Captiveswith Mellissa Fung and James Loney
Hosted by The Ottawa Citizen's Kate Heartfield
In Person Big Ideas History
Loney's honest voice guides us through the terrifying days of his captivity, at the end of which we emerge to see that only forgiveness can cure our afflicted world. Everyone who wants to understand the Middle East should read this book.
In October 2008, Mellissa Fung, a reporter for CBC's The National, was leaving a refugee camp outside of Kabul when she was kidnapped by armed men. She was forced to hike for several hours through the mountains until they reached a village; there, the kidnappers pushed her towards a hole in the ground. For more than a month, Fung lived in that hole, which was barely tall enough to stand up in, nursing her injuries, praying and writing in a notebook. Under an Afghan Sky is the gripping tale of Fung's days in captivity, surviving on cookies and juice, from the 'grab' to her eventual release.
Canadian peace activist, writer and member of Christian Peacemaker Teams, James Loney was kidnapped at gunpoint by Iraqi insurgents in 2005. He was held for 118 days before being rescued by Task Force Black, an elite counter-kidnap unit led by the British SAS. Captivity brings us into the terror and banality, the frictions, the moral dilemmas of captivity. He examines the paradoxes we face when our most cherished principles are tested in extraordinary circumstances and explores the universal truths contained in every captivity experience.
