This Is Also a Love Story: A Reporter's Search for Goodness in a Cruel World

by Sally Hayden

An acclaimed reporter takes us on an unforgettable journey through some of the world’s most dangerous regions, capturing the human capacity for resilience, hope, and connection against all odds.

We live in an era defined by crisis—whether it be war and displacement, climate collapse and catastrophe, or the undercurrent of exploitation and corruption that profits from all of this violence and adversity. But in the midst of chaos, there are stories that reveal the strength of the human spirit. Celebrated foreign correspondent Sally Hayden has spent her career on the frontlines, uncovering some of the darkest moments of our time. Yet even in the face of unimaginable adversity, she’s witnessed incredible love, hope, and resilience—powerful reminders that humanity can endure and rise above even the bleakest of moments.

In This Is Also a Love Story, Hayden captures these life-affirming moments that show the indomitable spirit of love and hope that persists even in the darkest times. Hayden introduces us to a mother in northeast Nigeria who risks everything to save her daughter from forced marriage to Boko Haram militants, and to a group of Syrian women who have tirelessly sought justice for their missing loved ones. We see a couple on the eve of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and letters from the bereaved to the dead and missing, still being written over a decade after the tsunami that devastated Japan. Through these stories, which crisscross the globe, from Ukraine to Japan, Uganda to Lebanon, Palestine to Spain, she challenges us to see beyond despair and recognize the innate generosity and self-sacrifice that define humanity.

Hayden asks us to encounter this profound adversity not through a lens of despair, but through a prism of hope. In the process, these stories of deep fracture, and often violence, can instead be constellated through something deeper and more human than greed or the desire to love and be loved. This Is Also a Love Story dares us to look at the world through the innate generosity and self-sacrifice that can be found in even the darkest of times.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, History, Politics, Journalism

304 pages, Hardcover

Published June 16, 2026

About the author

Sally Hayden is an award-winning journalist and photographer currently focused on migration, conflict and humanitarian crises.

She has worked with VICE, VICE News, CNN International, the Financial Times Magazine, TIME, the Thomson Reuters Foundation, BBC, the Washington Post, the Irish Times, the Guardian, the New York Times, Magnum Photos, Channel 4 News, Foreign Policy, Al Jazeera, NBC News, Maclean’s, the Sunday Times, Newsweek, RTE, ELLE, Marie Claire, ZEIT Online, Voice of America, the Independent, the Telegraph, Deutsche Welle, IRIN, the New Statesman, the New Internationalist, the National, the Huffington Post and ITV News, and had stories and photojournalism republished on six continents by outlets including Pacific Standard, National Geographic, NPR, the Times of India, Euronews, the Christian Science Monitor, Sky News, the Observer, the Globe and Mail, ABC News, Forbes and TeleSUR English, among many others.

HEFAT certified, Sally has reported from countries including Nigeria, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, France, Germany, Belgium, Burkina Faso, Ireland, the UK, Lebanon, Jordan, DR Congo, Panama, Cambodia, the Gambia, Liberia, Hungary, Luxembourg, Ghana, Rwanda, Malawi, Ethiopia, Madagascar, the US, Italy, Malta, Kenya, Uganda and Sierra Leone. Her writing has been translated into nine languages and she has appeared as a guest on national and international media. She is a member of the Frontline Freelance Register and Investigative Reporters and Editors.

Sally has a law degree from University College Dublin and an MSc in International Politics from Trinity College, Dublin, where her thesis was on post-conflict societies and theories of civil war resolution. She has worked as a trainer at the BBC Academy; a guest lecturer at London College of Communication, New York University, Princeton, TU Dublin and UCD; and volunteered as a mentor for the Refugee Journalism Project.

Reviews

[Claire Walton · Rating 4 out of 5]

nice love and war story

[Jenia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A journalist writing about the love (romantic, platonic) that exists amidst the tragedies - from Ukraine to Nigeria to Syria. Absolutely rec'd, I read it with tears in my eyes. A quiet resilience, reminiscent of A Paradise Built in Hell. Also - badass cover!!

[Stacey Sturgis · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Statistics do not tell us about someone's hopes and dreams, their skills and weaknesses, or who and what they live for. People are much more than the worst thing that has ever happened to them...frequently, while listening to an account of something horrific, there will be a moment when I think to myself: "this is also a love story."

Global journalist Sally Hayden takes the reader on a whirlwind tour of some of the most wartorn and fragile places in the world, including Ukraine, Rwanda, Iraq and Syria, to learn the firsthand accounts of how families and couples navigate life when the ground is shaking beneath their feet at every moment. The stories are expectedly heartbreaking. What was not expected was how deftly Hayden finds the constant thread of love that does indeed run through people's lives despite the machetes and shrapnel that threaten to cut it at every turn.

The powerful are held to account, without fail, as Hayden describes the political and socioeconomic conditions that led to the horrors experienced by her subjects in each of the stories. There are detailed descriptions, for example, of the role of the United States in the destruction of the physical and civil structures of Iraq due to false information about weapons of mass destruction, which was further weaponized by ISIS to control the people to the extent of deprivation of certain medications and other items needed for daily living.

"One aspect has never altered: the way the powerful seem able to disregard the humanity of those they deem to be beneath them. The levels of greed and self-interest can feel fathomless...we should feel more connected to people living far away from us than before. Instead we see increasing levels of dehumanisation. Global systems become ever more unequal, shutting out the poor, oppressed and marginalised...western officials blame them for their own demise. We are watching a wholesale gutting of basic universal rights and dignities, foreign aid and international cooperation."

Yet, Hayden does not leave the reader in despair, as the book focuses without fail on the strength of human spirit to connect and heal, even in the most harrowing of circumstances. We meet couples who met during warfare, who married under ISIS rule, families who formed in the aftermath of genocide and stayed together for 20 years after. We see love, in many forms and fashions, and how global of an experience human love is in the face of any mortal challenge to foster survival.

This book is recommended for those interested in mental health, public health, international politics, racial and economic justice, and history. Content warnings for genocide, warfare, injury, death, grief.

Thank you to Sally Hayden, Scribner and NetGalley for the opportunity to review in advance of publication on 6.16.2026.

Purchase here: https://bookshop.org/p/books/this-is-...

[Mairead Hearne (swirlandthread.com) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Also A Love Story: Searching for Good in a Divided World by Sally Hayden published May 21st with 4th Estate and is described as 'a powerful account of human resilience, capturing our capacity for love and connection against all the odds'.

We are all battered by the constant onslaught of tragic events that are ongoing in the world today. Every media outlet from print to digital, on our screens and etched in our minds, are images that we wished we had never seen. But imagine witnessing these scenes over and over again. Imagine willingly putting yourself into fragile and dangerous places where communities have experienced unbearable tragedies. Imagine looking for those brief moments where love shines through in all its varied forms. Irish journalist and author, Sally Hayden, didn't just imagine doing any of these things, she did them.

'Reportage can be cold and exacting. Journalism is the first draft of history, but it only offers fragments of a wider truth. What can go missing in that initial retelling is a much fuller tapestry of human behaviour, interactions, and the connections that drive them. Statistics do not tell us about someone's hopes and dreams, their skills and weaknesses, or who and what they live for. People are much more than the worst thing that has ever happened to them.' - Sally Hayden

Sally Hayden embarked on a journey across continents where she met incredible bravery and optimism forged from hardship and heartbreak. Consisting of nine chapters, the book delves into the lives of different communities in Ukraine, Rwanda, Iraq, Uganda, Ghana, Nigeria, Lebanon, Syria and Japan. She encountered stories that chill and anger, but she chose to search for the brightness, chatting to exceptional people who have endured (and still continue to) great pain and suffering.

Based in Beirut, Sally Hayden is witness to humanity at its worst and best. She is living a life that is incomprehensible to most of us. Her words take us behind the shattered walls, the shattered dreams, the shattered lives right into the hearts of people who are suffering so much. Her search for the beauty in all this carnage is staggering but she succeeds, with these moving accounts of goodness amidst acts of evil.

Sally Hayden's vivid descriptions are stunning and the empathy she has for her fellow human being is tangible. There is no glory in war. There is no glory in slaughter. There is no glory is violence. There is no voyeuristic sensationalism in catastrophic climatic events. With authenticity, humility and love, Sally Hayden bears witness to the society we live in today. Reading This is Also A Love Story: Searching for Good in a Divided World provides some hope that perhaps, with passion and empathy, and looking at our world through a wider lens, humanity will step up and pay heed to the impact of decisions being made by those who are driven by greed and the thirst for power. Born out of an extraordinary vision This is Also A Love Story: Searching for Good in a Divided World is an exceptional and striking read, one I highly recommend to all.

[Norah Alba]

nice book

[daisy ❀]

no rating as I don’t rate nonfiction but this I think is the most important book I have ever read.

this book explores, from real life survivors, how humans have a basic instinct to talk about love even in times of despair. I when I say despair I mean the worst things that could happen to a human: war, losing family members to the most god awful circumstances, death etc. this body of work explores the predilection of humans to love and care for one and other even to the detriment of themselves and their own safety. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and think it should be read by everyone and put into the school curriculum.

quotes:
“When faced with abuse and barbarity, love feels like a form of resistance. Its existence can offer hope and inspiration, something to fight for and a goodness to hold on to.”

“War is the thing that props up the terrible and beautiful things and shows us the people who we really are.”

“all over the world we have the same basic desire for human connection.”


“Also, love is not ownership. Love is not lordship. I say love is freedom. So if you see that thing you love, that person that you’re thinking of, you should always think of how to make them freer and not monopolise them, or not monopolise that thing that you see in them that you think you love.”

[B K178 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went into "This Is Also a Love Story" by Sally Hayden expecting a lot of joy and love. The core idea of the book is beautiful: capturing love, humanity, and resilience amid global crises. Hayden deserves credit for including those moments, visible in the people she meets and their ongoing care for each other despite extremely tough conditions.

However, for me, it was a very challenging read. ****Readers should definitely review CW before beginning.***Hayden vividly describes humanitarian disasters, violence, and systemic failures. While honesty is crucial, the extensive volume and intense details made the book emotionally exhausting.

I hoped for more moments of "light in the dark.” Although such moments exist, they are often eclipsed by traumatic stories and explicit details of some of the gravest man-made tragedies today. The book's balance is somewhat off for me,

I admire Hayden's intent and the compassion shown for the people whose stories she shares. I loved the concept, but I wasn’t ready for how heavy the reading would be, and I personally wished there had been more space for love. Thanks to Sribner and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Katie Donnellan · Rating 5 out of 5]

“We only have a little time to please the living, but all eternity to love the dead” - Sophocles

[Ellie Moon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to 4th Estate for providing me with an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

For many of us, and especially those of us that work in the margins of conflict and disaster, the relentless agony and inhumanity of the world looms large. Our small attempts to make meaningful change often pale in comparison to the enormity of the suffering.

This book is one reporter’s attempt to write about the love story amidst the catastrophe. Sally Hayden details the small and enormous acts of love by people around the world living through tremendous injustice and pain. This is dignifying and deeply human work, and the end result is something that is needed, now more than ever.

One of my most anticipated reads of 2026, and I cannot recommend it enough—even to readers who may normally stay away from non-fiction—this one is for all of us.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an international journalist, Sally Hayden has spent years documenting some of the world's most brutal conflicts and humanitarian crises. Yet this book is not just a catalog of suffering. Instead, it bears witness to the extraordinary resilience that survives alongside it.

Hayden recounts her encounters with refugees, and the survivors of war, political violence, displacement, and oppression. These stories reveal both the staggering cruelty people inflict on one another and the remarkable ways their victims preserve their humanity. Her reporting is often harrowing. She describes torture, exploitation, and indifference. Although difficult to read, Hayden resists sensationalism. Instead, she adopts a professional approach to illuminating the moral choices—or failures—that allow such atrocities to occur.

What struck me most was not the existence of evil itself. Hannah Arendt, reflecting on the trial of Adolf Eichmann, famously concluded that "the sad truth is that most evil is done by people who never make up their minds to be good or evil." Hayden's reporting repeatedly illustrates this insight. Again and again, ordinary people comply with unjust systems, rationalize their actions, or simply look away, allowing unimaginable suffering to continue. The greater surprise lies in the responses of the victims. Throughout the memoir, Hayden shows multiple examples of people finding ways to care for one another, preserve hope, and rebuild communities despite overwhelming hardship. Acts of kindness, loyalty, and love emerge not because suffering ennobles people, but because many refuse to let cruelty define them. These stories are profoundly life-affirming and justify the book's title far more than any romantic interpretation could.

My one significant reservation concerns Hayden's inclusion of the devastation caused by the Japanese tsunami. The chapter contains moving accounts of grief and resilience, and the coping mechanisms that emerged are consistent with the book's larger themes. Yet it feels out of place. Nearly every other story examines suffering deliberately inflicted by those with power over others. The tsunami, by contrast, was a natural disaster rather than an act of inhumanity. While the emotional consequences were devastating, its inclusion dilutes the otherwise coherent examination of how people endure and respond to cruelty created by human beings.

Even with that reservation, “This Is Also a Love Story” is an exceptional memoir. Hayden reminds us that journalism at its best is not simply about documenting atrocities but about preserving the dignity of the victims. Although at times painful to read, the book is compassionate, and ultimately hopeful, offering convincing evidence that even in humanity's darkest moments, people continue to find ways to love, support, and sustain one another.

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sally Hayden is an Irish journalist who has spent her career covering stories in places devastated by war, violence, and disaster. That she is able to come out of these experiences without experiencing crushing depression says a lot for her strength of soul. I’m glad she was able to do this reporting, because the rest of us need to hear these stories. Through the mainstream media, we usually only hear about the surface information: when the disaster took place, how many people were killed, the politics of the war. It is so important for us to hear these stories: stories of real people, people like us, people who are living through circumstances most of us find unimaginable.

What Hayden has done in this moving book is to look at the love that breaks through the violence and cruelty. We hear about married couples who find ways to stay connected even when one is imprisoned; “artificial” families who come together when their biological families no longer exist; a postbox where bereaved can leave letters to their dead loved ones. Although I knew most of the places and situations that Hayden writes about, I had no idea of what life was like in the middle of them. Hayden does not shy away from telling us some of the (literally) gory details, which makes her interviews even more compelling. That love can exist even in these circumstances is a miracle.

I did find that many parts of the book were difficult to read. I had to take breaks when I started to feel overwhelmed. How would I react if someone I loved was disappeared, abducted or killed in front of me? I don’t know, because I’ve never lived in a place that was being bombed daily, or where leaders sought to kill anyone who opposed them. It is so important for privileged people like me to know that there are millions of people around the world living - and loving - through death and destruction.

As I look over this review, I realize that I’ve done a poor job of adequately describing the heartbreaking beauty of this book. I encourage everyone to read it. Many thanks to Scribner and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC. All opinions are my own.

[Amanda Chang · Rating 3 out of 5]

content - 7/10
style - 4.5/10
resonance - 7.5/10

i picked this up at the barbican library after finishing a hefty one about the syrian war and wanted to get into a lighter non-fiction read, and while the premise was beautiful, i did struggle to get into it a little :/

hayden is a journalist reporting stories from all corners of the world. jaded from the pain and suffering she has witnessed, hayden posits that interpersonal love and empathy continues to exist among natural and man-made human suffering, and she sets out to present that in this book where each chapter delves into a new country, providing its brief historical context and highlighting the love and care that emerges from the rubble.

there were some chapters i enjoyed more than others - that first one on wives waiting for husbands to return from the war in ukraine was really beautiful and the one on rebuilding society after the rwandan genocide was haunting. what i struggled with was the length of each chapter, where the unique history of each country had to be quickly distilled as the background to the stories of different people. some chapters felt too brief and touch and go, and while i recognise that hayden had lots of ground to cover (and i really appreciate how she explores different kinds of love outside of romantic love!), i felt that the book would have been stronger by narrowing the scope of countries and diving deeper into each selected place.

i do really love the point that underscores the whole book - that love and empathy always exists and is part of the human condition, and it really is the best of us

[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC of This Is Also a Love Story by Sally Hayden, and this is my honest review.

I’m always drawn to meaningful books, and this was one I knew I wanted to read from the moment I saw the tagline: 'searching for good in a divided world.' This book truly lives up to this 'promise.'  Hayden draws on her time as a journalist to share real stories from numerous places around the world shaped by conflict and hardship - including Ukraine, Nigeria, Lebanon, and Rwanda. Across nine chapters, she highlights something that could easily be overlooked: the quiet, persistent presence of love and selflessness, even in the most desperate and devastating circumstances.

This isn’t an easy read. The stories are often heartbreaking, and the realities they describe are stark. But it’s also a deeply compelling and necessary book. These are not the kinds of stories we tend to hear in the news; not in this way, not with this level of humanity and care.  What stood out most to me was the way Hayden handles these stories. There’s no sense of simplification or performance. Instead, she writes with honesty, empathy, and humility, allowing the people in the book to be seen fully, not reduced to headlines or statistics.

This is a book that will stay with me. It broadened my understanding of events around the world, but more than that, it reminded me of the enduring capacity for love, even in the darkest of places.

[Ophelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

They say reading lets you travel the world from your armchair, and usually that conjures images of far‑flung, tropical, serene places. Sally Hayden’s book does take you far from home, but to landscapes that are often war‑torn, hidden, or ravaged. Places where people must conceal their identities, make impossible choices, or take extraordinary risks simply to protect the people they love.

You could call this a book of horrors, but to me it’s also a book full of love stories: stories of local heroes, quiet acts of goodness, and the kind of kindness that survives even in the darkest circumstances. Through the lives of people in Ukraine, Rwanda, Iraq, Uganda, Ghana, Nigeria, Lebanon, Syria, and Japan, Hayden shows how courage and compassion persist everywhere.

I’ve followed her work from the sidelines for a while, but after reading this, she feels like a hero to me. The reporting is astonishing; humane, precise, and deeply felt. One line in particular stayed with me: “We may be born and die alone but our lives can still be measured in the love we bear and the connections we form, the ways people support each other. That is at least one wonderful truth.”

A remarkable book, and a reminder of the goodness that still exists in the world.

[Jackie McGinnis · Rating 4 out of 5]

In This Is Also a Love Story, Sally Hayden brings us a truly meaningful book that begins with heartbreaking stories of war and loss from around the world. They’re the real events that we sometimes try to ignore or pretend aren’t happening from inside our bubble. But the fear and violence aren’t something to ignore or deny—this is a chance for us to question our response, recognize our privilege, and turn towards humanity.

This is what Hayden provides space for. Understandably, this book is not an easy read, but Hayden shares the harsh circumstances in nine locations and the love she found thriving among people. As she tells some of the people she interviews, this book allows her the chance to go beyond everyday journalism that we’re so used to and explore the human relationships that are often stripped from news stories. From partners to parents and children, love is a form of resistance in each story. It’s an important read to provide context and broaden your understanding of our world today.

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for the eARC.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a heartbreaking, compelling, and inspiring read. Please note that Hayden doesn’t spare the awful details of what she witnessed or what she heard from those who have lived through the worst kinds of suffering. I had to stop reading it for a bit because it was giving me nightmares (how privileged I am that I can walk away from tragedy instead of living it). This book is a collection of Hayden’s time as a journalist in many countries and conflicts, and she tells it like it is; there aren’t suggestions for improving the state of the world so much as bearing witness to others’ experiences. Love is the common thread that binds the stories together. If you need a break from bad news, this isn’t the book for you, but if you value being informed AND finding hope amid heartache, you will find this book meaningful.

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for the free eARC. I post this review with my honest opinions.

[Bailey Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Is Also A Love Story: A Reporter's Search For Goodness In A Cruel World by @sallyhayd is a heartwarming, moving, deep, emotional, uplifting, and powerful nonfiction read! This book is balances unflitered truths and hope; dehumanization and humanity; conflict and love; cruelty and compassion in a way we've long needed. The news so often makes us feel numb, depressed, and disconnected. Sally Hayden brilliantly re-examines some of her toughest news stories through a lens of love and act of kindness. When all hope seems lost, love can still find a way. I adore that Sally shares acts of love across the world during times of war, exploitation, inequality, and heartache. Her message rings clear, there is no them or us only a choice between love and dehumanization. If you take off the blinders of numbness and division you will be faced with this choice.
#gifted Thank you @scribnerbooks for the free book!

[Jen Burrows · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hayden is a journalist who tells stories of crisis, conflict and unspeakable cruelty, and still finds the thread of humanity running through them. This is Also a Love Story is hopeful and devastating in equal measures, a reminder that to survive is to live, and the story behind the headlines is always personal.

Some chapters have a clear theme and sense of purpose, others feel a little more retrospective, pieced together from past journalism. But the human capacity for care and courage rings true through every one.

This isn't an easy read; it's not meant to be. Hayden reminds us that behind every headline are lives shaped by loss, resilience and love in its many forms. An important read in 2026.

*Thank you to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review*

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a change of pace for me but was needed. The author does a great job highlighting how even in the darkest corners of the world, there is still some goodness.

It may be hidden, but it is there. The profiles of love and hope in the face of evil, despair, and war helped remind me of the blessings that I have. It shows how the smallest things matter the most to people and what we as humans will do for those of us that we love.

This quote from the epilogue stuck with me... ‘Love is just a word, until someone comes along and gives it a meaning." This book was a reminder to love those close to us, enjoy the moments, and also love ourselves. This book was a tough read because you are reminded of the cruel, heinous violence that is around us.

[Ellen Barber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will be giving this book to everyone I know. I hope we can spread this message loud so that everyone can hear! Thank you Sally for articulating what we all want to hear. We are all humans, and through all evil there are so many who still choose love above evil. And although some would like us to believe that this isn't the case we mustn't forget that for many, it is.

"Dehumanisation happens when we deliberately or negligently fail to appreciate the elaborate beauty of other people's existence, including the loves that drive and bind them. Violence, exploitation, torture or disregard increase in contexts where dehumanisation is taking place. The more we fail to acknowledge that other people are the same as us, the easier it is for us to hurt them."

Thank you Sally Hayden.

[Méabh Ní · Rating 5 out of 5]

goodreads please realise this book has been released elsewhere before the us goddamn acting like im scamming.
this was so genuinely beautiful, from the topics, individual stories and the prose. hayden’s deep persistent love for humanity shines through this book and is what makes it such a captivating read. i felt like i got to know her journey also without it overshadowing the lives of those she writes about.
i will be thinking about this book for a long time.

[Kayleigh A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a look at some of the worst things that have happened in recent history, and some of the best things that happened amidst them. A reminder that there is still good in the world even in moments you would least expect it.

[Candy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a powerful reminder that wars are fought and witnessed by real people with real relationships, real pain, and real courage.

[Monica Hobson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brutal, brilliant and hopeful….i read a chapter every few days as it’s a difficult but necessary read

[Sonya J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 ⭐️

[Hedi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is honest, painful, heartfelt, and deeply sad, but it is also incredibly powerful. The author explores subjects that are rarely part of everyday conversation, offering a different perspective on the world and on human relationships. It shows that love can exist in many forms, even in a world that can sometimes seem cruel and unforgiving.

I really enjoyed reading it, although it is not always an easy book to get through emotionally. The hardships and experiences people endure can be difficult to read about, but these stories are important and deserve to be told. This is a meaningful and necessary book, and I highly recommend it.