The intrepid reporting Eliza Griswold did for her recent book, The Tenth Parallel: Dispatches from the Fault Line Between Christianity and Islam, took her all over Asia and Africa, along the tense band that ranges from the equator to the line of latitude 700 miles to the north. It’s a unique region, one with powerful political, religious and environmental forces at odds that could create potential rampant destabilization and harsh conflict.

As Griswold writes, “I wanted to record the interwoven stories of those who inhabit this territory, and whose religious beliefs pattern their daily perseverance. Although it’s easy to see Christianity and Islam as vast and static forces, they are perpetually in flux. Over time, each religion has shaped the other. Religion is dynamic and fluid.”

Not yet 40 years old, Griswold has won several awards for her non-fiction and poetry and has recently turned her eye toward the U.S., examining the fracking process and how it impacts our country and communities where natural gas extraction occurs.