Customer Reviews

Kidnapped: And Other Dispatches

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The kidnapping of Alan Johnston in Gaza was, of course, a significant media event, Alan being the BBC's Gaza correspondent. The global campaign for his release, which was successful after four months, brought someone who perhaps few people had noticed into the limelight. Since his release Alan appears to have moved away from the publicity and returned to relative obscurity, not writing a huge book about his experiences but instead writing a piece just 20 pages long about his experiences that is included in this book.

The book also contains articles written for the BBC 'From our own correspondent' radio feature during the three years that he was in Gaza. These work to set the scene and it's quite spooky to read about his fears of kidnapping, knowing what happened afterwards. He gives a good description of life in Gaza, the everyday life for thousands of people trapped in what is effectively a war zone. The book also contains a short interview with Alan after his release and some of Alan's other reports from Afghanistan and Central Asia before he went to Gaza.

This short book was good, with Alan's writing and sense of description up to the BBC's usual high standard. I was surprised how brief the section on his kidnapping was, but it was well balanced and helped to give an insight into his mind. I was left with the sense that Alan is a very private man and I didn't really know him any better after reading this book; however I did have more of an understanding of the situation in Gaza and sympathy with the ordinary people there.

Originally published for Curled Up With A Good Book © Helen Hancox 2009