A House in the Sky
Ratings14
Average rating4.1
15
Ratings14
Average rating4.1
"The spectacularly dramatic memoir of a woman whose curiosity about the world led her from rural Canada to imperiled and dangerous countries on every continent, and then into fifteen months of harrowing captivity in Somalia--a story of courage, resilience, and extraordinary grace. At the age of eighteen, Amanda Lindhout moved from her hardscrabble Alberta hometown to the big city--Calgary--and worked as a cocktail waitress, saving her tips so she could travel the globe. As a child, she escaped a violent household by paging through National Geographic and imagining herself in its exotic locales. Now she would see those places for real. She backpacked through Latin America, Laos, Bangladesh, and India, and emboldened by each experience, went on to travel solo across Sudan, Syria, and Pakistan. In war-ridden Afghanistan and Iraq she carved out a fledgling career as a TV reporter. And then, in August 2008, she traveled to Mogadishu, Somalia--"the most dangerous place on earth"--To report on the fighting there. On her fourth day in the country, she and her photojournalist companion were abducted. An astoundingly intimate and harrowing account of Lindhout's fifteen months as a captive, A House in the Sky illuminates the psychology, motivations, and desperate extremism of her young guards and the men in charge of them. She is kept in chains, nearly starved, and subjected to unthinkable abuse. She survives by imagining herself in a "house in the sky," looking down at the woman shackled below, and finding strength and hope in the power of her own mind. Lindhout's decision, upon her release, to counter the violence she endured by founding an organization to help the Somali people rebuild their country through education is a wrenching testament to the capacity of the human spirit and an astonishing portrait of the power of compassion and forgiveness"--
"The spectacularly dramatic and redemptive memoir of a woman whose curiosity about the world led her to the world's most imperiled and perilous countries, and then into fifteen months of harrowing captivity--a beautifully written story of courage, resilience, and grace. At the age of eighteen, Amanda Lindhout moved from her hardscrabble hometown to the big city and worked as a cocktail waitress, saving her tips so she could travel the globe. Aspiring to understand the world and live a significant life, she backpacked through Latin America, Laos, Bangladesh, and India, and went on to Sudan, Syria, and Pakistan. In war-ridden Afghanistan and Iraq she carved out a fledgling career as a reporter. And then, in August 2008, she traveled to Somalia--"the most dangerous place on earth"--To report on the fighting there. On her fourth day in the country, she and her photojournalist companion were abducted. A House in the Sky illuminates the psychology, motivations, and desperate extremism of Lindhout's young guards and the men in charge of them. She is kept in chains, nearly starved, and subjected to horrific abuse. She survives by imagining herself in a "house in the sky," finding strength and hope in the power of her own mind. Lindhout's decision to counter the violence she endured by founding an organization to help educate Somali people women is a moving testament to the power of compassion and forgiveness"--
Reviews with the most likes.
It took me awhile to get over the “What kind of idiot goes to Somalia?” attitude while reading this memoir, but I eventually accepted the reasoning that Amanda was not fortunate enough to have parents who told her things like, “Don't ever go to Somalia. You'll get abducted.” Also, it seems like she has more than turned her horrible hostage experience into a positive thing (she runs a foundation now).
Amanda Lindhout chose to have a co-writer for the book and found a kindred spirit in Sara Corbett who wasn't just interested in telling the harrowing story of her 15 months of captivity in Somalia. Instead we meet a young Amanda escaping her grim northern Alberta upbringing in the pages of National Geographic. A teenaged Amanda in South America finally visiting those places she'd only read about. A young 20-something globe-trotting Amanda chasing the next big story. Someone who spent time in Iraq and Afghanistan and finds herself in Mogadishu Somalia covering the stories that traditional news outlets weren't. Captured on the road she and her one time boyfriend and photographer are held for 1.5 million each. Amanda endures 15 months of torture, rape, beatings, starvation and more yet maintains her sanity and optimism throughout.
This could have been misery porn, an endless litany of things endured but Amanda infuses it with hope. It's a huge gut punch of a book made even more relevant knowing that one of the kidnappers has been arrested and is facing trial. Now years after her ordeal, Amanda is forced to relive her time in captivity reviewing the thousands of pages of debriefing documents recorded at the time of her release. Events she had buried and forgotten, even things she doesn't mention in the book itself. She exhibits such incredible strength in the pages of the book and continues to prove her fortitude even now.
I loved (most of...) this book and can't believe I hadn't read it earlier.
A Canadian woman set out to be a world adventurer preferring war-torn countries. When she ventured into Somalia with a friend she'd convinced to go with her, she had gone to one country too far. It would not be a spoiler to assume she survives her ordeal, as she had to write it, but it felt unlikely throughout the pages.
I would have liked to give this 3.5 stars. There was one piece missing at the end. It is hard to put a finger on it, but I think it was a personal growth I'd hoped she'd acknowledge. I found it hard to connect to the narrator at times.
Still, definitely worth reading.
