My Accidental Jihad

“Utterly absorbing . . . A beautiful book.” —Cheryl Strayed, author of Wild

“A bold piece of writing (and thinking) by an incredibly brave woman.” —Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love

Fifteen years ago, Krista Bremer was a surfer and an aspiring journalist who dreamed of a comfortable American life of adventure, romance, and opportunity. Then, on a running trail in North Carolina, she met Ismail, sincere, passionate, kind, yet from a very different world. Raised a Muslim--one of eight siblings born in an impoverished fishing village in Libya--his faith informed his life. When she and Ismail made the decision to become a family, Krista embarked on a journey she never could have imagined, an accidental jihad: a quest for spiritual and intellectual growth that would open her mind, and more important, her heart.

“A moving, lyrical memoir . . . A sweet and rewarding journey of a book.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Readers of memoir will welcome this love story about patience and kindness and learning the importance of putting culture first.” —Library Journal

“Lucid, heartfelt, and profoundly humane, My Accidental Jihad navigates the boundaries of religion and politics to arrive at the universal experience of love.” —G. Willow Wilson, author of Alif the Unseen

“Bremer’s particular story strikingly highlights the (usually more mundane) cultural clashes and compromises inherent to every marriage or long-term relationship.” —Publishers Weekly