Jennifer Steil - The Woman Who Fell from the Sky

Praise for The Woman Who Fell from the Sky

Offers the voices of Muslim women torn between familial concerns and individual freedoms.

Newsweek

A completely winning account of [Steils] adventures as a feminist mentor and boss A riveting tale of a lifes journey that reads as if it will need a sequel.

New York Times

A delightful and straight-talking story of one American woman living, working, and finding friendship and love in a Muslim country. Highly recommended for interested memoir readers as well as journalism, Middle Eastern, and womens studies students.

Library Journal

Anybody who has taken on an unfamiliar task, moved to a new place, or taken on a new role at work or at home without being at all sure about having the necessary skills should find a kindred spirit here.

Post and Courier

The image of Yemen that Steil paints is one of love, family, honor, and surprisingly, of women who are both powerful and liberated but, because of custom, unwilling to flaunt their beauty in public. An antidote to stereotypes and blind prejudice.

Sydney Morning Herald , A Pick of the Week

From the first page of The Woman Who Fell from the Sky , Jennifer Steil comes across as a person blessed with sensibility and sensitivity in equal measure. She is the kind of woman whos not fearful of culture shock, danger, or the trials and tribulations of life in what is the Arab Worlds rawest land. Her writing is an absolute delightno nonsense, clear, funny, and sometimes alarming, as she threads her way through the ins and outs of Yemeni life. Steil has achieved far more than a simple description of a stint working at a newspaper in Sanaa. Rather, her book shines a vibrant light on the region, showing it how it is, with astonishing clarity from the inside out.

Tahir Shah, author of The Caliphs House and In Arabian Nights

A fascinating read.

The Age (Australia)

Steil puts humanity and color into her description of a country most Americans know only as a desert haven for terrorists. Her affection for Yemen and its people will make readers want to see it for themselves. A lovely book that offers a large measure of cultural understanding in a region that is too easily misunderstood and caricatured.

Nina Burleigh, author of Unholy Business

The Woman Who Fell from the Sky is that rare animal: a memoir which reads like a novel. From the exquisite detail to the passionate, poignant, and often hilarious story of one powerful woman immersed in centuries of patriarchal tradition, Steil takes us on a journey that left me exhausted and exhilarated. Hugely entertaining and vitally important to our times, the book tucks us under a veil and allows us a unique glimpse into a culture as old as Noah. Not only did I remember what it feels and smells like to live imbedded in the Arab world, I also relearned my craft of journalism along with Steils students in her dusty classroom halfway around the world. Veils and hats off to this winner!

Jennifer Jordan, author of Savage Summit:
The Life and Death of the First Five Women of K2

With intelligence, humor, and courage, Jennifer Steils book helps us see beyond stereotypes of male and female, East and West, conservative and liberal to appreciate the beauty and wonder of deeply rooted culturesand the authentic relationships that can transcend them all.

Susan Piver, author of How Not to Be Afraid of Your Own Life
and The Wisdom of a Broken Heart

Jennifer Steils voice recalls that of Isak Dinesen and Freya Stark: generous and observant, unabashed in her love for her home in exile, yet unafraid to speak her mind about injustice, and everything laced with wit and rich detail. This is an important book about a corner of the world we cannot afford to misunderstand, and Jennifer Steil is the perfect person to guide us.

Tom Zoellner, author of The Heartless Stone and Uranium

While this is a true story, some names and details have been changed to protect the identities of those who appear in these pages.

Copyright 2010, 2011 by Jennifer F. Steil

All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Broadway Paperbacks, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
www.crownpublishing.com

BROADWAY PAPERBACKS and its logo, a letter B bisected on the diagonal, are trademarks of Random House, Inc.

Originally published in hardcover in slightly different form in the United States by Broadway Books, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York, in 2010.

Grateful acknowledgment is made to the following for permission to reprint previously published and unpublished material:

American Institute for Yemeni Studies for permission to reprint a poem from The Book of Sanaa: Poetry of Abd al-Aziz al-Maqali , translated by Bob Holman and Sam Liebhaber (2004). Reprinted by permission of the American Institute for Yemeni Studies.

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations for permission to reprint excerpts of the locust recipes taken from their website. Reprinted by permission of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00153 Rome, Italy.

The Yemen Observer for permission to reprint excerpts of articles from the Yemen Observer . Reprinted by permission of Faris al-Sanabani and the Yemen Observer .

Zaid al-Alayaa for permission to reprint an excerpt of his note and poem to Jennifer Steil. Reprinted by permission of Zaid al-Alayaa.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Steil, Jennifer F.
The woman who fell from the sky / Jennifer Steil.1st ed.
p. cm.
1. Steil, JenniferTravelYemenSana. 2. Sana (Yemen)Description and travel.
3. JournalistsYemenSanaBiography. I. Title.
DS248.S26S74 2010
953.32dc22 2009037172

eISBN: 978-0-307-71587-6

Cover design by LAURA DUFFY
Cover photography by JESSICA BOONE/GETTY IMAGES ( pomegranate ); J ENNIFER F. STEIL ( city )

v3.1

For Kawkab ,
and all the other feisty Yemeni women
who give me hope for the country

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Nothing in this book or my life would be remotely possible without the entire staff, past and present, of the Yemen Observer . Thank you for working so very hard for me, despite my mercurial management style. I owe you all an infinite debt of gratitude.I also owe bottomless thanks to:Theo Padnos, for getting me here.My friend Tom Zoellner, whose invaluable assistance and encouragement from the very beginning helped this book to get off the ground.My agent, Brettne Bloom, for believing in this book, for her unflagging enthusiasm and support, and for her inspirational thoughts on my original proposal.My editor Kris Puopolo and her assistant editor, Stephanie Bowen, for their wise counsel in shaping this book, their meticulous editing, and their patience with my frequent long-distance phone calls.My editor Christine Pride, for guiding this book through its final stages of labor and birth and for so indefatigably championing it.Faris al-Sanabani, for trusting me. Sometimes.Sabri Saleem, for his warm friendship and for providing me with my first Yemeni home.Sami al-Siyani, for being the best friend, neighbor, and guide to Old Sanaa I can imagine.My neighbors in the al-Wushali district of Old Sanaa for their infinite hospitality.Muhoro Ndungu, for his tolerance of my moods during the darkest times, for his witch doctor skills, and for taking me in when I was homeless.Bushra Nasr, for her generosity and friendship.All of my Arabic teachers, but especially Fouad, for their patience with my erratic progress.Mr. Jamal Hindi and the entire staff of Al Mankal restaurant, who always know exactly what I want for lunch.The well-behaved taxi drivers who kept their hands on the wheel.Harris Collingwood, for emotional and material support during difficult times.Anne-Christine, Angelica, Carolyn, Koosje, and Jilles, housemates who turned my gingerbread house into a home.Aida, without whom we would all have been wading through several feet of dust.Rasheed, for showing me his Soqotra.Anne Leewis, for helping me find a life outside work.Phil Boyle, for making me laugh, feeding me curry, and granting me a pivotal interview with a British MP.Don Lipinski, for the wine, movies, and loyal support, despite our political differences.Marvin and Pearl, for the bootleg gin and Soqotra.Tobias Lechtenfeld, for the lovely times in Sanaa, and for remaining a friend.Peter Toth, for his phenomenal generosity, for his devoted friendship, and for Paris.Chris and Peta Shute, for housing me as I wrote the first chapters of this book.Lloyd, Dave, Colin, and the entire CP team, for keeping us all safe during the writing of this book and beyond.Negesti, Alem, and Emebet, for taking such good care of us at home.Cole and Ali, for keeping their senses of humor when I lost mine.Manel Fall, for keeping me from bursting into flames.Nick Janik, for saving me the horror of shopping.Saleh and Didier, for their friendship and for Taiz.Abdullah, for never failing to make me feel welcome.My classmates and professors from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, for their assistance in creating my original training course.My friends in New York and elsewhere in the worldtoo numerous to list herewhose love and e-mails help keep me sane.My parents, who are always supportive, even when they doubt the wisdom of my career choices.Timothy Achille Torlot, for reading this book more times than anyone should, and for loving me more than I thought anyone could.