This testimonial comes from Walter McKenzie, an educator and champion of learning communities whose work bridges compassion, curiosity, and human connection. His words reflect the heart of Unseen, Unbroken and the conversations it continues to spark across generations of educators and readers.
Walter’s Review
Unseen, Unbroken is a tale for our times from an educator who understands how precious education is as a cornerstone of freedom and the foundation for the future. Mishkat Al Moumin shares her formative years being raised and becoming a lawyer and an educator, under the regime of Saddam Hussein in Iraq. The parallels with the current global rise of authoritarianism are palpable as she describes the inhumanity, poverty and suffocating terror as she works to make a difference for her country, even as she dreams of an unseen world of freedom and fairness for all people. As she says so beautifully, “Hope is resistance”!
As doors open and she continues to work to make a difference advocating for women, human rights and environmental improvements, Mishkat shares her thinking, her learning and her insights with us in how to navigate through difficult times. In 2004, she becomes the first female Minister of the Environment in post-Saddam Iraq, relating the harsh realities of this post-war role. With characteristic passion and determination she makes headway doing the work that needs to be done, building capacity for a path forward. In the end, she relates how she makes the heart-wrenching decision to leave Iraq. Through it all, she displays a combination of compassion and intelligence that are key to her resilience. She is as gentle as she is tough; as reflective as she is take charge; as genuinely transparent as she is strategically maneuvering. Mishkat is a role model for educators everywhere!
This book is a masterclass in how to value our profession, lead with quiet courage, and build lasting legacies even in the most uncertain of times. Throughout her story, she intertwines the personal with the professional, sharing revelations and implications for statecraft, education and for women and the men who love them. Knowing this outstanding educator in the present, basking in her brilliance as we work together, I was already grateful that our paths crossed. Unseen, Unbroken, however, elevates my admiration for her and everything she has accomplished. If each of us, es education professionals, can learn from her experience and achieve even a small portion of what she has been able to do, the world can be transformed. That’s what this book is about: the triumph of the human spirit, even when everything seems pitted against us.
Thank you, Mishkat, for sharing such a bold, raw and unapologetic retelling of your story. Your vulnerability is your strength, and we are all better for knowing you! I encourage every educator to read Unseen, Unbroken and take heart from everything it imparts to us that immediately applies to our lives and work today. Get your copy and read it over the upcoming holidays. You will be glad you did! Here’s the link: https://lnkd.in/e7FDYVNH
Walter McKenzie
A Career Educator and a Big Fan
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