Nadia weaves in the history and politics of Iraq and the wars it has weathered. Among the events leading up to the invasion of Kocho, what effect did the actions of peshmerga (Kurdish military forces), American military, and surrounding communities have on what happened to the Yazidis? What were some ways that women were empowered in Yazidi culture? How did gender norms impact the outcomes for Nadia’s mother? What stood out to you about their values? How will you remember the Yazidi people? Discussion QuestionsĬheck out the discussion questions below and connect with readers on Instagram to share your reactions, thoughts and questions by using the hashtag #WFWIBookClub, and tagging us with We want to hear what you think-share with us your take on the book!įrom the start, Nadia paints a vivid picture of the Yazidi culture and faith.
She punctuates hers with a call to bring ISIS to justice. Nadia cautions of how one’s story can be used for others’ designs, and the power of controlling your own narrative. Nadia’s escape opens the third part. She shares the kindness and bravery of a family who helped her reunite with her own remaining relatives now in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Together, they mourn their people. Some of the women Nadia loves make it back. Thousands of other Yazidi women and girls continue to endure the same, forced to convert as cruel men try to break their spirits. Loneliness and the complicity of the people in Mosul and other ISIS-occupied areas drove Nadia to hopelessness. Her story, she points out, was not unique in this. As a sabiyya (sex slave, plural sabaya), Nadia was repeatedly sold, traded, and raped by members of ISIS. The second part of The Last Girl bares the details of how ISIS rounded up her village, divided them by sex, killed the men, then used rape as a weapon of war against the women and girls.
She recalls her large, loving family, who at time struggled to make ends meet, especially in the aftermath of her father leaving her mother and his later death. As a religious minority, the Yazidis lived under the constant threat of persecution in 2014, their fears were realized as death descended upon Kocho. Located in Sinjar in northern Iraq, Kocho was one of a number of Yazidi villages where people formed peaceful, close-knit communities. Told in three parts, Nadia begins her autobiography in Kocho, where she grew up and had imagined the setting for the rest of her life. Trigger warning: Sexual violence, physical violence, kidnapping, terrorism
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