bethanie22's review against another edition
4.0
This was so beautifully written. I felt like I was watching Amanda's life play in front of my eyes while I was between these pages!! I was heart broken for everyone in this awful place. It is so sad that human beings can treat other human beings in such an awful manner. It really opened my eyes to the some of the horrors still happening to this day.
heatherinjapan's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Goddamn this is a heavy book.
abrswf's review against another edition
5.0
This is a very well written and very upsetting book. I give away nothing by telling you it is the tale of Lindhout's kidnapping by an unaffiliated Islamic group in Somalia. What she went through is harrowing, though her response to it is in some fundamental ways both healing and uplifting. Her ability to retain her humanity and her understanding of her captors' humanity, too, is impressive. Yet the fact that this happened to her is heartbreaking. This is a book that I can't stop thinking about. Beware that it is also not just a little traumatizing for the reader to experience Lindhout's story.
I'd add that I've glanced now at some of the negative reviews by other readers on this site, which fairly uniformly condemn Lindhout for -- her naivete. Yes, she was naive. She knows it. One of the hardest things about her ordeal was her own extreme guilt and shame for having exposed herself and her family to the risk of this experience. Having said that, I will point out that this sort of condemnation of victims is usually a defense by readers who aren't willing to admit something as terrible as this could happen to them, too, even if all their choices were wise. None of us is immunized by good judgment to the possibility of dreadfully inhumane treatment by other humans. In addition, I'd add that what Lindhout went through wouldn't be deserved by the most evil person on earth -- let alone someone whose fault was overconfidence and an insensitivity to risk.
I'd add that I've glanced now at some of the negative reviews by other readers on this site, which fairly uniformly condemn Lindhout for -- her naivete. Yes, she was naive. She knows it. One of the hardest things about her ordeal was her own extreme guilt and shame for having exposed herself and her family to the risk of this experience. Having said that, I will point out that this sort of condemnation of victims is usually a defense by readers who aren't willing to admit something as terrible as this could happen to them, too, even if all their choices were wise. None of us is immunized by good judgment to the possibility of dreadfully inhumane treatment by other humans. In addition, I'd add that what Lindhout went through wouldn't be deserved by the most evil person on earth -- let alone someone whose fault was overconfidence and an insensitivity to risk.
risabella's review against another edition
5.0
I am speechless. Amanda’s experience in captivity is one that I could not even imagine. I cannot believe this is true and that humans are capable of this kind of cruelty.
I have shed many tears and at times found that listening to her voice recount her days was too much, and had to switch over to reading it instead - so as to distance myself if only for a moment.
I have shed many tears and at times found that listening to her voice recount her days was too much, and had to switch over to reading it instead - so as to distance myself if only for a moment.
kellyroberson's review against another edition
5.0
A stunning, harrowing memoir of good, evil, and all the places in between. But mostly a tale of survival and hope when all seems lost ... Fantastically written and illuminating.
emwinch's review against another edition
5.0
This was a phenomenal memoir. I had low expectations, feeling like it may be a really slow read, but I couldn’t put it down. The suffering that Amanda Lindhout managed to overcome in her 15 months as a prisoner is astounding. I have already recommended this book to so many, but warn anyone who has experienced sexual abuse or trauma that parts of this book will be hard to get through.
swright0820's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
rebecca2023's review against another edition
4.0
"I'd like to say that I hesitated before heading into Somalia, but I didn't. If anything, my experiences had taught me that while terror and strife hogged the international headlines, there was always--really, truly always--something more hopeful and humane running alongside it. What you imagined about a place was always somewhat different from what you discovered once you got there: In every country, in every city, on every block, you'd find parents who loved their kids, neighbors who looked after one another, children ready to play."
This was true for Ms. Lindhout until it wasn't.
Despite her harrowing experience, she has returned to Somalia with a mission to support and assist women in that country.
This was true for Ms. Lindhout until it wasn't.
Despite her harrowing experience, she has returned to Somalia with a mission to support and assist women in that country.
danavos's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Genocide, Emotional abuse, Death, Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Physical abuse, Murder, Islamophobia, War, Violence, Trafficking, Rape, and Sexual violence