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I Survived ISIS: A Yazidi Woman's Escape from Genocide
In this memoir of survival, a former captive of Daesh shares the empowering resilience of the Yazidi.
Roza Alomar is a young woman from northern Iraq, where she once lived a peaceful life with her family in the mountainside community of Shingal. When she was only ten years old, Daesh (ISIS) descended upon the Yazidi community with deadly, genocidal intent.
Roza’s grandfather was shot dead for helping diverse community members cope with the terrifying invasion; soon after this, her father was taken, and is presumed murdered, along with many of her other relatives. Towns, villages, temples, schools, hospitals, and farms were all plundered and destroyed. A systematic campaign was unleashed upon Yazidi people not only to mass murder and enslave them, but to eradicate all trace of their religion, customs, identity, and way of life.
Roza endured these terrible events alongside her mother, her five siblings, her aunts, and many cousins. After multiple attempts to escape, finally she found safety in Calgary, Canada, where she was able to attend high school and tell her story.
This is her own harrowing tale of suffering, resilience, courage, and overcoming unspeakable obstacles on the way to freedom.
Roza Alomar is a young woman from northern Iraq, where she once lived a peaceful life with her family in the mountainside community of Shingal. When she was only ten years old, Daesh (ISIS) descended upon the Yazidi community with deadly, genocidal intent.
Roza’s grandfather was shot dead for helping diverse community members cope with the terrifying invasion; soon after this, her father was taken, and is presumed murdered, along with many of her other relatives. Towns, villages, temples, schools, hospitals, and farms were all plundered and destroyed. A systematic campaign was unleashed upon Yazidi people not only to mass murder and enslave them, but to eradicate all trace of their religion, customs, identity, and way of life.
Roza endured these terrible events alongside her mother, her five siblings, her aunts, and many cousins. After multiple attempts to escape, finally she found safety in Calgary, Canada, where she was able to attend high school and tell her story.
This is her own harrowing tale of suffering, resilience, courage, and overcoming unspeakable obstacles on the way to freedom.
158 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 13, 2026
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October 22, 2025
As I was reading “I Survived ISIS: A Yazidi Woman’s Escape from Genocide” by Roza Alomar with Sean Steel, I was immediately struck by the parallels between the Yazidi genocide and the 2023 Hamas pogrom—so many, in fact, that they could not be ignored.
Both the Yazidi’s and the residents of the kibbutzim were really inclusive of other cultures. For Alomar, these were her literal neighbors, while they were also the kibbutz’s neighbors—the Gazans who the kibbutzim either hired to work at their farms or strangers that they drove to Israeli hospitals as part of their peace building initiative. In both cases, the terrorists chose to attack the people that were most likely to, and often did, treat them with open arms.
I felt Alomar’s betrayal deeply when she relayed how her family was betrayed by people that they,
“…let into our hearts and trusted like a relative…” (pg. 31)
ISIS/Daesh’s use of child soldiers, using others as human shields, and forcible conversion to Islam—among other atrocities—is almost a mirror image of Hamas depravity. Yet, this depravity doesn’t seem too far fetched because Alomar clearly states that ISIS/Daesh included not just Iraqi’s, Saudi’s, and other nationalities, but also Palestinians. From this, it’s easy to connect the dots and see how terrorism has been firmly embedded within Hamas because, as the news revealed, a young Yazidi sex slave was recently liberated from Gaza.
At points in this book, I felt like I was reading a Holocaust narrative. Alomar discusses intergenerational trauma. She also discusses a righteous man who helped to save her family, an Arab Muslim named Fadel Ali. When the author claimed that the Iraqi government didn’t help Yazidi refugees, and still doesn’t help them, I wasn’t surprised. The Germans didn’t want to help their Jewish victims either. In fact, if it weren’t for the intervention of the U.S. and particularly the intervention of worldwide Jewish organizations, Jewish survivors would have fared the same. At the same time, many Jewish survivors languished in DP camps for **years**.
On page 141, Alomar revealed that even in Canada, there was still a lot of,
“…bad blood and hurt feelings within and across different [Yazidi] family groups in Calgary…”
It was at this point where, from what I can see, the Yazidi experience diverges from the Holocaust. For the past thirty years, the USC Shoah Foundation has recorded testimonies from Holocaust survivors. In those recordings, some witnesses have stated that there were some Jews who, “didn’t act like they should have.” The witnesses don’t generally go into details about what those actions were, and I think this is due to religion, where Judaism specifically tells religious adherents to not hold grudges against other Jews and to forgive them, though this usually only occurs after the offender(s) repent.
What I find really amazing is that Alomar is so young. In fact, she only graduated high school in 2024 (the same year she married). She was only ten years old when ISIS/Daesh came to power, yet her memories are so clear and vivid. It’s amazing that Alomar and her family even survived.
Alomar wrote this book with her co-author and former teacher, Dr. Sean Steel. These two authors did an excellent job writing this biography. I think it would be a fantastic idea if Alomar and Steel could work with the USC Shoah Foundation to interview and record Yazidi survivors. The Foundation has already interviewed survivors from other genocides (e.g., Rwanda, and etc.), so it would be within their scope.
This book is a necessary addition to everyone’s personal library. Without a doubt, I can see this testimony becoming an important addition to Yazidi studies, and I absolutely recommend it to everyone, and especially those studying genocide and the Middle East.
I received an ARC of “I Survived ISIS: A Yazidi Woman’s Escape from Genocide” by Roza Alomar with Sean Steel from NetGalley and Dundurn Press in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Both the Yazidi’s and the residents of the kibbutzim were really inclusive of other cultures. For Alomar, these were her literal neighbors, while they were also the kibbutz’s neighbors—the Gazans who the kibbutzim either hired to work at their farms or strangers that they drove to Israeli hospitals as part of their peace building initiative. In both cases, the terrorists chose to attack the people that were most likely to, and often did, treat them with open arms.
I felt Alomar’s betrayal deeply when she relayed how her family was betrayed by people that they,
“…let into our hearts and trusted like a relative…” (pg. 31)
ISIS/Daesh’s use of child soldiers, using others as human shields, and forcible conversion to Islam—among other atrocities—is almost a mirror image of Hamas depravity. Yet, this depravity doesn’t seem too far fetched because Alomar clearly states that ISIS/Daesh included not just Iraqi’s, Saudi’s, and other nationalities, but also Palestinians. From this, it’s easy to connect the dots and see how terrorism has been firmly embedded within Hamas because, as the news revealed, a young Yazidi sex slave was recently liberated from Gaza.
At points in this book, I felt like I was reading a Holocaust narrative. Alomar discusses intergenerational trauma. She also discusses a righteous man who helped to save her family, an Arab Muslim named Fadel Ali. When the author claimed that the Iraqi government didn’t help Yazidi refugees, and still doesn’t help them, I wasn’t surprised. The Germans didn’t want to help their Jewish victims either. In fact, if it weren’t for the intervention of the U.S. and particularly the intervention of worldwide Jewish organizations, Jewish survivors would have fared the same. At the same time, many Jewish survivors languished in DP camps for **years**.
On page 141, Alomar revealed that even in Canada, there was still a lot of,
“…bad blood and hurt feelings within and across different [Yazidi] family groups in Calgary…”
It was at this point where, from what I can see, the Yazidi experience diverges from the Holocaust. For the past thirty years, the USC Shoah Foundation has recorded testimonies from Holocaust survivors. In those recordings, some witnesses have stated that there were some Jews who, “didn’t act like they should have.” The witnesses don’t generally go into details about what those actions were, and I think this is due to religion, where Judaism specifically tells religious adherents to not hold grudges against other Jews and to forgive them, though this usually only occurs after the offender(s) repent.
What I find really amazing is that Alomar is so young. In fact, she only graduated high school in 2024 (the same year she married). She was only ten years old when ISIS/Daesh came to power, yet her memories are so clear and vivid. It’s amazing that Alomar and her family even survived.
Alomar wrote this book with her co-author and former teacher, Dr. Sean Steel. These two authors did an excellent job writing this biography. I think it would be a fantastic idea if Alomar and Steel could work with the USC Shoah Foundation to interview and record Yazidi survivors. The Foundation has already interviewed survivors from other genocides (e.g., Rwanda, and etc.), so it would be within their scope.
This book is a necessary addition to everyone’s personal library. Without a doubt, I can see this testimony becoming an important addition to Yazidi studies, and I absolutely recommend it to everyone, and especially those studying genocide and the Middle East.
I received an ARC of “I Survived ISIS: A Yazidi Woman’s Escape from Genocide” by Roza Alomar with Sean Steel from NetGalley and Dundurn Press in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
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November 13, 2025Thank you to NetGalley and Dundurn Press for an eARC in exchange for an honest review
This short memoir packs a brutal punch as Alomar recounts her time as a captive of Daesh. There really are no words to offer in the face of such a harrowing experience, and as the title tells us, Roza Alomar has survived to tell this story when so many others have not. In what I'm sure is no surprise to anyone, a number of situations require the frank discussion of how the International community did not offer adequate intervention into a situation that rapidly descended into the massacring a population, a genocide made possible in the power vacuum left by the US' withdrawal from the country. Many familiar, enraging similarities with conflicts across the globe.
An aspect of this book that was particularly helpful for a reader with little background knowledge was the introduction to the Yazidi people, their faith, and some of their history living in Iraq.
This short memoir packs a brutal punch as Alomar recounts her time as a captive of Daesh. There really are no words to offer in the face of such a harrowing experience, and as the title tells us, Roza Alomar has survived to tell this story when so many others have not. In what I'm sure is no surprise to anyone, a number of situations require the frank discussion of how the International community did not offer adequate intervention into a situation that rapidly descended into the massacring a population, a genocide made possible in the power vacuum left by the US' withdrawal from the country. Many familiar, enraging similarities with conflicts across the globe.
An aspect of this book that was particularly helpful for a reader with little background knowledge was the introduction to the Yazidi people, their faith, and some of their history living in Iraq.
February 22, 2026
This is a very important book for educators to read. As an educator in Brooks, where there are many students who come from various refugee camps around the world, it was incredibly eye opening for me to hear firsthand the conditions of these camps at the end of this book; especially in regard to the attitude of education in the camps. It is one thing to be sympathetic - it is another thing to be knowledgeable. Of course our students are coming to us with very little education and no therapy for their trauma - and yes, we are aware of this, so how do we help them?
Thank you to Roza who was so brave to share her story of the horrors she experienced under the rule of ISIS.
Thank you to Roza who was so brave to share her story of the horrors she experienced under the rule of ISIS.
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October 8, 2025Incredibly insightful and difficult to read, this taught me so much about a genocide I didn’t even know had happened. Alomar gives the reader a raw, unedited look into her capture and the horrors she and her family lived through. I do think the writing was a little stiff in places, but overall this was a very important educational book.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for kindly providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. #ISurvivedISIS #NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for kindly providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. #ISurvivedISIS #NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
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December 3, 2025I received an ARC of from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I have not given this a star rating as I do not feel it is appropriate.
Alomar's story is heartbreaking. There is no other way to say it, she has gone through more in her few years on earth than the average person will go through in an entire lifetime and to tell her story as she does is beyond commendable. In my ignorance I knew very little about Iraq's genocide - but Alomar has certainly educated me, and left me without a shadow of a doubt at the horrendous experiences that Yazidis were expected to live through.
My best advice is to read this book for yourself, it is short but it is mighty, and incredibly powerful. As an IR student I could pick apart the failings of the international communtiy and the need for reform in light of what Alomar has witnessed but I don't think that would do her story justice. As she reminds us, she has survived what others did not, and the way she tells her story is commendable, moving and heartbreaking all at the same time.
This memoir is educational, and insightful in ways that a documentary could not cover - and Alomar takes the time to educate us as readers on Yazidi life before beginning her story which I find extremely helpful and interesting as it provides context to help the reader fully understand what d**sh expected Yazidis to give up and relinquish. By no means is this an easy read, it has taken me quite some time dipping in and out, pausing here and there, but it is an important read. I implore you to read it.
I am truly sorry Alomar witnessed what she witnessed and experienced what she experienced, no one should have to live with what she lived with. I was pleased to find out she is happily married and I wish her and her partner all the best things in life. Thank you for your courage, and your willingness to speak up. I wish you all the best.
I have not given this a star rating as I do not feel it is appropriate.
Alomar's story is heartbreaking. There is no other way to say it, she has gone through more in her few years on earth than the average person will go through in an entire lifetime and to tell her story as she does is beyond commendable. In my ignorance I knew very little about Iraq's genocide - but Alomar has certainly educated me, and left me without a shadow of a doubt at the horrendous experiences that Yazidis were expected to live through.
My best advice is to read this book for yourself, it is short but it is mighty, and incredibly powerful. As an IR student I could pick apart the failings of the international communtiy and the need for reform in light of what Alomar has witnessed but I don't think that would do her story justice. As she reminds us, she has survived what others did not, and the way she tells her story is commendable, moving and heartbreaking all at the same time.
This memoir is educational, and insightful in ways that a documentary could not cover - and Alomar takes the time to educate us as readers on Yazidi life before beginning her story which I find extremely helpful and interesting as it provides context to help the reader fully understand what d**sh expected Yazidis to give up and relinquish. By no means is this an easy read, it has taken me quite some time dipping in and out, pausing here and there, but it is an important read. I implore you to read it.
I am truly sorry Alomar witnessed what she witnessed and experienced what she experienced, no one should have to live with what she lived with. I was pleased to find out she is happily married and I wish her and her partner all the best things in life. Thank you for your courage, and your willingness to speak up. I wish you all the best.
October 21, 2025
A very difficult read about the atrocities brought against the Yazidi people who lived in northern Iraq for generations. The author and her family were taken by Daesch when she was only ten years old. She cut her hair and disguised herself as a boy so that she wouldn't be sex-trafficked by ISIS, while witnessing men being separated from their families, tortured, and murdered. Left with the women, children, babies, and the elderly, Alomar and her family were moved from place to place, surviving with barely any food or water. Separated from each other at times, they were constantly under threat of being killed if they did not drop their Yazidi ways and practice the Muslim faith.
The author tells her story matter-of-factly. As she wrote her account, it had to have been difficult to relive the brutality that her family and the Yazidi culture endured. Families are broken, and mass graves are still being uncovered today. It is a sad period of ethnic cleansing, but hopefully, the Yazidi culture will continue to live on.
Thank you, Netgalley, publisher, and Roza Alomar, for telling your story of courage and resilience.
The author tells her story matter-of-factly. As she wrote her account, it had to have been difficult to relive the brutality that her family and the Yazidi culture endured. Families are broken, and mass graves are still being uncovered today. It is a sad period of ethnic cleansing, but hopefully, the Yazidi culture will continue to live on.
Thank you, Netgalley, publisher, and Roza Alomar, for telling your story of courage and resilience.
October 30, 2025
This is a short read with an impactful story.
I appreciate that we learn about the Yazidi people's history initially. We are then introduced to our main character, with more about her youth and the environment in which she grew up. These details involve pre- and post-occupation life and relationships. The author has a large, diverse family, and we learn about some of their experiences.
The timelines and chapters, at times, are confusing, as this is a very personal story that holds a significant amount of trauma. Some passages conflict and repeat things that are not needed. Overall, Roza seems like she overcame a lot and I hope sharing her story brings healing and more awareness of the crimes that occurred.
Thank you, Roza Alomar, Net Galley, and Dundurn Press, for early access to this title.
I appreciate that we learn about the Yazidi people's history initially. We are then introduced to our main character, with more about her youth and the environment in which she grew up. These details involve pre- and post-occupation life and relationships. The author has a large, diverse family, and we learn about some of their experiences.
The timelines and chapters, at times, are confusing, as this is a very personal story that holds a significant amount of trauma. Some passages conflict and repeat things that are not needed. Overall, Roza seems like she overcame a lot and I hope sharing her story brings healing and more awareness of the crimes that occurred.
Thank you, Roza Alomar, Net Galley, and Dundurn Press, for early access to this title.
February 14, 2026
Excellent pacing, good slice of life provided before and after.
“Daesh was aided, in the financing and construction of these underground holding pens and centres for torture and genocide, by the French company Lafarge. Even as the Yazidi genocide was under way, Lafarge was still offering better “profit-sharing” terms to Daesh…Lafarge has admitted to a conspiracy through which they gave six million dollars to Daesh to operate and maintain its cement plant located in Jalabiya, Syria… Life in these camps is terrible, depressing, and hopeless. Here, in my own province of Alberta, Lafarge trucks are all over the city. And whenever we drive through the Rocky Mountains, we must pass by Lafarge’s enormous cement plant on the north side of the Trans-Canada Highway. Nobody has been held to account, and no justice has been given to our people.”
“Daesh was aided, in the financing and construction of these underground holding pens and centres for torture and genocide, by the French company Lafarge. Even as the Yazidi genocide was under way, Lafarge was still offering better “profit-sharing” terms to Daesh…Lafarge has admitted to a conspiracy through which they gave six million dollars to Daesh to operate and maintain its cement plant located in Jalabiya, Syria… Life in these camps is terrible, depressing, and hopeless. Here, in my own province of Alberta, Lafarge trucks are all over the city. And whenever we drive through the Rocky Mountains, we must pass by Lafarge’s enormous cement plant on the north side of the Trans-Canada Highway. Nobody has been held to account, and no justice has been given to our people.”
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October 16, 2025I do not like to rate books that are peoples personal experiences since it is not my place to say if it is good or not. Reading this book made me open my eyes and see that we take alot of stuff for granted, having to only worry about the price of groceries or rent increasing while others in different countries are literally living day to day not knowing if it will be their last which makes me very sad! Thank you netgalley and Roza Alomar for letting me read your book it will stay in my heart forever <3
February 12, 2026
This was a very quick read! A first hand account of one Yazidi girl’s experience being kidnapped alongside most of her family by Daesh. It was a little repetitive at times but also without much detail (would have liked more information about the oft mentioned 73 genocides) but it’s also a really chilling tale that seems unfathomable to have happened in this day and age?!
November 29, 2025
well-written, heartrending memoir about the atrocities committed by Daesh against the Yazidi. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.
October 21, 2025
A very difficult read about the atrocities brought against the Yazidi people who lived in northern Iraq for generations. The author and her family were taken by Daesch when she was only ten years old. She cut her hair and disguised herself as a boy so that she wouldn't be sex-trafficked by ISIS, while witnessing men being separated from their families, tortured, and murdered. Left with the women, children, babies, and the elderly, Alomar and her family were moved from place to place, surviving with barely any food or water. Separated from each other at times, they were constantly under threat of being killed if they did not drop their Yazidi ways and practice the Muslim faith.
The author tells her story matter-of-factly. As she wrote her account, it had to have been difficult to relive the brutality that her family and the Yazidi culture endured. Families are broken, and mass graves are still being uncovered today. It is a sad period of ethnic cleansing, but hopefully, the Yazidi culture will continue to live on.
Thank you to Roza Alomar for telling your story of courage and resilience. Thank you Netgalley and publisher for this ARC.
The author tells her story matter-of-factly. As she wrote her account, it had to have been difficult to relive the brutality that her family and the Yazidi culture endured. Families are broken, and mass graves are still being uncovered today. It is a sad period of ethnic cleansing, but hopefully, the Yazidi culture will continue to live on.
Thank you to Roza Alomar for telling your story of courage and resilience. Thank you Netgalley and publisher for this ARC.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews