On All Fronts: The Education of a Journalist

This lady is so interesting & brave. Brings a real perspective on happenings in areas most people can hardly imagine, but she brings it to life. She has had to make some very hard choices, but has come out on top each time & continues to do so, highly recommend.

I have been captivated by watching Clarissa give her reports from the most dangerous places. I was very interested in reading her book. I couldn’t put it down - I read it in one day. Her writing about her time in Middle East was so fascinating. I could imagine myself there with her, my heart was pounding at the same time she was describing her fears. My heart broke when she described the horrendous living situation for the civilians and her inability to help in a tangible way (her words from the book). I felt just as helpless for those affected. I learned so much more about the conflicts from her easy to understand writing. I felt so many emotions while reading this book and now that I am done I feel like it will be very hard to read another book this good. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to better understanding of what the reports/journalists see when they are trying to report truth and the humanity of the conflicts.

I think this book was pretty great and straightforward. It made continuous attention to the story that she was telling. While it isn’t a 5-stars hit but this book definitely hit the mark. We should be thankful for people like her who carrying the burden. The heavy weight that they brought to the public about the realities on the ground. It helps to weigh down our ignorance away being swelling. She earned my respect for what she does.

Thoroughly enjoyed. Clarissa’s writing is so very captivating, I highlighted quite a few quotes to revisit. I would love for her to write more to hear about her recent experiences reporting on current events

She puts herself and you into the action...well describes the effort and dangers in traumatic battle environments and the support team of camera men and guides. Reveals the anguish of the women trying to keep their families to together during years of war. Concise, blunt reporting

This is a terrific read for anyone interested in what's going on in the world. With her privileged background, Clarissa Ward could have chosen a much easier path. Instead, driven by a need to deliver news from the world's hot spots and ambition to succeed, she spent years in war-torn countries in harm's way, often under the most uncomfortable and dangerous conditions. Touching, too, is her heartrending account of the constant tug between her job and motherhood. We haven't seen much of her on CNN lately. My guess is that after her initial scary reporting from Ukraine, she's spending time with the kids. And who can blame her? This is the kind of book you think about long after you've read it. You just shake your head and say, "I could never have done any of that." That includes learning to speak Russian Arabic, Chinese, and three romance languages. I'm in awe of this amazing woman.

Thank you Clarissa for taking us through your incredible hardships while fostering your craft to capture the horrific atrocities going on in the far corners of our "modern" societies. The randomness of some humans to be born into privilege while other humans are birthed on make shift rafts fleeing death is real and we need to be reminded of it, have empathy for it as we are really all the same. Very much enjoyed the honest reflections from growing up, getting your first break to leading your teams into troubled territories as a seasoned veteran. The most strong and brave of us all have those same butterflies and self doubt while taking on those calculated dangers but the really good ones can do it humbly with self depreciating humor on how awkward, nerdy or scared we felt while still putting your head down and scrumming through. Thanks for pointing out that intelligent people see the grey because life is never black or white. Being a hard line zealot in any form is taking the easy route to anchor a thought process to, be it religion, politics, race, culture or what have you. People can't dehumanize and kill without only thinking in black and white, good vs evil. Refusing to learn the history and nuance of a scripture many hold so dear only to use that dumbed down iteration to compel masses to commit atrocities is the true evil that we've witnessed throughout history and is true to this day. Worst is the leaders usually do this knowingly for their own power. Lastly, you seem to be a cool and adventurous gal that many of us would love to through back a cocktail with. Hope you get to do it with your friend Austin. Cheers!

Clarissa is a gifted writer. Her story is compelling and her thoughts are bright. Beyond her experiences as a journalist and on the front lines mainly in the Middle East, Clarissa writes about her experiences as a woman and with misogyny. Although Ward is a TV reporter who often writes of the importance of visuals and of the craft of the story, her words gave me more room to understand the atrocities and horrors she saw in a way that is more considered than I often experience in a 90 second tv clip. An eye-opening wonderful read that puts so much in perspective.

I just finish to read this book...I read it in a week Despite the subject ... I found this book simply amazing.. The author is excellent journalist ... other than a wonderful writer

A courageous woman, with a heart and smarts. Excellent writer and story-teller. Because she has covered so many conflicts, since 2003, her book is also a glance across our recent history, with her special view from the inside of those conflicts and her intelligence in analyzing them. I liked that it was Samantha Power who invited Ward to address the UN concerning Syria. Two excellent geopolitical women. Power’s book is called “The Education of an Idealist” and it is also excellent. A native Anglophone, at 20 Clarissa spoke French, Italian, Spanish and Russian. She subsequently added Arabic. She would use them all for her work and and in her personal life. “Bomb one terrorist and ten come to his funeral.” “Cannot file if dead.” “It never got any easier to understand or accept the randomness of privilege in this world.” “In a sense I had failed in my quest to act as a translator between worlds. There were too many who didn’t want to hear the stories of others, who felt that listening was tantamount to weakness, who believed that humanizing ‘the other’ was dangerous." But she does it anyway, thank God.

Ward's biography is unbelievable. It's almost too extreme to be real. At six months pregnant she still visited war torn areas. The final three chapters of the book I just read in one sitting, in the middle of the night because I couldn't put it down. It is going to take me some time to process all of what I've just read.

Clarissa Ward is an iconic journalist whose book reads easily yet with great impact. She raised my esteem for journalists with this book.

Las interesantes coberturas de una periodista de guerra. Su vida dentro y fuera del trabajo, si es que alguna vez se lograba estar fuera del todo.