Hostage
A Year at Gunpoint with Somali Pirates
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2.5 • 2 Ratings
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
On October 23, 2009, Somali pirates kidnapped Paul and Rachel Chandler from their sailing boat, the Lynn Rival, in the Seychelles, an archipelago in the Indian Ocean. In this remarkable memoir, the Chandlers recount their terrifying ordeal, revealing the inspiring and poignant story behind the dramatic headlines. The book chronicles the aftermath of the attack, and how the Chandlers' captors held them in Somalia for more than a year while trying to extort millions of dollars from their middle-class family. It goes on to describe how despite enduring threats, intimidation, solitary confinement, and even whippings, their unshakable belief in each other and their determination to survive sustained them. With its detailed, day-to-day account of the experience of being held captive by pirates, this unique and inspiring story will resonate with travelers the world over.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
While sailing in the Seychelles in 2009, retired Britons Paul and Rachel Chandler were kidnapped by heavily-armed Somali pirates and held for ransom for over a year in the hijackers' homeland before finally being released. Here, with the help of ghostwriter Edworthy, the couple tell their riveting tale in no-frills prose that shifts swiftly back and forth between Paul and Rachel's perspective. The account of their initial capture is thrilling, but being held hostage for over a year means a lot of idle hours the couple did yoga, played Patience, created and solved crossword puzzles, and wrote in their journals. But it is the entries composed during the weeks when Paul and Rachel were split up often without knowledge of the other's safety or well-being that reveal their dedication to and love for one another. Transcripts of phone calls between the couple and family members back home regarding the exorbitant ransom are both painful and fascinating, revealing tense emotional bonds and sobering financial realities. A noteworthy account of this century's version of crime on the high seas. Photos, illus., and maps.
