Diane Foley's faith and empathy ... is nothing short of miraculous. And when, finally, Kotey shakes her hand, something an Isis man would never usually do, he seems to be quite as in awe of her courage as any reader will be - Sunday Times

This is an extraordinary story of grace, forgiveness and moral courage. Bookended by Diane Foley's meetings with her son's killer, American Mother plunges us into the heart of darkness and then, somehow, on the far end, discovers unexpected light and hope. Diane Foley's voice, as captured by Colum McCann, is one of the most compelling in recent literary memory. An honest, searing, heartbreaking book -- Patrick Radden Keefe

Profoundly moving . As much about a search for forgiveness - and its limits - as a description of horror, love and spiritual endurance . A woman of remarkable courage and emotional intellect who describes her profound religious belief with humility . McCann's writing here is excoriating in its detail . I cannot recall ever crying so much while reading a book - New Statesman

Powerful and devastating . reading this book is to be side by side with Diane - Daily Mail

As an explanation of grief American Mother is elegant . . . What marks it out is how Diane Foley became an unlikely political activist . . . Graceful and compassionate - Irish Independent

This is a book of agony, where the greatest of all may be Diane Foley's ignorance of what really happened to her son . . . Remarkable, stirring - Irish Times

She has put her extraordinarily painful experiences into a powerful new book simply but beautifully titled American Mother -- Emma Barnett - i news

Story of grace and possible redemption . It is impossible to read American Mother without remembering McCann's magnificent seventh 2020 novel Apeirogon . Excellent - Irish Examiner

One of the most extraordinary stories that I have read in years -- Sting