The VOICE OF WITNESS SERIES
Voice of Witness is a nonprofit book series, published by McSweeney’s, that empowers those most closely affected by contemporary social injustice. Using oral history as a foundation, the series depicts human rights crises in the United States and around the world. There are currently six books in the series, including:
SURVIVING JUSTICE
America’s Wrongfully Convicted and Exonerated
Edited by Lola Vollen and Dave Eggers Foreword by Scott Turow
These oral histories prove that the problem of wrongful conviction is far-reaching and very real. Through a series of all-too-common circumstances—eyewitness misidentification, inept defense lawyers, coercive interrogation—the lives of these men and women of all different backgrounds were irreversibly disrupted. In Surviving Justice, thirteen exonerees describe their experiences—the events that led to their convictions, their years in prison, and the process of adjusting to their new lives outside.
ISBN: 978-1-934781-25-8 469 pages Paperback
VOICES FROM THE STORM
The People of New Orleans on Hurricane Katrina and Its Aftermath
Edited by Chris Ying and Lola Vollen
The second book in the McSweeney’s Voice of Witness series, Voices from the Storm is a chronological account of the worst natural disaster in modern American history. Thirteen New Orleanians describe the days leading up to Hurricane Katrina, the storm itself, and the harrowing confusion of the days and months afterward. Their stories weave and intersect, ultimately creating an eye-opening portrait of courage in the face of terror, and of hope amid nearly complete devastation.
ISBN: 978-1-932416-68-8 320 pages Paperback
UNDERGROUND AMERICA
Narratives of Undocumented Lives
Edited by Peter Orner Foreword by Luis Alberto Urrea
They arrive from around the world for countless reasons. Many come simply to make a living. Others are fleeing persecution in their native countries. But by living and working in the U.S. without legal status, millions of immigrants risk deportation and imprisonment. They live underground, with little protection from exploitation at the hands of human smugglers, employers, or law enforcement. Underground America presents the remarkable oral histories of men and women struggling to carve a life for themselves in the United States.
ISBN: 978-1-934781-15-9 379 pages Hardcover and paperback
OUT OF EXILE
The Abducted and Displaced People of Sudan
Edited by Craig Walzer
Additional interviews and an introduction by Dave Eggers
and Valentino Achak Deng
Millions of people have fled from conflicts and persecution in all parts of Sudan, and many thousands more have been enslaved as human spoils of war. In Out of Exile, refugees and abductees recount their escapes from the wars in Darfur and South Sudan, from political and religious persecution, and from abduction by militias. They tell of life before the war, and of the hope that they might someday find peace again.
ISBN: 978-1-934781-13-5 465 pages Hardcover and paperback
HOPE DEFERRED
Narratives of Zimbabwean Lives
Edited by Peter Orner and Annie Holmes
The fifth volume in the Voice of Witness series presents the narratives of Zimbabweans whose lives have been affected by the country’s political, economic, and human rights crises. This book asks the question: How did a country with so much promise—a stellar education system, a growing middle class of professionals, a sophisticated economic infrastructure, a liberal constitution, and an independent judiciary—go so wrong?
ISBN: 978-1-934781-94-4 304 pages Hardcover and Paperback
Thanks to the generosity and assistance of many donors and volunteers, Voice of Witness is currently at work collecting oral histories for a variety of new projects around the world. For more information about the series, or to find out how you can help or donate to the cause, visit the Voice of Witness website: