American Mother: A Life Reclaimed

Featured on MSNBC's Morning Joe

National Book Award-winning author Colum McCann channels Diane Foley's voice as she recalls the son who went abroad and never came home: American journalist James Foley.

"An extraordinary story of grace, forgiveness and moral courage." -Patrick Radden Keefe

In late 2021, Diane Foley sat at a table across from Alexanda Kotey, a member of the ISIS group known as "The Beatles" who pled 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 loops back and forth through time as Diane recalls her son's determination to shed insight on the plight of those caught up in the agonies of war; the harrowing months of his captivity; and the days that followed his death. Channeling Diane'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 us inside one woman's extraordinary journey to find connection in a world torn asunder, and to fight for others as a way to keep her son's memory alive.