Author: Diana Kapp, The Last Free Women

Explore the human stories behind the global refugee crisis with authors Diana Kapp and Jeanne Carstensen in conversation.

Kapp discusses her new book The Last Free Women: A Daring Escape from Afghanistan and Coming of Age in America (written with Rebecca Blumenstein) alongside Carstensen, author of A Greek Tragedy: One Day, A Deadly Shipwreck, and the Human Cost of the Refugee Crisis. Together, they examine the experiences of refugees displaced by conflict, the challenges of rebuilding lives in new countries, and the individuals and communities who respond in moments of crisis.

The Last Free Women follows four young Afghan women whose lives are upended by the Taliban's return to power in 2021. Through their stories, the book explores resilience, freedom, and the effort to build new lives in the United States after a dramatic evacuation from Kabul.

A Greek Tragedy recounts the 2015 shipwreck off the Greek island of Lesvos that became one of the deadliest single-day disasters of the European refugee crisis. Drawing on years of reporting and interviews, the book examines the human cost of forced migration and the extraordinary rescue efforts of local residents and volunteers.

Diana Kapp is a journalist whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, San Francisco Chronicle, and other publications. She has reported from Afghanistan and is the author of The Last Free Women, co-written with Rebecca Blumenstein, as well as the young adult books Girls Who Run the World and Girls Who Green the World.

Jeanne Carstensen is an award-winning journalist who writes about migration and human rights. She is the author of A Greek Tragedy and has reported extensively on the Syrian refugee crisis as a Pulitzer Center grantee. Her work has also included leadership roles at The Bay Citizen, Salon, and SFGate.