“One of the best books I've read in many, many years, if not in my life.” —Anderson Cooper

“American Mother is a book that will shake your soul out. A thriller, a memoir, a mystery, a portrait of forgiveness, and a literary song of grace, Colum McCann and Diane Foley have filled the empty chair for us all. One of the most extraordinarily well-braided stories that I have read in years.” —Sting

“A spectacular tale of violence and forgiveness” —Salman Rushdie

“This is a work of great faith and redemption. And here is a woman making the whole world accessible to us all.” —Jamie Lee Curtis

“A courageous reflection on forgiveness, and the value of moral courage, told through the lens of a grieving mother. This book is a call to decency in a war-torn world.” —Deborah Jackson Taffa, author of the National Book Award Finalist WHISKY TENDER

“Diane Foley's voice, as captured by Colum McCann, is one of the most compelling in recent literary memory. An honest, searing, heartbreaking book.” —Patrick Radden Keefe

“The courage and generosity of spirit of Diane Foley in sharing her story about the loss of her beloved son, Jim, is a very special gift. Diane's unyielding faith in the goodness of others and her commitment to changing the status quo give us all hope.” —Speaker Nancy Pelosi

“In this book, [Diane Foley] . . . invit[es] us to walk with her through some of the hardest moments of her life, courageously facing the unthinkable, sharing a candor that takes your breath away, and a deep hope that generations to come will never have to face what she did.” —Judy Woodruff

“Foley's urge to understand the psychology of one of her son's captors made her a perfect match for McCann, who has described the value of 'radical empathy' to his moral compass.” —New York Times

“It's kind of unique in my experience. . . . It's a novelist writing about an actual event with a depth and thoroughness that you never get from the news.” —Michael Cunningham via New York Times

“An innovative, unsettling and utterly compelling narrative.” —Washington Post

“Reading American Mother is nothing but humbling: that we should all be so decent and so wise, so generous of heart.”” —The Guardian

“Diane Foley's faith and empathy . . . is nothing short of miraculous. And when, finally, Kotey shakes her hand, something an Isis man would never usually do, he seems to be quite as in awe of her courage as any reader will be” —Sunday Times

“Powerful and devastating . . . reading this book is to be side by side with Diane” —Daily Mail

“As an explanation of grief American Mother is elegant . . . What marks it out is how Diane Foley became an unlikely political activist . . . Graceful and compassionate” —Irish Independent

“This is a book of agony, where the greatest of all may be Diane Foley's ignorance of what really happened to her son . . . Remarkable, stirring” —Irish Times

“American Mother hits bookshelves at a time when understanding the experience of those held captive is a matter not only of empathy but also of public policy” —Christian Science Monitor

“Artfully structured and delivered with propulsive intensity and heart, American Mother takes us deep into what must be every parent's nightmare.” —Pico Iyer, Air Mail

“It is hard to call such a tragic story a thing of beauty, and yet that is what McCann has created here. Unforgettable.” —Booklist, starred review

“A harrowing memoir of grief and love.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“Readers will be moved by this bracing chronicle of Foley's commitment to honoring her son's legacy.” —Publishers Weekly

“A collaboration of the Irish novelist Colum McCann and Diane Foley, mother of James, American Mother is an extraordinary story of loss, faith, and grace.” —California Review of Books

“American Mother . . . will hold a very special appeal for readers with an interest in stories of politically motivated murder, its aftermath and impact on others-especially family members of the victims . . . sensitive, insightful, emotionally compelling, and memorable.” —Midwest Book Review

“National Book Award winner Colum McCann lends his considerable skill to Diane Foley's story in American Mother, a memoir of her experience as the mother of Jim Foley, a journalist held hostage for years before being brutally executed in 2014 by ISIS fighters. The book introduces Foley's distinctive voice, unassuming but insistent, as she reckons with the darkness brought on by hate and evil-and returns again and again to grace and mercy.” —Shelf Awareness for Readers