Shadow Act: An Elegy for Journalist James Foley

by Daniel Brock Johnson

Proceeds from the sale of Shadow Act will benefit the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation, advocating for the freedom of all Americans held hostage abroad and promoting the safety of journalists worldwide. In his second collection--a powerful act of documentary poetics a decade in the making--Johnson chronicles the perils and joys of fatherhood and a shattering tragedy that plays out thousands of miles away. Nearly two years after the poet's closest friend went missing, journalist James Foley was executed by ISIS in Syria. In this poetic daybook like no other, Johnson often speaks directly to his missing friend--"I don't know, Jim, where you are," even long after his death. Page to page, Foley ghosts in and out of the book, as the poet hails the birth of children, recounts hunting for the body of a neighbor's missing cat, and, later, pores over the hand-written pages that Foley smuggled out of a Libyan prison in his shoe. An educator and poet, Johnson has crafted a vibrant, urgent collection that pulses with the terror and hardship Foley faced, the anguish of those he left behind, and the everlasting friendship between the two men. During a time of great collective trauma and mourning, this heartfelt, formally rich collection tackles the "How do you go on living, loving, and creating in the face of unthinkable loss?"

Genres: Poetry

129 pages, Hardcover

Published August 1, 2023

Reviews

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't know James Foley, the American journalist who was executed by ISIS in 2014, but it turns out he was a friend of a friend of a friend (who suggested I read this book- a tribute to Foley in the form of poems and excerpts of a letter he wrote from prison). Despite being a slender volume, I put off reading it for a while, a little intimidated by the poems (not what I normally read) and the sad nature of the content. But having found myself in the appropriate headspace after reading Pumpkinflowers (an excellent war time memoir by Israeli journalist Matti Friedman), I picked it up and slowly read through in two sittings. It's a very beautifully done tribute. I noted the phrase "the shining, alchemical ever-pres-ence of absence" for it's particular poignance.

[Karin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful moving tribute to a friend, celebrating lives shared across time and memory. Johnson explores the loss of his best friend and the profound and joyful impact he had on his life. He makes sure the loss of James Foley, which was an international tragedy, is understood in the context of love and intimacy.

[Meaghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up