No Tourists Allowed: Seeking Inner Peace and Sobriety in War-Torn Sudan

For Shannon Egan, what began as a desperate bid to break from her strict religious upbringing and recover her sobriety—via a one-way ticket to Sudan, a country in the midst of genocide and civil war, and, due to Islamic law, seemingly alcohol-free—would evolve into a headlong plunge into the surreal politics of faith: the world of freelance journalism and nonprofit aid in a war zone, where big hearts and big talent compete to tell all the gory details, where children bring guns for class show-and-tell, AIDS-affected proudly proclaim their status, and a black market for hooch is hidden in plain sight.

No Tourists Allowed is a story of self-discovery leading outward. From her fight with alcoholism to the global media system that often puts in jeopardy the lives it wants to protect, Shannon sings of despair and celebration, relapse and recovery, and learning, finally, to love the unlovely.