American Mother

Mostly a first person account by Diane Foley, mother of James Foley, the freelance journalist who was held captive and then executed in Syria, her narrative is bookended by third person narratives telling of her encounters with the two ISIS "soldiers" who imprisoned Foley and were implicated in his murder. The first person account is very immediate and full of emotion:anger, compassionl grief frustration. The book questions the U.S. government's response to hostage taking, which is not to negotiate with kidnappers, a question I often asked myself during my years as a US diplomat. I don't have an answer but Mrs. Foley that other Western nations have negotiated and ransomed their citizens. More dismaying to me was her testimony that the show more US Government threatened her family with prosecution should they have attempted to raise ransom money and negotiate as private citizens. I don't have any answers but I think about these questions often since reading this book. show less