Humanizing the Syrian Conflict
In this PBS NewsHour interview, Elliot Ackerman discusses his novel Dark at the Crossing and the role fiction can play in making complex wars more understandable.
From Geopolitics to Character
Set along the Turkey-Syria border, the novel follows an Iraqi American drawn toward the war and a Syrian refugee couple grieving the loss of their daughter. Ackerman explains how these intimate stories allow readers to engage with larger questions involving revolution, displacement, identity, ISIS, and the Syrian civil war.
The Power of Fiction
Drawing on his experience as a Marine and journalist, Ackerman argues that understanding a character is not the same as agreeing with one. Fiction can give voice to people often reduced to headlines while revealing the human motivations behind political violence and conflict.
Explore Dark at the Crossing
