A Greek Tragedy: One Day, a Deadly Shipwreck, and the Human Cost of the Refugee Crisis

A 2026 FINALIST FOR THE LOS ANGELES TIMES BOOK PRIZE AND THE PEN/GALBRAITH AWARD FOR NONFICTION Five Days at Memorial meets Into the Raging Sea in this “vivid snapshot of a broken asylum system” (Kirkus Reviews)—the gripping true story of a devastating shipwreck during the biggest refugee crisis since World War II. On October 28, 2015, a boat meant for only a few dozen passengers capsized off the coast of the Greek island of Lesvos. Hundreds of refugees, forced in desperation onto the overloaded boat manned by armed smugglers, were tossed into a roiling sea. The resulting loss of life, the largest in a single day during the biggest refugee crisis since World War II, shocked the world. After nearly a decade of research and interviews, investigative reporter Jeanne Carstensen has captured every detail of the dramatic twenty-four hours.