2026 PEN/GALBRAITH AWARD FOR NONFICTION FINALIST • LA TIMES BOOK PRIZE FINALIST • PUBLISHERS WEEKLY STARRED REVIEW
“At the time of the greatest human migration in recent history, A Greek Tragedy — tender, unsparing, meticulously researched — is an unparalleled chronicle.”
—ANNA BADHKEN, author of Bright Unbearable Reality
“…Essential reading for anyone hoping to understand the migrations and injustices of our modern world.”
—HÉCTOR TOBAR, author of Deep Down Dark
“A Greek Tragedy is a gripping, engrossing page-turner. These searing stories will stay with me.”
—JESSICA GOUDEAU, author of After the Last Border
“A Greek Tragedy is the gripping account of a horrid maritime disaster, a beguiling saga, and an unputdownable book.”
—RABIH ALAMEDDINE, author of An Unnecessary Woman and The Wrong End of the Telescope
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LA Times Book Prize in Current Interest Finalist —Los Angeles Times
PEN/John Kenneth Galbraith Award for Nonfiction Finalist —PEN America
“What made you want to do such a deep dive, write a whole book, on one day?” Jeanne Carstensen in conversation with host Deepa Fernandes. —NPR’s Hear & Now
Scott Simon: "Lesvos is famously beautiful. But what do you remember on that afternoon of October 28, 2015? Jeanne Carstensen in conversation with NPR's Scott Simon. —NPR's Weekend Edition
"...a compelling and humane book about the disaster from as many points of view as possible — Greek, Syrian, Afghan, Iraqi, Turkish; her own — a stark reminder that people are still dying on the water. —Radio Free Mike with Michael Scott Moore
New book ‘A Greek Tragedy’ recounts harrowing shipwreck at the height of the 2015 refugee crisis. Listen to interview with host Marco Werman —The World on PRX
“Jeanne Carstensen’s astoundingly well-reported book suggests that when governance falters and we are plunged, metaphorically at least, into a borderless sea, rescue will depend on holding on to what we have in common.”
—Gary Isaac Wolf, The Battleground
“Journalist Carstensen debuts with a riveting blow-by-blow account of the Oct. 28, 2015, sinking […] It’s a crushing account of a senseless tragedy.”
— Publisher's Weekly, starred review
“A masterwork in reporting, and a powerful narrative.” —Tim Redmond, 48 Hills
"Heroes and Villains Surface in a Greek Tragedy of Unimaginable Dimensions" — Paul Wilner, Nob Hill Gazette
“Carstensen humanizes the people on board who died as well as the heroic efforts of the locals who attempted to rescue them, even as governments failed to act.” — Alta Magazine, Ten New Books for March
"An up-close look at an ongoing calamity. Carstensen emphasizes islanders, local fishermen, and foreign volunteers who rescued many and provided food, shelter, and medical care so well that the island was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize."