Book club discussion questions: I was told to come alone

• What new things did you learn about the complicated and inter-connected underworld of jihadi terrorism?  Were you surprised?  Does it help you understand the news better?
• Does the author’s research and reporting suggest any solutions to the intractable problems related to terrorism?
• The author was was inspired to become a reporter by the movie, All the President’s Men, as a teenager.  (available on DVD in Schurz Library’s feature film room, 1st floor: PN1997 .A45 2006) What are we losing with the decline of professional journalism and fewer reporters with training and access to resources?
• The author is passionate about the subjects she reports on, and is clearly empathetic with many of those that she interviews.  However, she is also committed to truthfulness and professional standards of reporting.    Does she succeed in striking a balance?
• The Washington Post‘s review states, “Most of her memoir is less about jihad than about the process of reporting it.”  What parallels are there between the experiences of this reporter and the memoirs of soldiers that we’ve read?  What are the significant differences?