An Evil Cradling: The Five-Year Ordeal of a Hostage [Paperback]

Brian Keenan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1994

This brilliantly written account by a former Middle East hostage was a #1 bestseller in Britain and served as the inspiration for the acclaimed Broadway hit Someone Who'll Watch Over Me. "Conveys the surrealism of the ordeal, the loss of control and melting of identity that come with realizing you are a pawn in someone else's game."--Time.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In 1986 Keenan left Belfast, where he was born into a Protestant, working-class family, for Beirut and a teaching job at the American University. Soon after arriving, he was kidnapped by fundamentalist Shi'ite militiamen and held hostage, apparently because they believed he was British. Despite pleas from the Irish Embassy in Beirut, he remained a hostage. Keenan here unveils a tale of resistance, Irish style, incorporating many of the nonviolent methods that Irish patriots have used over the years--fasting and "going on the blanket," i.e., choosing to remain naked rather than wear prison clothes. Initially confined to a 4 6 cell, he withstood monotony and filth. Eventually, he was moved into a cell with John McCarthy, a British journalist from an upper-class family. The dichotomy in their backgrounds made for instant friendship. Ironically, the "stars" of this memoir are the Muslim guards, religious fanatics who were capable of great kindnesses (a birthday cake for McCarthy) and brutalities (vicious beatings). A riveting and terrifying read that finally ends with the exhilaration of Keenan's inexplicable release (he neglects to tell us, though, about McCarthy's fate).
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

In the spring of 1986, Keenan, a young Irish teacher, was kidnapped from the streets of Beirut. He was finally released into Syrian custody by his Shi'ite captors in 1991 after long stretches of solitary confinement, punctuated by brutality and deprivation: at times, he shared imprisonment with fellow hostages Frank Reed, Terry Anderson, John McCarthy, and Tom Sutherland. An Evil Cradling , a best seller in Britain and the inspiration for the play, Someone Who'll Watch Over Me , is not an "ordinary" recitation of hostage terror and tribulation. Instead, it is an insightful exploration of the human condition when confronted with involuntary bondage and impending mortality. Keenan's background as a poet allowed him to enlarge the vocabulary of his experience into utterances of emotional and psychological truths. Highly recommended for all libraries, whether or not they have strong subject collections in this area.
- David Snider, Casa Grande P.L., Ariz.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (August 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140236414
• ISBN-13: 978-0140236415
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 4.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #550,914 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unforgettable, August 1, 2001

By 

A. Peel (UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: An Evil Cradling: The Five-Year Ordeal of a Hostage (Hardcover)

In 1982 Israel invaded Lebanon and pursued the leaders of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), who were operating out of Beirut. A Multinational Force, in support of the then government, was set up in an attempt to stabilise the situation by separating the Muslim and Christian communities, however, by February 1984 the risks had become so great that the MNF was obliged to pull out of Lebanon, threatened by the prospects of civil war, and fearful of further terrorist attacks.

The author of "An Evil Cradling", Brian Keenan, was taken prisoner a couple of years later, in 1986, and in this work he gives a gruelling account of his harsh and lonely imprisonment, enlightened mainly by vitally important snatches of human contact and interaction, largely with John McCarthy, a British journalist also held prisoner at the same time.

Keenan left Ireland for Beirut in an attempt to flee the interminable, religious troubles of his homeland. It is true that by birth, he should have been less implicated in the religious conflicts of Lebanon, and yet ironically he came to suffer four and a half years of imprisonment, despite being an "outsider" to the difficulties in Beirut. He was an Irishman, not a Brit, an American or a Frenchman. His country had played no role in Lebanon and yet as an Irishman on the run, perhaps mistakenly taken for a Brit, he innocently fell into the very heart of the troubles. What he lived and felt is recounted here in beautifully written poetry and prose. It is a book which I know will remain engrained in my memory, and this being the case, I can only begin to imagine how much the experience will haunt him for the rest of his life.

In my opinion, the most striking part of this book is the courage Keenan demonstrates in putting this experience on paper and confronting it head on.Rather than running away and hiding, he chooses to draw the most positive conclusions we could hope for with sanity and poise, conclusions which lead him to face the conflicts in Northern Ireland fearlessly. That is not to say that he escaped unscathed, far from it, but at least he tries to learn from what he suffered and attempts to share that learning with those willing to listen, and to try to understand. The intellectual and human strength demonstrated in this writing marked me forever.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As powerful as anything I have ever read., February 23, 2003

By 

David Hutton "occasional reviewer" (Bedford, NH USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: An Evil Cradling: The Five-Year Ordeal of a Hostage (Paperback)

This is undoubtedly one of the most powerful books I have ever read. It is not a chronological or day to day catalog of how one man survived an ordeal which most of us could only imagine (being held hostage in Lebanon for five? years because some terrorists mistook him for an Englishman, when he was actually Irish), but rather a look at how his inner resources helped him survive, and helps the reader understand what a resourceful and mentally strong will it takes to do so. This is a cut above, and frankly, a book that has not been far from my thoughts since I finished it...

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I cried, I laughed, I cried some more, October 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: An Evil Cradling: The Five-Year Ordeal of a Hostage (Paperback)

This is perhaps the most moving piece of literature I have ever read. In Brian's journey we are forced to take a look at our own journeys through life. I remember when he was a hostage and everyday the local newspaper in Belfast would publish how many days he had been missing. As those numbers crept upward we despaired but his sisters were ever hopeful and forced us to keep him always in our minds. His account of his captivity is so inspiring. It is wonderful to see how his sense of humor and love of the written word kept him going. More recently I have read his accounts of his visit to Chile with John McCarthy. Here is a man with a real gift for using words to describe torrents of emotion and who's use of poetry illuminates the soul. If you read only one book in your life read this one!