To read From Life Itself is to walk through walls and step into a sacred place, immersing in the longings, memories and fractures of people you will never forget. Through one Istanbul neighborhood, Suzy Hansen tells some of the biggest stories of our time—about global migration, authoritarian rule and the collapse of national identity. The result is a rare gift—a spellbinding work of narrative nonfiction that is masterfully reported, deeply felt, lyrically written and urgently relevant.