All We Leave Behind: A Reporter’s Journey into the Lives of Others

Winner of the British Columbia National Award for Canadian Non-FictionFinalist for the Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political WritingFinalist for the Governor General’s Award for Non-fictionFinalist for the Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for Nonfiction“With clear, page-turning prose, Off embarks on a rigorous and honest examination of her role in the family’s fate, first as a journalist, but ultimately as a friend, when she crosses the line of dispassionate reportage and becomes deeply involved in their bid to reach Canada. The book is an insightful contemplation of journalism’s mission, and its impact on the lives of the people who dare to speak out in the name of truth.” —2017 Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for Nonfiction jury (Susan Harada, Arno Kopecky and Siobhan Roberts)“[C]aptivating prose and painful honesty. . . . Off has pulled off the veil and ignited a conversation about the moral obligation of journalists in the field.” —Winnipeg Free Press   “[Off] deftly weaves together a taut narrative that shuttles from a history of politics in Afghanistan and neighbouring Pakistan to episodes as a foreign correspondent covering Canadian forces in Kandahar. . . . Throughout the book, Off struggles with the moral imperative behind her profession. . . . The journalist’s best day may be someone else’s worst. . . . All We Leave Behind is a fascinating tale about how one reporter’s request turns an extraordinary family’s life upside down, combined with a cogent examination of her own attempt to hold on to her humanity.” —Quill & Quire   “Off’s book reads like a thriller.” —Windsor Star   “[R]iveting. . . . [All We Leave Behind] is at once history lesson, political-science course, biography and scathing indictment of both Canada’s and the United Nations’s refugee programs.” —The Collection