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American Mother
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About This Book
In late 2021 Diane Foley sat at a table across from Alexanda Kotey. A member of the ISIS group known as "The Beatles," Kotey had pleaded guilty to the kidnapping, torture, and murder of her son, James Foley, seven years before. She asked the legendary writer Colum McCann to be there. American Mother moves back and forth in time as Foley recalls her son's determination to shed light on the plight of those caught up in the agonies of war; his harrowing months of captivity; and the days following his death. Channeling Foley's singular voice, McCann brings to life her shock, sadness, resolve, and astonishing hope in the face of an unthinkably altered life. American Mother is a work of profound moral clarity and courage, a book that takes readers inside one woman's extraordinary journey to find connection in a world torn asunder, and to fight for others as a way to keep James Foley's memory alive.
Reviews
"A harrowing memoir of grief and love."
"Diane Foley's faith and empathy — she worries about Kotey's daughters, living in a camp in Syria — is nothing short of miraculous."
"Remarkable, stirring."
"There is no easy answer to the many public conundrums that animate this book, nor to Foley's private quest to gain insights."
"His account of her face-off with Kotey doesn't stint on high drama; in places it reads like an excitable would-be screenplay."
"Her heartbreak and fury are evident on every page as she describes her family's battle to save the son they cannot reach while forced to reckon with a murder that can never be understood, let alone explained."
"Nothing but humbling: that we should all be so decent and so wise, so generous of heart."
"As a testament to Diane Foley's personal struggle and determination it is always fascinating, as is the depiction of the awful emptiness she experienced on hearing of her son's death."
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