American Mother – Colum McCann and Lloyd Sowerbutts, in conversation

In this episode we welcome Colum McCann, the National Book Award-winning author of Let the Great World Spin, and the Booker Prize-nominated Apeirogon, to discuss his first non-fiction book, American Mother. which tells the story of Diane Foley – mother of beheaded journalist James Foley – who has come face-to-face with her son’s killer and continues to campaign for the safety of journalists and revised government hostage policy.   

Colum McCann’s seven novels and three collections of short stories have been published in over forty languages and received some of the world’s most prestigious literary awards and honours.

Libreria wishes to thank Bloomsbury publishing and Colum McCann for the opportunity to record this conversation at Bloomsbury’s headquarters in London. 

What is The Libreria Podcast?

Libreria, a bookshop by Second Home, is an independent bookshop in Shoreditch, London. We help you discover new books and ideas to encourage interdisciplinary thinking. In the shop, we curate our books to maximise serendipity – our shelves are arranged according to broad themes like 'Wanderlust', ‘Enchantment for Disenchanted’ and ‘The City’, so you’re constantly encountering titles you might not have come across otherwise.

In this podcast, Libreria does the same for your ears – interviewing interesting writers and thinkers to discover their influences and ideas.