Quotes
"Hansen elegantly maps out the constellation of forces that brought Turkey to [an] unprecedented moment . . . Rich and complex . . . As [Hansen] shows in this beautifully observant book, the first steps to resisting the easy seductions of cynicism are to look, listen and try to understand." —Jennifer Szalai, The New York Times Book Review
"Everybody needs to buy [this book] . . . [Full of] great writing, amazing personalities." —Ben Rhodes, Pod Save the World
"An insightful look into Erdoğan, Turkish Islamism, parts of Istanbul, and most of all how Turkey slid into autocracy. One of the best case studies I know of on how a fragile democracy can go away." —Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution
"Through Karagumruk, Ms Hansen offers a window into the Turkey [Erdogan] has created. Few books in English have captured its texture better than this one." —The Economist
“From Life Itself is a dizzying tour de force: the simultaneously cosmic and microscopic record of a transformative decade in Istanbul, Turkey, and the world. Current events and political analyses are deftly interwoven with, and sometimes subverted by, firsthand accounts of life as it is actually lived. By turns gutting and exhilarating, filled with vitality and humanity, Hansen’s writing defies cynicism, thwarts easy generalizations, and leaves the reader with a sense of wonder.”
—Elif Batuman, author of Either/Or and The Idiot
“Hansen traces a story that illuminates a politics of mass migration and nationalist backlash that has resonances far beyond Turkey . . . Ambitious . . . Lovingly written and well observed.”
—Sami Kent, The Guardian
"Hansen writes fluently and colorfully and has a sharp eye for detail . . . The narrative really soars [. . .] when the author wanders the streets of Karagumruk and speaks to those who live there. The success of microhistories such as this hinges on its characters, and Hansen provides a colorful cast." —Peter Conradi, The Times (London)
"[Hansen] goes to remarkable lengths to achieve a degree of realism that wasn’t present in Turkey coverage in previous generations of journalists . . . [Her] discussions are always grounded in some kind of real person she has built a relationship with . . . Hansen is arguing that depth brings its own breadth." —Selim Koru, Foreign Policy
"The fruit of a half-decade of reporting, From Life Itself allows Turks to speak for themselves . . . Hansen intertwines these personal anecdotes and explanations with the history of the AK Party and shows how Erdoğan built his power on the land, ‘his dark materials’. Her diagnosis is on the mark." —Kaya Genç, Literary Review
“Fascinating . . . An urgent cautionary tale for American readers . . . Hansen’s deep-rooted reporting has undeniable gravitas . . . A rich portrait of a community—and a country—in the shadow of an increasingly powerful president.”
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“[Suzy Hansen is] one of my favorite, never-miss bylines . . . [From Life Itself] is so grounded in people and life that it actually makes what could otherwise be a very abstract, cultural, or political analysis feel very real and very relatable. And I think that is the best kind of journalism.”
—Joumana Khatib, The New York Times Book Review podcast
“A clinic in writing contemporary history through journalism . . . I can’t say enough about it. Hansen skillfully weaves more than one hundred years of late-Ottoman-to-Republican-era history into a narrative that contextualizes the cleavages in Turkish society . . . Her craftwork is no less impressive . . . Don’t miss this book.”
—Spencer Ackerman
"Passionate and exhaustive." —Tunku Varadarajan, The Wall Street Journal
"Hansen provides an immersive experience . . . A nuanced and authentic depiction . . . Captivating." —Michael Bobelian, Washington Independent Review of Books
“For readers interested in geopolitics, this is the kind of book that reminds you that big political shifts rarely feel ‘big’ while you’re living through them . . . Hansen writes with empathy for people navigating a country that’s becoming more polarized and more self-conscious about its identity, a dynamic anyone watching global politics will recognize—maybe even in your own backyard.”
—Ian Bremmer
“The Sufis tell us of two paths to enlightenment: to look inside oneself and find the universe, or to look out at the universe and find oneself. Here Suzy Hansen is doing both. In her intimate examination of one neighborhood of one city of one country that is not her own, she reveals to us the swirling patterns of our entire world.”
—Mohsin Hamid, author of Exit West and The Last White Man
“To read From Life Itself is to walk through walls and step into a sacred place, immersing in the longings, memories, and fractures of people you will never forget. Through one Istanbul neighborhood, Suzy Hansen tells some of the biggest stories of our time—about global migration, authoritarian rule, and the collapse of national identity. The result is a rare gift—a spellbinding work of narrative nonfiction that is masterfully reported, deeply felt, lyrically written, and urgently relevant.”
—Andrea Elliott, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Invisible Child
“With great sympathy and nuance, Hansen shares the intimate lives of an array of Karagümrük’s denizens, all set against Erdoğan’s systematic dismantling of the courts, the press, opposition parties, election integrity, and any other force that might hinder the country’s appropriation by Erdoğan and his AK Party . . . Lessons abound in this fine case study.”
—Alan Moores, Booklist (starred review)
“Suzy Hansen’s From Life Itself is the most startlingly vivid portrait of the rise of authoritarianism I have read, combining geopolitical, cultural, and economic analysis alongside sharp local reporting. She masterfully tells a complex story with clarity and force, leaving us with questions not only about Turkey, but about the fate of global democracy. A superb and tremendously compelling book.”
—Phil Klay, National Book Award–winning author of Uncertain Ground: Citizenship in an Age of Endless, Invisible War
“No modern history of Turkey, told through the complex lives and perspectives of its inhabitants, could be more compelling than Suzy Hansen’s. In it, she traces not only a nation in all of its specificity, but also the essential elements of the rise of autocracy.”
—Eliza Griswold, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Circle of Hope and Amity and Prosperity
“In From Life Itself, Suzy Hansen does something extraordinary: she plants herself in a single Istanbul neighborhood for a decade and watches democracy unravel. This is journalism at its most courageous and intimate. The front line of history is right outside your door—this book shows you how to see it.”
—Maria Ressa, Nobel Peace Prize–winning journalist
“A captivating consideration of Turkey as a truly ‘post-Western’ nation charting its own course in a globalized world.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Continuously elegant and intellectually conscientious, From Life Itself sets a new standard in literary journalism. Its portrait of a crisis-ridden Turkey is gripping in itself. However, Suzy Hansen is able to diagnose a global unraveling by abandoning the assumptions and expectations of Western journalism that posited a clear division between ‘us’ and ‘them,’ achievers and stragglers. While ostensibly writing about a ‘foreign’ society, she bracingly enables us to understand our own.”
—Pankaj Mishra, author of The World After Gaza and Bland Fanatics
“From Life Itself is an engrossing, illuminating account of modern Turkey told through the prism of an Istanbul neighborhood and the lives that animate it. In deeply researched, engaging prose, Hansen interlaces the district’s changing fortunes with Turkey’s national metamorphosis and the rise of Erdoğan. A sweeping, intimate, and authoritative portrait of a crucial state at the crossroads of Europe and the Middle East.”
—Rania Abouzeid, author of No Turning Back: Life, Loss, and Hope in Wartime Syria
“Kaleidoscopic. Suzy Hansen makes sense of Erdoğan’s rule, showing how the autocrat’s remaking of Turkey is mirrored in the lives of ordinary citizens, but also how global and regional forces have determined the country’s fate. Hansen’s affectionate portrayals of the inhabitants of an Istanbul neighborhood make clear that we shouldn’t write Turkey and its democratic prospects off.”
—Halil Karaveli, author of Why Turkey is Authoritarian: From Atatürk to Erdoğan
