Mariane Pearl

What was really striking about this story was the way so many people pulled together and really cared - were dedicated right up until the end, and beyond. The case had a face: it was a personal tragedy, which made it easier to empathize with, in a way. There have been other kidnappings, hijackings, terrorist attacks, and even natural disasters that have so many victims it's hard to conceive their real effect, the true impact. When it is "just" one person, it allows you to imagine it more show more fully, and the horror becomes more personal. The extent to which the terrorists operate by their own rules is terribly clear here. show less

It was really painful reading this book as I already knew the story of Danny Pearl. His wife Mariane was very brave to share the details of those trying days leading up to Danny's death. I wish a happy life for Mariane and Danny's son who will only have to read through this book to know what a special mom he has and what a special dad he had.

This book left me very uncertain. I got the feeling while reading it that Pakistan must be quite a dangerous country. I felt (kind of as I did when I show more read Mohsin Hamid's novel, The Reluctant Fundamentalist) that I would not know for certain whom to trust in that country. Usually I tend to be a very trusting soul. I continue to feel unsettled as, still to this day, American contractor Warren Weinstein, who is local to my own area, is being held in captivity after being kidnapped in Lahore, Pakistan. When will this insanity end?

The end of the book had many notes of support to Mariane. Some were from people I did not know; others were from recognizable names such as Shimon Peres and Laura Bush. It took a while to get through these letters, but it was probably important to include them as they were an uplifting note to an otherwise deeply sad story. show less

a really good reminder that there are always people trying to make things better. i tend to focus on the need for things to improve, on how we ruin things, but it's good to sometimes look at all the people making it better, doing the good work to restore hope and faith in humanity. especially the women.

This is Mariane Pearl's account of what happened in Pakistan in the wake of 9/11 when her fellow journalist husband was kidnapped and eventually murdered by terrorists. It is a survival story in many respects as you learn how she coped, which included a combination of tapping her Buddhist teachings to stay centered and springing into action to become a central driving force in the investigation to try and find him. Most people wonder how they would cope under extreme duress and this is one show more person's account of how she did it, pregnant with their first child no less. It's also an interesting look at the workings of the country at that time as the U.S. was responding to the threat of terrorism. Give this a read. show less