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“A Book That Will Shake Your Soul” – Sting

February 28, 2024

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The loss of a child is a tragedy no parent should ever endure.

Yet Diane Foley didn’t just go through it; she suffered through it alongside the entire planet. 

In 2014, her son, journalist James Foley, was kidnapped, tortured, and beheaded by ISIS in the Syrian desert, in a heartbreaking and horrifying video shared online for the entire world to see.

In 2021, Diane had the unenviable, but unforgettable opportunity to sit across from her son’s killer. 

What would she say? What would he reveal? Could she even summon the grace to forgive the man who murdered her son?

Diane Foley tells her story with N4 President and National Book Award-winning author, Colum McCann in a powerful, profound and deeply personal, yet universal memoir, American Mother.

“American Mother is a book that will shake your soul out,” said Sting, multi-platinum recording artist and N4 Cofounder. “A thriller, a memoir, a mystery; a portrait of forgiveness, and a literary song of grace…One of the most extraordinarily well-braided stories that I have read in years.”

“The writing of this book has been one of the most searing and yet rewarding experiences of my literary life,” said McCann. “I got to know Diane and her husband John.  I got to know the story of James Foley.  I got to meet his confessed killer, Alexanda Kotey.  I got to experience the arc of justice. I also got to see what it meant to excavate the principles of forgiveness and compassion.” 

Part memoir. Part mystery. Part biography. American Mother is a literary examination of grace, a compelling account of compassion, and an inspiring story of finding strength through sorrow.

We invite you to join us on this journey.

Diane Foley and Colum McCann speak at Irish Arts Center this March!

Join Diane and McCann as they discuss American Mother at the Irish Arts Center on Wednesday, March 6 at 7pm, 726 11th Avenue in New York City.The conversation will be moderated by Budd Mishkin of NY1, and your ticket purchase will include a copy of American Mother.