BRUNSWICK

Brunswick native Kevin Sullivan has had a distinguished career in journalism. He and his wife, Mary Jordan, write for the Washington Post, covering national news and have worked as foreign correspondents in Tokyo, Mexico City and London. The two have won both a George Polk Award and a Pulitzer Prize for international reporting.

Sullivan and Jordan will read from and discuss their new book, “Hope — A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland,” on Saturday at 3 p.m. at Gulf of Maine Books at 134 Maine St. in Brunswick. The event is free, and open to the public. “Hope” is expected to debut at number one on the New York Times bestseller list, according to the authors’ publicist.

The book is co-written with Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus, two women kidnapped by infamous Cleveland bus driver Ariel Castro and held captive for a decade. Berry, DeJesus and Michelle Knight were abused by Castro in his shuttered home, where Berry gave birth to Castro’s daughter. Their horrifying ordeal made national headlines after Berry managed to escape two years ago.

“Hope” interweaves the events within Castro’s house with the story of the search for the missing women. Their story is recalled with a bluntness that is heartbreaking and yet is inspiring, given the women’s courage to survive until they were able to reclaim the freedom stolen from them.

Sullivan answered questions from The Times Record about growing up in Brunswick and the challenges of working on “Hope.”

THE TIMES RECORD: Growing up in Brunswick, was there a teacher, family member or mentor that informed your world view, or otherwise serves as an inspiration in your professional life?

KEVIN SULLIVAN: John Smith, my Brunswick High School English teacher, inspired great writing, and I still think of him often. My dad, Ed Sullivan, coached Babe Ruth baseball and helped run the Brunswick youth hockey league for many years. Dad taught me the power of positive role models, and of well-told stories, and I have always tried to live up to his example.

TR: How did the partnership with you and Mary form with Amanda and Gina?

KS: Mary grew up in the same part of Cleveland as Amanda and we were introduced through Cleveland connections. We hit it off with Amanda and Gina right away, and we all decided to do this book together.

TR: Tell me a little bit about working with Amanda and Gina on this project. How were you able to establish the level of trust needed to help compile this memoir?

KS: It was a step-by-step process; we spent hundreds of hours with them over more than a year, and we have become very close. At first it was hard for them to relive the entire ordeal, but eventually it became therapeutic.

They had not even told their families the details of what happened, and there were a lot of tears. They were unflinching in telling their story. No one wanted a glossed-over version of what happened, and this book is a totally truthful and honest account.

We were helped enormously by Amanda’s 1,200- page diary and by home videos from inside the house. Mary and I also reported on things that Amanda and Gina could not possibly have known about, including the police and FBI investigation and the life and background of their captor, Ariel Castro.

TR: The subject matter of “Hope” is extremely difficult, and it’s hard to imagine that you wouldn’t be affected working on this project. What did you do in order to stay objective and clear-headed?

KS: We focused on the positive as much as possible. This book is called “Hope” for a reason. We felt it was important to describe some of the tough things so readers would understand what Amanda and Gina overcame. But we do it in a way that is not voyeuristic or sensational. We focus primarily on how they coped and willed themselves to outlast Castro and get back home.

This is a story of two ordinary young women who found extraordinary strength and resilience inside themselves. And it has a happy ending: Ariel Castro hanged himself after 30 days in prison, and Amanda and Gina are free, reunited with their families and loving life.