Praise for From Life Itself

For readers interested in geopolitics, this is the kind of book that reminds you that big political shifts rarely feel ‘big’ while you’re living through them . . . Hansen writes with empathy for people navigating a country that’s becoming more polarized and more self-conscious about its identity, a dynamic anyone watching global politics will recognize―maybe even in your own backyard.

[Hansen] goes to remarkable lengths to achieve a degree of realism that wasn’t present in Turkey coverage in previous generations of journalists . . . [Her] discussions are always grounded in some kind of real person she has built a relationship with . . . Hansen is arguing that depth brings its own breadth.

[Suzy Hansen is] one of my favorite, never-miss bylines . . . [From Life Itself] is so grounded in people and life that it actually makes what could otherwise be a very abstract, cultural, or political analysis feel very real and very relatable. And I think that is the best kind of journalism.

Everybody needs to buy [this book] . . . [Full of] great writing, amazing personalities.

The fruit of a half-decade of reporting, From Life Itself allows Turks to speak for themselves . . . Hansen intertwines these personal anecdotes and explanations with the history of the AK Party and shows how Erdoğan built his power on the land, ‘his dark materials’. Her diagnosis is on the mark.

Hansen writes fluently and colorfully and has a sharp eye for detail . . . The narrative really soars [. . .] when the author wanders the streets of Karagumruk and speaks to those who live there. The success of microhistories such as this hinges on its characters, and Hansen provides a colorful cast.

Hansen provides an immersive experience . . . A nuanced and authentic depiction . . . Captivating.

Passionate and exhaustive.

From Life Itself is an impressive achievement, critical if one wants to understand modern Turkey. Hansen never fails to mention the historical events that drive the engine that has led to autocracy, but she also, to her credit, continually gives her book a personal, emotional touch . . . I’ve never read a book about Turkey that so completely gets at the complexity of the [country’s] political dilemma.

Through Karagümrük, Ms Hansen offers a window into the Turkey he has created. Few books in English have captured its texture better than this one.

An insightful look into Erdoğan, Turkish Islamism, parts of Istanbul, and most of all how Turkey slid into autocracy. One of the best case studies I know of on how a fragile democracy can go away.

Struggling to make sense of the sweeping changes that have transformed Turkey in the past decade under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan — a frenzy of construction, war in the Kurdish region, an influx of refugees and, especially, a sharp autocratic turn — Hansen, a Pulitzer Prize finalist who has long lived in the country, homes in on residents in a single Istanbul neighborhood to create a richly textured human history.

What Autocracy Feels Like: Hansen elegantly maps out the constellation of forces that brought Turkey to [an] unprecedented moment . . . Rich and complex . . . As [Hansen] shows in this beautifully observant book, the first steps to resisting the easy seductions of cynicism are to look, listen and try to understand.

From Life Itself zooms in on a single Istanbul neighborhood and, in the process, manages to capture the political mood of an entire country. Think of it as geopolitics at street level … For readers interested in geopolitics, this is the kind of book that reminds you that big political shifts rarely feel “big” while you’re living through them. … The result is a portrait of modern Istanbul that doubles as a case study in how democracies can morph under pressure. It’s also a quiet warning: political transformation rarely announces itself with a drumroll.

Fascinating . . . An urgent cautionary tale for American readers . . . Hansen’s deep-rooted reporting has undeniable gravitas . . . A rich portrait of a community—and a country—in the shadow of an increasingly powerful president.

With great sympathy and nuance, Hansen shares the intimate lives of an array of Karagümrük’s denizens, all set against Erdoğan’s systematic dismantling of the courts, the press, opposition parties, election integrity, and any other force that might hinder the country’s appropriation by Erdoğan and his AK Party . . . Lessons abound in this fine case study.

A captivating consideration of Turkey as a truly “post-Western” nation charting its own course in a globalized world.