The Last Girl

Nadia Murad is an Iraqi human rights activist who won the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize for her work against sexual violence in armed conflict. “The Last Girl” is her memoir about her survival in captivity by the Islamic State.

Nadia grew up in Kocho, a small village in northern Iraq, in a community of Yazidis who lived a quiet, peaceful life. She dreamed of becoming a history teacher or opening her own beauty salon, but on August 15, 2014, all her dreams turned to ashes. Islamic State militants invaded Kocho, executing men who refused to convert to Islam, as well as women who were deemed too old to be sexual slaves. The Islamists killed six of Nadia’s brothers, then her mother, and took Nadia herself to Mosul, where she became a slave to ISIS, along with thousands of other Yazidi girls.

Nadia was held captive by several militants who repeatedly tortured and abused her. She survived, but later escaped. She was sheltered by a Sunni Muslim family, whose eldest son risked his life to smuggle Nadia to safety.

Nadia’s story is the story of the genocide of an entire people. It is a testament to the extraordinary will to live and the boundless longing for a country, community, and family torn apart by war.