In late 2021, Diane Foley sat at a table across from her son's killer, Alexanda Kotey, a member of the ISIS group known as "The Beatles" who plead guilty to the kidnapping, torture, and murder of her son Jim seven years before. Kotey was about to go serve life imprisonment and this was Diane’s chance to talk to the man who had been involved with brutally taking her son's life. Diane looks back on the early days when Jim was a child and his journey to journalism, and the killing fields of the world where he reports with indefatigable determination and insight on the plight of those caught up in the agonies of war. She guides us through her family history and the difficulties they faced when Jim was captured. And she also charts the tenacity it takes to turn her grief into grace as she seeks to give voice to those who are still being kidnapped and wrongfully detained around the world.

Colum McCann does it again! He’s my favorite author and what I particularly love about him is how he is able to catch the complexity of humanity in his writing. McCann was drawn to the story after he came across of photo of Jim Foley reading his book Let the Great World Spin, which is one of my favorites. I am so glad that he and Diane finally were able to work together to write this beautiful story. The book was incredibly powerful and moving, and at times read like a thriller, a biography, a mystery, and a memoir, all with a literary examination of forgiveness and grace. Diane Foley is a beacon of faith, patience, and compassion. How many mothers would be able to sit across from their son’s killer and view them as a whole person rather than just a murder? I really appreciate how she was able to mobilize her grief into a greater cause in honor of her son’s enduring memory and learning about all of the things that she has done to further the safe return of hostages from around the world. This book will stay with me for a long time, and I highly recommend it.