Former news anchor Elysia Bryan-Baynes shares 3 books about building careers abroad
The Next Chapter columnist recommends three recent reads to Antonio Michael Downing
What compels people to work outside of their home country? For former Global News anchor Elysia Bryan-Baynes, going straight to the source of a story is the motivation for many journalists.
"The joke is that everybody's running away from something and the journalists are running toward it. And that's true whether it's a local journalist or a foreign journalist," said Bryan-Baynes.
Bryan-Baynes is a Canadian journalist, lifelong reader and was named a CBC Quebec Black Changemaker in 2022. While her work as a news anchor was often local, she became fascinated by the draw of working abroad. She joined The Next Chapter's Antonio Michael Downing to discuss this journalistic wanderlust and share three books that navigate this subject.
We Meant Well by Erum Shazia Hasan
"It's very effective in getting people to think [about] wanting to help and what that means and the reality of that and the sort of ideal situation. What do you do in a situation that isn't ideal? Do you give up?" said Bryan-Baynes.
We Meant Well is a novel that poses a difficult moral dilemma for its protagonist, Maya, an aid worker who must decide who to believe when her coworker at the orphanage, Marc, is accused of assaulting her former protégé, Lele.
Caught between worlds with protests raging outside the orphanage, Maya must also balance the fate of the organization against the accusations. Navigating around these variables provides both challenge and insight as the complexity of the situation reveals the character of everyone involved.
Erum Shazia Hasan is a Toronto-based writer and a sustainable development consultant for various UN agencies. We Meant Well is her first novel.
To Tell the Truth by Lewis M. Simons
"[The book deals with] the journalist saying, 'we want to remain neutral.' It's a very interesting journey to watch him reach the point where at some point he does cross that line and what it takes for him to do that and why he does it." said Bryan-Baynes.
To Tell the Truth: My Life as a Foreign Correspondent delves into a 50-year-period of American author Lewis M. Simons' journalistic efforts across Asia.
In this biography, Simons chronicles first-hand accounts of war, murder, exploitation and poverty, like the Tiananmen Square massacre in China and the descent of a dictator in the Philippines. Through action-packed coverage and moments of vulnerability, Simons pulls back the curtain on the experiences of a foreign correspondent.
Simons is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American journalist who began his work as a foreign correspondent during the height of the Vietnam War. Throughout his career he covered Southeast Asian countries like Cambodia, Laos and the Philippines during times of political and economic turmoil. He is also the author of Worth Dying For and a co-writer on with Senator Christopher S. Bond of The Next Front. He is currently based in Washington, DC.
The War We Won Apart by Nahlah Ayed
"It is a spy story, but it's a love story," said Bryan-Baynes.
The War We Won Apart weaves together the lives of Sonia and Guy d'Artois starting with their early years: Sonia born in England, raised in France and Guy from Montreal. By 1944, both were working for Britain's Special Operations Executive and fell in love as they were undergoing training in Scotland.
Days after they got married, the pair was separated, each embarking on dangerous missions as elite agents, then reuniting post-war, immigrating to Quebec and raising six children.
Nahlah Ayed is an award-winning journalist and the current host of CBC Radio's Ideas. She worked as a foreign reporter for two decades, covering conflicts in the Middle East, Russia's annexation of Crimea and Europe's refugee crisis. Her book A Thousand Farewells was shortlisted for a Governor General's Award.
Elysia Bryan-Baynes comments have been edited for clarity and length.
