CANCELED Virtual Event: Helen Benedict and Eyad Awwadawnan

This event has been canceled.

Due to a last-minute schedule change, our event with Helen Benedict and Eyad Awwadawnan has been canceled. We apologize for the inconvenience. However, our good friends at Brookline Booksmith will be hosting a virtual event with the authors tomorrow, October 22nd, at 12pm. We encourage anyone who would still like to hear about Helen and Eyad discuss their tremendous book—and to support the Booksmith's amazing Transnational Literature Series— register here.

If you are unable to attend the October 22nd event but would still like to attend a book talk, author Helen Benedict's site has a complete calendar of upcoming events. You can view her calendar here. 

About Map of Hope and Sorrow

Helen Benedict, award-winning British-American professor of journalism at Columbia University, teams up with Syrian writer and refugee, Eyad Awwadawnan, to present the stories of five refugees who have endured long and dangerous journeys from the Middle East and Africa to Greece.

Hasan, Asmahan, Evans, Mursal and Calvin each tell their story, tracing the trajectory of their lives from homes and families in Syria, Afghanistan, Nigeria and Cameroon to the brutal refugee camps, where they are trapped in a strange and hostile world.

These are compelling, first-person stories of resilience, suffering and hope, told in a depth rarely seen in non-fiction, partly because one of the authors is a refugee himself, and partly because both authors spent years getting to know the interviewees and winning their trust. The women and men in this book tell their stories in their own words, retaining control and dignity, while revealing intimate and heartfelt scenes from their lives.

Praise for Map of Hope and Sorrow

"Heartfelt, eye-opening, timely, essential: these stories remind us of the plight of refugees, people just like us, who are desperate to build new lives for themselves and their loved ones." ―Christy Lefteri, bestselling author of The Beekeeper of Aleppo

"Simple, powerful stories told in refugees' own voices. I couldn't stop reading, hand to mouth, my chest tightening. A vital collaboration between two sharply observant writers who know how to get out of the way." ―Dina Nayeri, author of The Ungrateful Refugee