Book Discussion: The Angel of Grozny

Norwegian journalist Asne Seierstad discussed her most recent book The Angel of Grozny: Orphans of a Forgotten War, a portrayal of the lives of Chechnya’s children in the wake of the region’s long-standing conflict.

Seierstad first traveled through Chechnya as a foreign correspondent in 1995 and returned more than a decade later, traveling undercover in order to observe the startlingly brutal conditions of a society traumatized by constant violence and disorder. Based on her experiences, The Angel of Grozny tells the story of the orphans and children who have suffered from this forgotten war. Since 1994, twenty-five thousand children in Chechnya have lost one or both parents.

Seierstad has reported from Chechnya, China, Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq and is the author of The Bookseller of Kabul, an international bestseller.