Q&A with Franklin Foer

  

Photo by Evy Mages

 

 

Franklin Foer is the author of the book How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization, which is now available in a new edition. His other books include World Without Mind. He is a staff writer at The Atlantic, and he lives in Washington, D.C.

 

Q: Why was this new edition of How Soccer Explains the World created?

 

A: I wrote this book more than 20 years ago! Damn, I'm old. During the long life of this book, the World Cup has never been hosted by the United States. This is the year, at long last—and, obviously, the peg for the new edition.

 

I first fell in love with soccer during the 1986 World Cup. The ABC feed was grainy, the coverage was spotty, but, boy, did it excite.

 

What I remember most is the passion in the stands. That's what sparked my lifelong fascination. The stakes felt so high. People cared so deeply that I began to suspect that soccer was about more than the game being played on the pitch.

 

With this new edition, I hope I can explain the political, cultural, and sociological import of soccer to a new generation of readers, just connecting with the sport for the first time.

 

Q: What’s different in this new version of the book?

 

A: This book has a new introduction, which updates its thesis to account for some of the biggest changes to the global game since 2004. Nation states—Saudi Arabia, the U.A.E., Qatar—now own clubs. American private equity has entered the game in a major way. Fans think about soccer differently; they obsess over the finances of their favorite teams. 

 

Q: Has the relationship between soccer and globalization changed at all since the first edition of the book was published?

 

A: Soccer was always at the forefront of globalization, and that hasn't changed. What's fascinating is how the book's core argument holds up. Globalization, as experienced through soccer, presents this paradox: the more the game is integrated into an international economy, the more people remain loyal to their local institutions.

 

Wrexham is a terrific example. It's owned by Hollywood stars and the subject of a television series—and yet it's the perfect emblem of a bedraggled corner of Wales, looking for hope and dignity. In a homogenized world, people still cling to their tribes. 

 

Q: How do you think the current state of U.S. politics will affect the 2026 World Cup?

 

A: This World Cup, sadly and unsurprisingly, will be all about Donald Trump. FIFA has spent years currying favor with him. I'm sure he will do his best to exploit the moment in the spotlight.

 

I've found it somewhat confusing that Mr. America First is a fan of the global game—though, to be sure, the game is a cesspool of corruption.

 

There's also the fact that the New York Cosmos, of the North American Soccer League, were hugely popular when he was elbowing his way onto the city's scene in the 1970s.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I'm working on a history of American Jews in the years after World War II. It's a fun book to research, since it encompasses Saul Bellow, Paul Simon, Betty Friedan, and Henry Kissinger, among others. My editor says it's the book I was born to write.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Franklin Foer. 

Q&A with Wendy J. Fox

  

 

 

Wendy J. Fox is the author of the new novel The Last Supper. Her other books include the story collection What If We Were Somewhere Else. 

 

Q: What inspired you to write The Last Supper, and how did you create your character Amanda?

 

A: This actually started as a character sketch and a 2013 NaNoWriMo project—which I quickly abandoned five or six days in—but how I was attempting to manage the page count goals for NaNoWriMo was to structure each chapter as a single day.

 

I was participating in it to challenge myself; I’m typically a very slow writer and more of a 150-word-a-day person than a 1,200-word-a-day.

 

Ultimately, I used very few of the sentences that were just about word count, but I ended up keeping that basic structure of each chapter being a single day. Over the time it took for the manuscript to cohere as a novel, how I conceptualized what a day meant changed.

 

The Amanda character also evolved, but her genesis came from thinking a lot about how we live our lives and the choices we make with our time.

 

Q: How was the novel’s title chosen, and what does it signify for you?

 

A: I notoriously struggle with titles! My first book, The Seven Stages of Anger, some readers confused for a self-help in the vein of the five stages of grief. It was a play on that, but the book is literary short stories.

 

Authors will say that writing a pitch letter and the synopsis is harder than writing the book. I agree those industry requirements are difficult. But titles! Way harder (for me) than a pitch letter.

 

The title was actually a suggestion from a beta reader, who noted that Amanda’s style of worship is to the oracle of Google. So, it’s not a nod to Jesus and the apostles, but rather the reliance we have on the search engines in our pockets. It also references a critical scene. As my beta reader pointed out: in our modern lives, sometimes it is the internet that is holy.

Q: How would you describe Amanda's relationship with her husband, Kyle?

 

A: Amanda and Kyle have conflict, but their conflict is pretty ordinary. Who among us has not, in a long-term relationship, felt deeply annoyed, frustrated, angered, or even hurt by our partner?

 

Amanda is not unique. She is carrying the mental load and the caregiving load in her household, and that’s not a new story nor a new scenario for women.

 

Kyle is actually not a terrible guy, he’s just somewhat checked out; Amanda has a pressurized feeling because she needs more in her life than what she has. Kyle, to be fair, has the same feelings, but the novel is not focused on his stakes.

 

It’s a thing that happens in marriage or long partnerships: you take one another for granted, you stop remembering why you fell in love. Amanda and Kyle are so average in this way. I think of them as a warning against complacency rather than a case study.

 

Q: Did you know how the novel would end before you started writing it, or did you make many changes along the way?

 

A: I almost never know how a project will end—I am usually writing to discover. I start with characters, a basic sense of plot, but then it is figuring out how the people fit into the action. It’s never the other way around for me. I don’t try to figure out how the action fits the people.

 

To be more direct about the question: I made many changes. A lot of it is coming to a deeper understanding of the characters. Plots necessarily change as the characters develop.

 

What would have made sense for 2013 Amanda, emerging on random pages, is not what made sense for her as the novel came together. When I was ready to pitch in 2023, she was much more formed, and her story followed.

 

A novel or a short story is a door that opens the reader into a world, but the door has to hang on some kind of hinge. That might be action. It might be character. I think both are fine, as long as it’s all working in confluence.

 

However, what changes to the ending really came down to was recognizing Amanda’s search for both economic and creative agency.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: Right now I am working on a series of novellas. I’m interested in this form because I love both long short stories and short novels. That said, a novella is neither of those things, but it’s that space where I can spread out more than a short story (my first writing love), but also not go into the consuming world of writing a novel.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: I would like to acknowledge how hard it is for creatives. I feel very privileged to have publishing partnerships with SFWP, Press 53, and Underground Voices. My next milestone birthday is 50, so I’m without question on the back half of my life. For writers who are a lot (or even a little) younger than me, please keep going. Keep writing. It really does matter.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Wendy J. Fox. 

Q&A with Rex Ogle

  

Photo by Dustin Wooten

 

Rex Ogle is the author of the new middle grade graphic novel Fruitcake. It's the third in his memoir series that also includes Four Eyes and Pizza Face. He lives in Los Angeles.

 

Q: What inspired you to write Fruitcake, the latest book in your graphic memoir series?

 

A: First loves are hard, but unrequited queer love is even harder. Though my story took place in the ‘90s, the experiences are timeless and the feelings are universal.

 

I hope Fruitcake will help young readers navigate their own complex feelings. When we’re young teens, there is so much going on in our heads and in our hearts, and it can be extremely complicated to navigate.

 

I believe it’s good to show kids that difficult emotions are possible to overcome. Not only can you survive after devastation, you can also thrive. 

 

Q: How was the novel’s title chosen, and what does it signify for you?

 

A: When I was a kid, I got called LOTS of names. It was painful at the time. But now, as an adult with a few decades to reflect, I wanted to reclaim those hurtful names. First with Four Eyes, then Pizza Face, and now with Fruitcake.

 

When I was a boy, my mom’s boyfriend (who would eventually become a father figure for 12 years) called me a fruitcake. He didn’t say it with any hate; he was simply calling it out. When I was a teen and understood the implications of that word, I was hurt. But now, I kind of love it. Heck, I may or may not even have a tattoo of it. 

 

Q: What do you think Dave Valeza’s illustrations add to the story?

 

A: Dave Valeza is a natural born artistic genius. I sent him reference pics from my childhood, and when I first saw the sketches, I was completely blown away.

 

He captures all kinds of emotions in even the most basic moments: a character leaning against a school locker, or  another eating at a lunch table by themselves. Honestly, without Dave, this book wouldn’t be the same. I am eternally grateful to have him as my creative partner.

 

Q: What impact did it have on you to write this book, and what do you hope readers take away from it?

 

A: Writing memoirs is interesting. It’s especially painful at first, diving back into childhood trauma, but so many of today’s youth experience similar heartaches, and I hope they see that if I can survive the agonies of hormonal teenage feelings, so can they. There is always hope, and I try to make that a theme in all my middle-grade stories.

 

Q: What are you working on now? Will there be a fourth volume in the series?

 

A: Currently, I have a few projects coming up that I’m super excited about. The one I’m looking forward to most is a middle-grade graphic novel horror series with Scholastic/Graphix.

 

It won’t be out for a few years, but when it does release, I hope a lot of kids get nightmares. Haha! I mean that in the most loving way possible. After all, as a kid, I loved getting scared with movies and haunted houses.

 

As for a fourth volume in the series, I’m working on something. . .

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: Middle-grade graphic novels are flooding the market, and I couldn’t be more proud to be included on shelves with so many talented creators. It truly is a dream, one that I plan to chase for the rest of my life.

 

I want to provide kids with a library of stories that provide shortcuts to better living and finding joy. After all, books can be a great comfort in a time of need, and I can’t wait to make more.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Rex Ogle. 

Q&A with Sophia Robinson

  

Photo by Liz Bradley

 

Sophia Robinson is the author of the new children's picture book Beautiful Black Boy. She is also an educator.

 

Q: What inspired you to write Beautiful Black Boy?

 

A: Beautiful Black Boy started as loving words I whispered to my son when he was a baby in early 2020. The world felt so scary and harsh, so I wanted the last words he heard before falling asleep to be positive and hopeful.

 

Since I was sleep-deprived, I wrote them down so I wouldn’t forget them. When I saw them written down, I just knew they should be a book. 

 

Q: What do you think Ken Daley’s illustrations add to the book?

 

A: This book wouldn’t be the same without Ken’s illustrations! I had a few ideas before meeting with Ken that I didn’t share, and so many of Ken’s illustrations matched my ideas!

 

For example, we both had the idea of showing all different Black boys, so all Black boys could see themselves while they were reading the book.

 

His illustrations have so much energy and movement, and the colours he uses to bring the idea of Black Boy Joy to life perfectly complement my words. I especially love the way he wove my text throughout his artwork. 

 

Q: How was the book’s title chosen, and what does it signify for you?

 

A: I honestly don’t remember “choosing” the title. It was always going to be Beautiful Black Boy because I call my son Beautiful Boy. I love the idea of calling a boy beautiful as a way to counter negativity and stereotypes, especially when talking about Black boys. 

 

Q: What do you hope readers take away from the book?

 

A: Joy. Confidence. Hope. The feeling of a warm hug. 

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I'm working on a few picture book ideas right now, but they are all at very early stages.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: My second picture book about adoption, illustrated by Nicole Tadgell, is set to be released in fall 2026!

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb 

April 7

 

 

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

April 7, 1770: William Wordsworth born. 

Q&A with Sarah Stern

  

 

 

Sarah Stern is the author of the new poetry collection Dear Letters in the Red Box. Her other collections include We Have Been Lucky in the Midst of Misfortune. She lives in New York City.

 

Q: How was the title of your new poetry collection chosen, and what does it signify for you?

 

A: I chose the title Dear Letters in the Red Box because I feel it is one of the main themes of the book. It’s also the title of a poem in this collection.

 

Through recently discovered letters and writings, I explore my parents' years in Paris between 1946 and 1951. My parents met in New York City, eloped, and shortly thereafter moved to Paris. My mother, a refugee from Germany, returned to Europe. My father, an American, began medical school at the Sorbonne. Neither knew French, but they learned quickly.

 

Many of the poems in this collection respond to the reverberations of those seminal years. Others speak to the present. In the eight sections of Dear Letters in the Red Box, the poems talk to each other through time, hopefully heightening their connections.

 

“Dear Letters in the Red Box” is a poem to the letters—an epistolary poem of sorts. This poem has snippets of the actual letters within it as well as my interruptions, and the title is a play on that, that the letters are dear to me as well.

 

Q: How does your family history factor into your poetry?

 

A: My family history figures very large in my poetry. My parents’ stories, especially my mother’s, are in my poems directly or by innuendo. Her escape from Nazi Germany and her efforts to become an American run through my poems.

 

In the poem, “Current Parties with Heddy,” there’s a line that feels relevant to your question: I was at a tea party/ in a foreign land. My mother’s stories of survival and new beginnings echo in today’s fraught times. I often wonder what my mother would have said if she were alive today.

 

My father’s life also ran parallel with the trauma and radical change of the last century and the beginning of the 21st.

 

Their time in Paris right after the war and the sense that I got from them, that the world was beginning anew, was mesmerizing to me. I try to understand it or examine that hope and the aftermath of that in my work.

 

Q: The poet Katrinka Moore said of the collection, “Thich Nhat Hanh coined the term ‘interbeing’ to describe the deep connectiveness of all things. Reading Dear Letters in the Red Box, I feel how Sarah Stern internalizes that concept in her poems.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: I’m so happy and humbled that Katrinka Moore felt the “interbeing” in my poetry. I do feel that all things are connected as well. I never thought to write a poem with that idea specifically, but I feel it deeply, and I’m thrilled that it comes through.

 

For me, the idea of holiness is also associated to the connectiveness of all things. How could it not be? And poets and maybe all artists are trying to name that.

 

Q: Many of the poems are set in the New York City area--how important is setting to you in your writing?

 

A: Yes, so many of my poems take place in New York City, and I feel lucky to live here. Many of the poems may start in my city, but then end up somewhere else. Setting helps me ground the poem, but sometimes it will only be a jumping-off point to another place completely.

 

The natural world so inspires me, and it is often in these places that I start to write from. Like so many, I’m in love with our National Parks and just being there brings me to another place in my writing. I love to travel as well and use my photos as placeholders for new work.

 

Q: What are you working on now?
 

A: I’m working on new poems that I would love to get back to after getting the word out about Dear Letters in the Red Box. I’m excited to start on a new collection—it will take time, of course—but I look forward to that process. A new project to start in April—National Poetry Month!

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

A: Thank you for having me back a second time on your blog. I appreciate it! Also if readers would like to leave a review on Goodreads or Amazon that would be great. Thank you again!

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Sarah Stern. 

Q&A with Aaron Poochigian

  

 

 

Aaron Poochigian is the translator of a new edition of Marcus Aurelius's Meditations. Poochigian's other translations include Aristophanes: Four Plays. He lives in New York City. 

 

Q: What inspired you to write this new translation of Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations?

 

A: After a dark time in my life, I was looking for some form of meditation that would calm my hyperactive mind. I tried several different kinds, including transcendental meditation. I could make no headway with them.

 

That’s when I decided to reread Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations. I had read it before in Greek, in graduate school, but I was too young then to appreciate its wisdom. Once I had a wider range of experiences, both good and bad ones, the work struck me as profound and soothing.

 

I love the lessons in it: that, say, my own happiness is in my control and that I must accept, with gratitude, all that happens to me in my life.

 

Q: How would you compare your translation with those of previous translators?

 

A: Once I had started my own translation of Meditations, I did a survey of the preceding translations. There were three types: the outdated and alienating, the passionless, and the oversimplified.

 

The first group consists of archaic translations that are now in the public domain. They use, “thee” and “thou,” for example, and are lofty in their diction. Those are wrong in that Marcus does not use an elevated style in Meditations. He speaks familiarly to himself and even deploys slang works, for semen and feces, for example.

 

The passionless translations, such as that by Hammond, bring over Marcus’ philosophy but leave out Marcus’ religious fervor for the doctrine he propounds.

 

The oversimplified translations, such as the one by Hays, break Marcus’ long and often elegant sentences down into shorter sentences. Which is to say, these translations dumb Meditations down. They do not even try to capture Marcus’ style.

 

Q: How did your background as a poet influence your translation?

 

A: Meditations is my first translation of prose. Still, my instincts were that of a poet. When I was still deciding whether I would make my own translation of Meditations, I read and reread Marcus’ Ancient Greek purposefully, to determine what would sustain “charge” (or “excitement”).

 

I came to the conclusion that it was voice. Meditations is polyphonic. In addition to the voices of the authors Marcus quotes and those of hypothetical actors and orators, there are the three main voices: Marcus the demanding instructor, Marcus the vulnerable aspirant, and Marcus the whiny objector.

 

I then attempted to make every sentence, every phrase these three characters utter, as charged and poignant as I could.

 

Q: What lessons do you think Marcus Aurelius has for us today?

 

A: I have found Meditations to be particularly helpful when it comes to recognizing and ignoring distractions. What with our smart phones constantly beeping at us and advertisements everywhere competing for our attention, there are even more distractions out there for us than there were in Marcus’ day.

 

He trains himself to reject as “matters of indifference” everything that distracts him from what really matters: the cultivation of inner harmony and virtuous action. The intense focus that he exhibits and recommends is especially useful now in the Age of Distraction.

 

Marcus also insists that we can extract our misassessments about what has happened to us (say, that not getting a job is a bad thing). Nature, the sublime mover and shaker of the universe, is what sends a perceived misfortune our way, and Nature does no wrong. We should be grateful instead of disappointed and indignant.

 

Marcus again and again exhorts himself to reappraise events in his life that he at first perceived as unfortunate—that is, as harm or wrong that has been done to him. We should ideally be accepting, with gratitude, everything that happens to us in our lives because it comes from Nature.

 

Marcus’ efforts toward reappraisal dovetail perfectly with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, the approach that most therapists today take with their patients.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: Meditations was, I think, my last translation. For decades now I have divided my time between my original creative work and translation work. I regarded the translations as craft exercises from which I could steal ideas for my own work.

 

They also expanded my range by getting me to find ways in English to capture strong voices, those of Baudelaire and Marcus Aurelius, for example. My Sappho translation, in fact, required that I write “in drag” as a female.

 

Still, I think I have absorbed as much as I ever will from my translation work. So now I am focusing on my original work alone. To finally answer your question, I am working on a new collection of poems.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: I found the translation of Meditations particularly mind-expanding because Marcus’ personality is so different from my own. He is as fervid as a fire-and-brimstone preacher. His relentless earnestness came to endear him to me. His words flash with the fire of the true believer. It was exciting to absorb a voice as powerful as his.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb 

Q&A with Candicee Childs

  

 

 

Candicee Childs is the author of the children's picture book Cece's Sour + Sweet Journey to Medical School. She also has written the memoir Lemons, Lemonade, and the Lemonade Stand. She is a resident physician at Masssachusetts General Hospital in Boston.  

 

Q: What inspired you to write Cece’s Sour + Sweet Journey to Medical School?

 

A: The inspiration actually came from one of the most unexpected places…my hairdresser’s chair! During a conversation about my journey to becoming a doctor, my hairdresser said, “You should write a children’s book about this,” and that idea stayed with me.

 

I wanted to create the kind of story I wish I had when I was chasing my own dream, and now I hope it helps plant seeds of hope, perseverance, and possibility in all young readers, including children of color who I want to also be able to see themselves in STEM and medicine.

 

Q: What do you think Setiawan’s illustrations add to the story?

 

A: The illustrations bring Cece’s journey to life in such a warm way. They beautifully capture not only the moments she experiences, but also the emotions behind them, both the sour and the sweet.

 

I especially love how they help normalize feelings like sadness, disappointment, and joy, while showing healthy ways to move through those emotions.

 

Q: How was the book’s title chosen, and what does it signify for you?

 

A: The title was inspired by the saying, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade,” which perfectly reflects the heart of the story. It also ties back to my memoir, Lemons, Lemonade, and the Lemonade Stand: My Bittersweet Journey to Medical School.

 

For me, it represents the truth that every journey has both sour and sweet moments, and both are important parts of growth.

 

Q: What do you hope readers take away from the book?

 

A: I want readers, especially children, to know that it’s okay to fail and not get something right the first or even second time. Failure is not the end; it’s often where growth begins.

 

My hope is that kids walk away understanding that dreams take time, asking for help is a strength, and every challenge helps shape who they become.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I’m currently working on a children’s activity book called Cece’s Sour & Sweet Adventure: A Fun Activity Book for Dreamers and Achievers Like You! It includes 50 fun activities like mazes, word puzzles, coloring pages, and journal prompts.

 

The goal is to help kids build resilience, develop a growth mindset, and dream big while having fun.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: This book is deeply personal to me because it is dedicated to my family, especially my late mother, Tina Sims Childs. She was the true definition of a dreamer and believer, and she poured that spirit into me.

 

My greatest hope is that this book helps children feel encouraged, supported, and reminded that failure never means they should stop believing in themselves.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb 

Q&A with Maria Gianferrari

  

 

 

Maria Gianferrari is the author of the new children's picture book Just One Oak. Her many other books include Fungi Grow. She lives in Massachusetts. 

 

Q: What inspired you to write Just One Oak?

 

A: I am a fan of Margaret Renkl’s New York Times essays, and her piece “While We Should All Be Chasing Acorns” initially led me to Doug Tallamy’s The Nature of Oaks—such an eye-opening book!

 

I was absolutely astonished by all of the wonderful ways that oak trees support biodiversity and maintain ecosystem equilibrium as a keystone species. I learned so many incredible things that I wanted to share them with readers to honor the humble oak.

 

Q: What do you think Diana Sudyka’s illustrations add to the book?

 

A: Everything! Without Diana’s beautiful and visionary art this would not even be half a book—truly. My words are the lyrics, while Diana’s art is the melody—the texture, tone, and timbre which brings the words to life. I’m so grateful that we have been able to collaborate together.

 

Q: How did you research the book, and what did you learn that especially surprised you?

 

A: I read Dr. Tallamy’s book, listened to his talks, and took extensive notes. I also read a bunch of the sources that he recommended in addition to scientific articles on oak trees, oak regeneration, etc.

 

He also has a wonderful website called “Homegrown National Park.” You can watch a video there where he explains the importance of oaks to native ecosystems.

 

Another informative resource is Dr. Andrew Hipp’s Oak Origins. He’s a botanist and expert on oak trees and he serves as the director of the Morton Arboretum’s Plant Systematics Research Group in Chicago.

 

I learned so many fascinating things! In North America, oak trees support more different forms of life than any other kinds of trees—from the tiniest microscopic species and fungi in the leaf litter and soil, to all kinds of insects, spiders, birds, and even mammals as large as black bears. And they sustain more than 950 species of caterpillars, critters that are crucial to food web health.

 

Q: The Publishers Weekly review of the book says, “It’s a satisfyingly comprehensive and appreciative portrait of oaks and their numerous contributions.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: It’s quite lovely, and the entire review was so thoughtful. I am delighted that the reviewer found it to be comprehensive. I set out to celebrate oak trees and all of the amazing ways that these keystone species preserve ecological stability and sustainability and are vital to a whole host of creatures.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: A book on plants! I am a bit obsessed with them at the moment. My house is full of all kinds of plants—everything from air plants, to succulents, orchids, ivies, ferns, and three pitcher plants named Agatha, Harriet, and Mildred.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: Don’t forget to check out the Just One Oak back matter for ways that you can help with oak tree regeneration and “root” for oak trees!

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Maria Gianferrari. 

April 6

 

 

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
April 6, 1892: Lowell Thomas born.

Q&A with Sudhir Hazareesingh

  

 

Sudhir Hazareesingh is the author of the new book Daring to Be Free: Rebellion and Resistance of the Enslaved in the Atlantic World. His other books include Black Spartacus. He is a fellow and tutor in politics at Balliol College, Oxford. 

 

Q: What inspired you to write Daring to Be Free?

 

A: The book is a sequel of sorts to my Black Spartacus, a biography of the Haitian revolutionary leader Toussaint Louverture.

 

In the course of writing that book I came to realise that the phenomenon of resistance among enslaved people across the Atlantic was much deeper, more enduring, and far more complex than I had imagined. So I wanted to tell this larger story.

 

Q: How was the book’s title chosen, and what does it signify for you?

 

A: It is part of a quote from another Haitian revolutionary leader, and former enslaved person, Jean-Jacques Dessalines. He uttered these words at the time of Haitian independence in 1804, after the army he commanded had defeated Napoleon’s forces which had been sent to re-enslave his people. It was an extraordinary victory, against what was at the time the most formidable army in Europe.

 

For me, the expression really captures the boldness of the enslaved, and their refusal to give up on their dream of freedom – whatever the cost.

 

Q: The scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. said of you and of the book, “Drawing on rich archival and oral sources, he reframes abolition as the achievement of the enslaved themselves--a centuries-long struggle driven by courage, solidarity, and an unyielding will to be free.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: I am very grateful to Professor Gates for this wonderful endorsement.

 

One of the main themes of the book is that abolition was not gifted to the enslaved by benevolent white reformers. They fought for it and the accomplishment was theirs; their major contribution was long denied or minimised.

 

I also think this story is very important in terms of our understanding of the origins of democracy: the enslaved were instinctively democratic, and they were fighting for the ideal of self-determination. The enslaved in many ways pioneered the democracy we enjoy today.

 

Q: The book has a wide scope--how did you research it, and did you learn anything that particularly surprised you?

 

A: It was very daunting! I learned a massive amount about countries which I knew very little about, and the first chapter of the book is about slave resistance in Africa, which I had absolutely no idea about. So it was a great learning curve.

 

The greatest difficulty I encountered was not the absence of sources, but their great fragmentation; I had to comb through books and archives just to find small nuggets of information which allowed me to put this story together. It was a bit like assembling a giant jigsaw puzzle.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I am working with a translator for the French edition of Daring to Be Free, which will be published by the Editions Flammarion in early October 2026. I am looking forward to being in Paris for that!

 

I am also starting to write a book about the history of the presidents of the Fifth Republic in France, from the 1958 to the present.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: There is a wonderful recent movie about enslaved resistance called “No chains, no masters” (2024), directed by Simon Moutaïrou; it is set in my native island of Mauritius in the 18th century. I warmly recommend it!

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Sudhir Hazareesingh.