An elegant, deeply felt memoir from Maryse Wolinski—journalist and widow of the late cartoonist Georges Wolinski, who died in the terrorist attack on the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo—that is both a beautiful tribute to her late husband and a rallying call to action.

“Darling, I’m going to Charlie.”

These were the last words that prolific satirical cartoonist Georges Wolinski said to his wife, Maryse, as he left for work. Two hours later, terrorists barged into the Paris offices of the Charlie Hebdo magazine, fatally shooting him and eleven others.

Maryse remembers her marriage to Georges—forty-seven years of love and devotion—and the swift, cruel manner in which she lost him. From her grief comes a demand for answers as she investigates the failings of the French government in their security measures, especially when another terrorist attack occurs just eight months later. A celebrated journalist in her own right, Maryse writes with both clarity and authority, all the while exploring what made her relationship with Georges so singularly strong.

Darling, I’m Going to Charlie is not only one woman’s beautiful tribute to her late husband, but also a stunning, courageous testimony and inspiring call for change.