A Rope and a Prayer: A Kidnapping from Two Sides [Hardcover]

David Rohde (Author), Kristen Mulvihill (Author)

Book Description

Release date: November 30, 2010

The compelling and insightful account of a New York Times reporter's abduction by the Taliban, and his wife's struggle to free him.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

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. Map. (Nov.)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

New York Times reporter Rohde writes about his ordeal as a hostage of the Taliban, after he was kidnapped in Afghanistan in November 2008. Rohde covered most of this story in a five-part series in the New York Times, available online. The new element here is the juxtaposition of his narrative with that of his wife’s, Kristen Mulvihill, who describes her own agony and quest to have Rohde freed. Even though the pieces are in place for a thrilling account from both parties, the writing on Mulvihill’s part feels flat and predictable. This may be because, as with the accounts of the Daniel Pearl tragedy from his wife’s perspective, we already know the outcome. Rohde’s portion is by far the most readable. His accounts of the difficulties of reporting from this danger-pocked landscape and his descriptions of his second-guessing himself about his reporting choices are especially compelling. --Connie Fletcher

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Viking Adult; First Edition edition (November 30, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670022233
• ISBN-13: 978-0670022236
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #588,807 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent insight and a fascinating story December 19, 2010

By Kristin Delfau

Format:Hardcover

I initially picked up Rohde and Mulvihill's book after hearing them interviewed on NPR--their story sounded interesting even though I am not someone who is usually interested in hostage or kidnapping narratives.

Their way of presenting two sides of the same horrible ordeal allows the reader to fully capture what both the hostage and his/her family had to experience, as well the perception of the different players involved in the situation. Also, the thread of black humor that intermittently arose added to the "human factor" of this book--after all, often times humor can save us from the deepest levels of dispair.

I also appreciated David's insight into his captor's perceptions of the West as well as their extremist twist on their religion. For those of us who don't completely understand the complexities of the region, A Rope & A Prayer broke it down quite well. Highly recommended.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A "he said, she said" captivity narrative April 26, 2011

By N. B. Kennedy TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

This narrative of the capture of New York Times reporter David Rohde by the Taliban is unique in that it presents not only the captive's experience, but that of his wife, Kristen Mulvihill, as well.

The two were newly married, and Mr. Rohde was in Afghanistan, hoping to snag one more interview for a book he was writing. After that, he promised his wife he'd come home and settle down. The catch is that the interview was with a Taliban leader in the dicey tribal border lands of Pakistan.

Of course, he is captured and held for months, shuttled back and forth between Taliban prisons, while back in the States his wife works tirelessly for his release. In the end, all the negotiations come to nothing and Mr. Rohde saves himself, making a daring escape along with another captive.

The most interesting part of the book to me was Mr. Rohde's description of his imprisonment. It matches up well with that of another Taliban captive, Jere Van Dyk (Captive: My Time as a Prisoner of the Taliban). Their description of the capricious nature of their unpredictable captors is very similar. But Mr. Rohde is less forthcoming about his inner life. He seems determined to tough it out, and maybe that's what got him through, but his reserve created an emotional distance for me that I wish weren't there. When he does talk of emotions, it's usually in the context of faking them in order to gain release.

The same is true of Ms. Mulvihill. She is a strong woman, and that serves her well. But she withholds at crucial times, too. Here is how she describes telling her mother about her husband's capture: "[I] bring her up to speed while Lee phones his wife from the other room." What did she say? Did her voice catch? Did she cry?

The captivity narrative is interspersed with sections on the history of Afghanistan and on the endless negotiations. In the end, the escape is, of course, riveting, and a relief, no more so than for Mr. Rohde and Ms. Mulvihill. I hope they get to enjoy a predictable, settled married life from here on out!

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars A Rope and A Prayer May 22, 2011

By Patricia Ann Reyes

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This was a book that was easy to read and then put down. While it was well written and the details of David's capture and the people he spent those months with were very good, I did not really understand all that his wife was going through. By the time I had completed the book, I felt great relief for his return and understood his concern for the people who helped him, however, I did not have sympathy for her and all she went through waiting for him. I think she could have been a great source of inspiration to others who have gone through this same experience but I don't think she wanted to share alot of her private moments.