TENAFLY—Save the date, March 5 at 4 p.m., for an author event with Nora Neus, Emmy-nominated producer, writer, and journalist, who will be in conversation about her new book, “Muhammad Najem, War Reporter: How One Boy Put the Spotlight on Syria” (a non-fiction graphic novel about citizen journalism in Syria) as well as other career experiences.
Neus grew up in Tenafly, graduated Academy of the Holy Angels, and today is based in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Her latest book (the publisher says it’s for ages 8–14) made National Public Radio’s roundup of the best books of 2022. The outlet noted she tells people-centered stories about those working to make our world better: more equitable, more just, more safe, and more beautiful.
Her next book, “24 Hours in Charlottesville: An Oral History of the Stand Against White Supremacy,” is forthcoming in July.
This is an event not to be missed, featuring a journalist with a keen eye for injustice and strong, searching voice. Neus has produced more than 3,400 hours of live television in the last seven-odd years, first in local news, in Charlottesville, Va. and then at CNN in New York City.
She produced and reported from Ukraine at the beginning of the Russian invasion in 2022; from Istanbul, Turkey for “Muhammad Najem, War Reporter”; from Uvalde, Texas after the horrific 2022 mass shooting at Robb Elementary; from Puerto Rico after the earthquakes in 2019; from inside general population at the Maine State Prison; from avalanche territory in Telluride, Colo.; and from many other locales.
Her work often has a special focus on LBGTQ+ history, rights and resistance. One of her long-term investigations, on human rights violations in surgeries on intersex children, was cited in witness testimony in California senate hearings about S.B. 201.
While reporting that story, she uncovered an under-the-wire campaign contribution from the top opposing lobbying group to the re-election campaign of the chairman of the committee that killed the bill, leading to calls for his ouster. She says, “I’ve also dug deep into the abuse of incarcerated trans women, a story which required months of relationship building, legal review, and fact-checking. My reporting also includes quick-turn pieces including breaking the news that a California state senator would announce a repeal of the “Walking While Trans” ban.
Neus earned her master of war studies degree from King’s College London, for which she completed research on the intersection of mass media, journalism, and terrorism.
She earned her master of public policy degree and B.A. in history, both from the University of Virginia, where she was a fully funded Jefferson Scholar.
In Neus’s reporting — and as illustrated by Julie Robine — Muhammed Najem was only 8 when the war in Syria began. He was 13 when his beloved Baba, his father, was killed in a bombing while praying.
“By 15, Muhammad didn’t want to hide any more — he wanted to act. He was determined to reveal what families like him were enduring in Syria: bombings by their own government and days hiding in dark underground shelters,” Neus says.
She adds, “Armed with the camera on his phone and the support of his family, he started reporting on the war using social media. He interviewed other kids like him to show what they hope for and dream about. More than anything, he did it to show that Syrian kids like his toddler brother and infant sister, were just like kids in any other country.”
Neus says, “Despite unimaginable loss, Muhammad was always determined to document the humanity of the Syrian people. Eventually, the world took notice. This tenderly illustrated graphic memoir is told by Muhammad himself along with Nora, who helped to break Muhammad’s story and bring his family’s plight to an international audience.”
The book arguably will be required reading, and deserves a place in the classroom alongside such works as Art Spiegelman’s “Maus,” Ted Rall’s “To Afghanistan and Back” and “The Stringer,” and Marjane Satrapi’s “Persepolis.”
Nora will be in conversation with family friend and church member Debbie Abitante on Sunday, March 5 at 4 p.m. in the sanctuary of Tenafly Presbyterian Church, 55 Magnolia Ave. Admission is free as part of PCAT’s expanding arts and cultural outreach program. For more information, visit tenaflypresby.org or call (201) 567-0111.