A Greek Tragedy
The gripping true story of a devastating shipwreck during the biggest refugee crisis since World War II.
On October 28, 2015, a boat meant for only a few dozen passengers, capsized off the coast of the Greek island of Lesvos. Hundreds of refugees, forced in desperation onto the overloaded boat manned by armed smugglers, were tossed into a roiling sea. The resulting loss of life, the largest in a single day during the crisis in the Aegean, shocked the world.
Now, after nearly a decade of research, interviews, and investigation, reporter Jeanne Carstensen has captured the dramatic twenty-four hours—including details of the refugees’ lives before they left their homes to the courageous rescue efforts of the Greek islanders and volunteers rushing to help, even as their government and the EU failed to act. Carstensen brilliantly showcases the extraordinary heroism of ordinary people in extreme circumstances.
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In a world where forced migration is on the rise, A Greek Tragedy challenges us to confront our collective humanity. It’s an unforgettable testament of our times and a compassionate depiction of the lengths to which a person will go to save another human being.
Praise for A Greek Tragedy
“Through a deep look into one tragic shipwreck, Carstensen vividly brings alive survivors, victims and helpers in a way that stands for the larger tragedy of which this event was a part.”
– Adam Hochschild, bestselling author of King Leopold’s Ghost
“A Greek Tragedy is the gripping account of a horrid maritime disaster, a beguiling saga, and an unputdownable book. This is meticulously researched, masterful reporting."
– Rabih Alameddine, award-winning author of An Unnecessary Woman and The Wrong End of the Telescope
"A gripping reconstruction that illuminates the individual lives brought together by a fatal shipwreck. Carstensen's skillful reporting shows us how love and courage survive in the face of disaster."
– Matthieu Aikins, author of The Naked Don’t Fear The Water
A Greek Tragedy exposes to us to the full spectrum of our humanness, in all of its ambition and love and generosity and apathy and greed: for it is not Olympian gods but the callous men and women in power at whose behest we live and die.