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A Rope and a Prayer: A Kidnapping from Two Sides

by David Rohde

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1112243,854 (4)8
Invited to an interview by a Taliban commander, New York Times reporter David Rohde and two Afghan colleagues were kidnapped in November 2008 and spirited to the tribal areas of Pakistan. For seven months, they lived in an alternate reality, ruled by jihadists, in which paranoia, conspiracy theories, and shifting alliances abounded. Held in bustling towns, they found that Pakistan's powerful military turned a blind eye to a sprawling Taliban mini-state that trained suicide bombers, plotted terrorist attacks, and helped shelter Osama bin Laden. In New York, David's wife of two months, Kristen Mulvihill, his family, and the Times struggled with the labyrinth of issues that confront relatives of hostages. Their methodical approach made little impact on the complex mix of cruelty, irrationality, and criminality that characterizes the militant Islam of David's captors. In the end, the experience strengthened Mulvihill and Rohde's relationship and exposed the failures of American effort in the region.--From publisher description.… (more)
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I gave this book a 5 star rating because it deserves it, but I stumbled over some of David's Rohde's description of his plight in captivity out of anxiety of my own, not anything to do with his writing or reporting. His wife, Kristen, tells her side of the story as he tells his, and it is interesting and very informative to see this type of writing. A first for me to read such a plot and I enjoyed it from a male/female perspective. This report of a kidnapping similar to every day events in the news, gave me an inside to such events that I didn't know I needed more information about. I will look at the news in a different light now when kidnappings occur, but also try to understand our being in Afghanistan and what purpose is being served by the United States involvement. Having a grandson deployed in Afghanistan at this very moment didn't help my anxiety, and I was able to relate to Ms. Mulvihill's concerns for her husband. I look at war differently after reading this book. But I also will always question just how deep into enemy lines does a journalist have to go to get 'the rest of the story'. Mr. Rohde's apology all through the book to his parents, her parents, his new wife and all others involved in his release made me say a silent prayer that any who attempt these types of stories need to evaluate all of the dynamics, not for just them, but for those who may have to spend, hours, days, months, money and heartache for bad decisions by others. This is a must read for everyone who watches the news, and then walks away with no thought to the people involved. Even an insight as to how our government can and does help, but at times cannot, is worth the read. ( )
  bakersfieldbarbara | Jan 31, 2011 |
For a harrowing seven months of captivity, Rohde, a Pulitzer Prize–winning New York Times foreign correspondent on assignment in war-torn Afghanistan, survived after being kidnapped, with two Afghan colleagues, by the Taliban in November 2008, suffering from all of the cruel terrorist maneuvering and hapless government countermoves during the crisis. Rohde wrote a series of articles for the Times about his experiences, but here Rohde alternates chapters with Mulvihill, to whom he had been married for two months at the time of his kidnapping. In suspenseful prose, he recounts his abduction and she describes her efforts, along with those of the Times, to secure his release by writing everyone in government and negotiating with the Taliban. Rohde's escape, with one of his colleagues, received major media coverage. Possibly the most informative segments of the book are the masterly observations of life with the jihadists, the chaotic Pakistani tribal areas and the topsy-turvy war itself. This potent story of love and conflict ends well, but not without making some smart and edgy commentary on terrorism, hostage negotiation, political agendas, and the human heart. ( )
This review has been flagged by multiple users as abuse of the terms of service and is no longer displayed (show).
  caroren | Jan 2, 2011 |
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Invited to an interview by a Taliban commander, New York Times reporter David Rohde and two Afghan colleagues were kidnapped in November 2008 and spirited to the tribal areas of Pakistan. For seven months, they lived in an alternate reality, ruled by jihadists, in which paranoia, conspiracy theories, and shifting alliances abounded. Held in bustling towns, they found that Pakistan's powerful military turned a blind eye to a sprawling Taliban mini-state that trained suicide bombers, plotted terrorist attacks, and helped shelter Osama bin Laden. In New York, David's wife of two months, Kristen Mulvihill, his family, and the Times struggled with the labyrinth of issues that confront relatives of hostages. Their methodical approach made little impact on the complex mix of cruelty, irrationality, and criminality that characterizes the militant Islam of David's captors. In the end, the experience strengthened Mulvihill and Rohde's relationship and exposed the failures of American effort in the region.--From publisher description.

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