American Girls by Jessica Roy

Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for American Girls:

I’m just thankful I have brothers after reading this one.

Quick synopsis:

The story of an American girl who joins ISIS and the sister who tries to bring her home.

Fact for Non-History People:

When the girls’ mother thought their house was haunted, church leaders identified the source of the demons as VHS copies of Field of Dreams and Dances with Wolves. For shame, Kevin Costner.

Fact for History Nerds:

One of the first studies on child sexual abuse in 1979 found 1% of women and 9% of men reported experiencing abuse.

My Take on American Girls:

I know I’ve been told that sister relationships can be complicated, but the story of the Sally sisters might have broken my brain. Jessica Roy’s excellent American Girls tells the story of how older sister Sam ends up following her husband as he joins ISIS in the Middle East. It also looks at how her younger sister Lori tries to bring her home.

If this were fiction, you would throw this book out the window halfway through for straining credulity. And yet, this is all true. Roy tells the story starting with their trauma filled childhood up to the present day. If Roy just told the most basic facts of the story, then this would be a very good book. However, Roy goes the extra mile and provides context around how trauma, money, and manipulation can lead down some very dark roads. I know when I read true crime, I often find the author isn’t necessarily interested in the “why” of the story or they are convinced they know the answer and present it as fact. Roy threads this needle. She doesn’t preach. She merely provides short glimpses of studies which can apply to the sister’s actions but does not condone or excuse any of the decisions made in the story.

And some of these decisions are particularly mind-boggling. Roy is working with an unreliable narrator in at least one case and makes sure the reader is clear about what can be taken at face value and what can be taken with a mountain sized grain of salt. It’s these specific instances where Roy’s journalistic background becomes clear, and it makes the story that much better. This is a great read.

(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Scribner Books.)

Verdict:

A page turner. Buy it here!

If You Liked This Try:

• Audrey Clare Farley, Girls and Their Monsters