American Mother is this poignant story written by Colum McCann which immerses us in the drama experienced by the family of James Foley, this American journalist assassinated by the Islamic State. The year is 2014, James, kidnapped in 2012 while reporting in Syria, is brutally beheaded by his captors.
In the testimony book which will be published 10 years after the tragedy, the story is told by Diane Foley, mother of the victim who gives us a testimony that is both intimate and universal in which she recounts her son, his captivity and his tragic death. …
The book is thus structured around key moments, some of which are particularly striking, notably Diane’s three hallucinatory encounters with one of those responsible for the execution of her child, Alexanda Kotey, sentenced to life imprisonment. From these face-to-face encounters, she said she felt a form of sympathy for the executioner. Guided by her faith, the bereaved mother, a convinced believer, accepts the unspeakable… And for her, we must see in the death of her son, a decision of God which must be useful to others.
As responsible for the beheading of her son, she points more to the American administration than to the jihadists themselves, this administration which is not very passionate about the subject and which does not give sufficient value to the detained American citizens. She will therefore choose to transform this tragedy into a fight for the common good by creating the James Foley Foundation which supports the hostages and their families and calls for fairer policies for their release.
-Thus, beyond the dramatic aspect of the story he tells us, McCann, in his story, also asks fundamental questions about forgiveness, beliefs, justice, and the future of humanity.
This work, perhaps essential for confronting tragedy, halfway between biography and spiritual meditation, can now be discovered in pocket format in bookstores.
>> Learn more
