No Ordinary Assignment

A Memoir

By: Jane Ferguson

Narrated by: Jane Ferguson

Length: 10 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

"A haunting memoir of disarming honesty. . . a remarkable testament to the anguish and the beauty of foreign correspondence.”—Roger Cohen, New York Times Paris bureau chief and author of An Affirming Flame

From award-winning journalist Jane Ferguson, an unflinching memoir of ambition and war—from The Troubles to the fall of Kabul.

Jane Ferguson has covered nearly every war front and humanitarian crisis of our time. She reported from Yemen as protests grew into the Arab Spring; she secured rare access to rebel-held Syria, where foreign journalists were banned, to cover its civil war. When the Taliban claimed Kabul in 2021, she was one of the last Western journalists to remain at the airport as thousands of Afghans, including some of her colleagues, struggled to evacuate.

Living with sectarian violence was nothing new to Ferguson. As a child in Northern Ireland in the 1980s and ‘90s, The Troubles meant bomb threats and military checkpoints on the way to school were commonplace. Books by Dervla Murphy and Martha Gellhorn offered solace from her turbulent family, and an opportunity to study Arabic in Yemen came as a relief—and a ticket to the life in journalism she imagined.

Without family wealth or connections, she began as a scrappy one-woman reporting team, a borrowed camera often her only equipment. Networks told her she had the wrong accent, the wrong appearance, not enough “bang-bang shoot-‘em-up.” Still, Ferguson threw herself into harm’s way time and again, determined to give voice to civilian experiences of war. In the face of grave violence and suffering, this seemed a small act of justice, no matter the risks.

Ferguson’s bold debut chronicles her unlikely journey from bright, inquisitive child to intrepid war correspondent. With an open-hearted humanity we rarely see in conflict stories, No Ordinary Assignment shows what it means to build an authentic career against the odds.

©2023 Jane Ferguson (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers

You must listen to this

Never has a memoir had the emotional impact that this did. I cried as I listened to stories of the pain that war inflicts on civilians. I’m telling all my friends to read this. Thank you Jane!!

Peek inside the world of correspondents

Enlightening. She was a favorite correspondent on PBS for me. Learning how her world developed around her creating a brilliant gift of humanity which translated into reporting the facts and insights to us. Interesting, greatly appreciated and valued.

True life can be exciting too!

I chose to listen to this book, because I have been fascinated by Jane Ferguson‘s reporting on PBS for years now. Her book records and explains her life, her assignments, her romance, all in a way that is fascinating and intriguing. She explains why she does what she does and why her life has been fulfilling as a result.

The book is exciting to listen to, in that Jane has the talent for painting the setting in a few words and moving the story along, just as if the reader was in the scene.

Gripping Journalism and powerful anti-war story.

The humanity, fact-based approach, and caring make this not only a gripping publication, but also a first rate example of a telling anti-war story. I have recommended it to several friends and am sure they will also find it to be a compelling and important work. Thanks to Jane Ferguson for your continued efforts to tell these important stories.

Excellent writing

The author takes the reader on an excellent adventure through the most recent conflicts around the world that took American military intervention. The reality of this place and circumstances came to life.

Interesting perspective

Highly recommend the book. Enjoyed learning about Ferguson’s profession. Have new respect for the profession.

A Wonderful Memoir

This is one of the most informative books I have listened to regarding reporting, the Middle East and violence we do to each other. I am very grateful for her work.

Ballsy, brave woman with an exciting story to tell!!

Jane Ferguson is one of the bravest women I’ve ever heard of. Her quest, for the story was remarkable. I love this book and recommended to everyone

Extraordinary book

Very good story of brilliant journalist and well written and read. Highly recommend for most young but also any age readers. This book has may interesting points.
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Answers the question beautifully

Having watched her work on PBS, I wanted to understand why she took such huge personal risks in her dangerous assignments. She answers that question deeply throughout the book. She is an extraordinary person and deserves a lot of respect. Hearing her story told in her own voice opened my eyes to the beauty and humanity of places that have just seemed like chaos and hell from the safety of my American life. It’s bizarre to me that she felt not beautiful enough. I had assumed the opposite, that her beauty was dangerous and probably used against her in the patriarchal Islamic world. Definitely worth reading!