A memoir with a dash of history, Update: Reporting from an Ancient Land recounts the surprisingly similar adventures of a young CNN correspondent based in Egypt alongside those of an ancient Syrian queen who ruled the Middle East seventeen centuries earlier.
Gayle Young was a novice broadcast journalist when she was catapulted into the position of Cairo bureau chief in the early 1990s; Zenobia was the same age when she seized a third of the Roman Empire around 270 AD. One woman made history, while the other reported on history in the making. But both women encountered desert warfare, besieged cities, and military coups. They also shared a love for camels, nomadic lifestyles, dabbling in religions, and having a beer with the guys. Seamlessly weaving together these two life trajectories, Young explores triumph, ambition, sexuality, and defeat in her own life, and how it compares with the same issues faced by women in the ancient world. Inspirational, entertaining, and informative, Update: Reporting from an Ancient Land is a great read for anyone who enjoys real-life adventures with a side of humility.
