context about her motivation behind wanting to tell this story.

As Sesay mentions in her book, stories about black girls and women are not given the same level of attention in the news. This story does a good job of educating the reader on an injustice that goes beyond using a hashtag.

In 2014, 276 schoolgirls were kidnapped from the city of Chibok in Nigeria. Over 100 of the girls remain in captivity or missing. This book outlines the history of the Boko Haram terrorist group, the history of the region, and some of the girl's stories.

The book followed 4 girls. 2 of the girls escaped immediately and were never spoken again. 1 of the girls remained in captivity and her story focused on her mother. The 4th girl was spoken about extensively. I wish the author had given each of the girls an equal voice. Every other chapter was about the author and her family. Although the author has an interesting story and family, I wanted to read about the Chibok girls, not the author. It also seemed that the author, a journalist, was obsessed with capturing photos of the girls and gaining an exclusive with them. This made her seem exploitative. I think this is an important story to tell, however I do not think it was told very well. Overall, this is not a book that I will re-read or recommend.

“Go under that tree!. . .They'd arrived at a Boko Haram Camp . . . The hundreds of girls moved en-masse for protection and stood weeping at the foot of the [tamarind] tree . . . Do you know why you are here? . . . It is in your best interests to choose our religion . . . Even if you refuse to accept our religion, you must wear the hijab.”

April 14, 2014 dawned like any other in the Local Government Area of Borno State, Nigeria known as Chibok. The Area is located in northern Nigeria and has its headquarters in the town with the same name of Chibok; a microdot agrarian village comprised of many Christian families. Militant Islamic groups have killed and maimed innocent residents as well as destroyed towns in the region.

The marauders endeavor to eliminate any Western influences and to force native peoples to their extreme Islamic views. The most notable of the violent Islamic terror groups is known as Boco Haram; whose name loosely means "Western education is a sin."

Their heavy-handed tactics have resulted in the closure of all Nigerian Government Schools - except one. The tiny school in the poverty laced Area of Chibok.

On the morning of April 14, 2014, Boco Haram descended on the town of Chibok and "serendipitously" discovered the Government School and the 276 girls receiving Western education. The Jihadists assumed all schools had been closed and couldn't believe their luck to find one still open. Recognizing the opportunity and exposure they would receive by kidnapping these terrified young girls, the militants forcefully spirited them into the desolate Sambisa forest; the group's largest home base.

Their actions did bring international attention at first, but soon the plight of these innocent children remained a horrible nightmare to only their bereft parents and a small cadre of activists. Nearly 50+ girls managed to evade capture or escaped in route to the Sambisa forest but the fates of over 200 remained a painful mystery.
Nearly two years to the day from their capture and in the heart of the divisive United States 2016 election season, Boco Haram revived attention to their insidious kidnapping by releasing 21 girls. Once again, and for a brief time only, the world renewed its interest in the fate of these innocents.

Author, Isha Sesay, born in Sierra Leone and serving as a CNN Africa reporter has now dedicated her life to discovering the fate of the Chibok girls, to keep their memory alive, and to further efforts to discover those still missing. The failure of her network to air an exclusive interview with the newly released girls in lieu of wall-to-wall coverage of Donald Trump and the 2016 Presidential election outraged her and has led to this incredible book, Beneath the Tamarind Tree.

This soon to be released book in 2019, is a must read for lazy Americans who probably couldn't point to Nigeria on a globe much less locate Chibok. Count me in on that point. I knew all the buzz words in the news- Boco Haram, the Chibok girls, the kidnapping, the release of a few of the girls. . . But aside for a momentary sense of compassion for the girls, their parents, and their community I became distracted by news at home.

I applaud Isha Sesay for educating me on the history of Nigeria in a way that was easy to read and showed how it's history is tied to the US. Her unique access to the released Chibok girls and their parents has brought the story down to the individual level while at the same time offering the reader an overview of life in the area as a whole. I was so amazed how desperately the parents wanted their girls to be educated; to be valued as a person and to reach their highest potential. The efforts of these destitute families, living without running water or electricity and the dedication of the girls themselves to honor their parents sacrifices for education is remarkable.

Much of the strength and courage of these families resides in their deep belief in a Christian God and his mercy and wisdom. I honestly had tears in my eyes as I read the interviews from the released girls and their willingness to stand true to their faith and not be forced to convert to Islam. I, also understood, the need for self-preservation and did not judge those girls who "converted" in an effort for survival.

It is a story of heartbreak and cruelty cast in a light that doesn't offend the reader but offers insight into the daily lives of peoples constantly under crushing terror and emotional distress. In my heart of hearts, I believe everyone should read this book. It is now five years since the abduction and more than 112 girls are still missing. These innocent girls are representative of thousands more girls and boys that have been murdered or turned into slaves for a virulent cause all around the world. The world for those unfortunates that have survived has been irrevocably altered.

Remember, "there but for the grace of God, go I", when one religious group forcibly dictates the rules and denies the rights of individuals to their own vision of a supreme being or the right to not believe in one at all.

I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my opinion and honest review.