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Season In Hell: My 130 Days in the Sahara with Al Qaeda by [Robert Fowler]

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Robert R. Fowler

Season In Hell: My 130 Days in the Sahara with Al Qaeda Kindle Edition

by Robert Fowler (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.3 151 ratings

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For decades, Robert R. Fowler was a dominant force in Canadian foreign affairs. In one heart-stopping minute, all of that changed. On December 14, 2008, Fowler, acting as the UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy to Niger, was kidnapped by Al Qaeda, becoming the highest ranked UN official ever held captive. Along with his colleague Louis Guay, Fowler lived, slept and ate with his captors for nearly five months, gaining rare first-hand insight into the motivations of the world’s most feared terror group. Fowler’s capture, release and subsequent media appearances have helped shed new light on foreign policy and security issues as we enter the second decade of the “War on Terror.”

A Season in Hell is Fowler’s compelling story of his captivity, told in his own words, but it is also a startlingly frank discussion about the state of a world redefined by clashing civilizations.

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381 pages
Language

English
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Publisher

HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date

November 8, 2011
File size

5095 KB
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“A page-turner from beginning to end. . . . A tale of courage and human triumph.” -- The Globe and Mail

“Vital reading.” -- National Post

“Fowler has captured the terror of his ordeal in direct, rich, and vibrant prose. . . . A riveting narrative about an experience many others would not have survived.” -- Lt.-Gen. the Honourable Roméo A. Dallaire (Ret.), Senator

“What a remarkable book this is. The writing is clear, compelling, visceral . . . The story leaves you gasping . . . It’s been eons since I’ve read a work of non-fiction where every page grabs your heart.” -- Stephen Lewis

“A story of courage and determination in the face of fear and terror; a story of international political intrigue where the personal and political stakes could not be higher. . . . [Fowler] is among Canada’s most distinguished heroes.” -- James Orbinski, MD, author of An Imperfect Offering and Chair in Global Health at the University of Toronto

“Through this fascinating account of his time spent in gruelling captivity, Robert Fowler shows us the power of the human spirit in the face of adversity and danger.” -- Kofi A. Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations (1997-2006), Chairman of the Kofi Annan Foundation

“An engaging, clearly written story: subtle, informative, at times very moving, but never maudlin.” -- Literary Review of Canada

“The book reads with the tension and pacing of a fictional thriller. . . .Fowler’s gripping account, from the moment of his abduction, is astonishingly detailed, at times chillingly detached and at times heart-wrenchingly moving.” -- Jury Citation, the B.C. National Award for Canadian Non-Fiction --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

ROBERT R. FOWLER joined the Department of External Affairs in 1969 and was posted to Paris in 1971 and to the Canadian Permanent Mission to the United Nations in 1976. He returned to External Affairs headquarters in 1978 to become executive assistant to Allan Gotlieb, the under-secretary of state for External Affairs. In 1980, he was seconded to the Privy Council Office as assistant secretary to the Cabinet (Foreign and Defence Policy), where he served as foreign policy advisor to prime ministers Trudeau, Turner and Mulroney. In 1986 Mr. Fowler became assistant deputy minister (Policy) in the Department of National Defence, and then he served as deputy minister from 1989 to 1995. From 1995 to 2000 he was Canada’s longest serving ambassador to the United Nations, following which he was named ambassador to Italy and also personal representative for Africa for prime ministers Chrétien and Harper. Fowler lives in Ottawa, Ontario.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B005JWU6U8
Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperCollins Publishers (November 8, 2011)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 8, 2011
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 5095 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 381 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #1,158,576 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #1,150 in International Relations (Kindle Store)
- #12,038 in Politics & Social Sciences (Kindle Store)
- #13,728 in International & World Politics (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.3 151 ratings

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4.3 out of 5

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Lacy Trekker

Why would THEY want to exist like this? What exactly do they get out of ...

Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2017

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This is an interesting insight into the workings of a terrorist cell. It is exhausting just to read about all the driving around and making different camps in the Sahara. This must have been far more terrifying than the understated descriptions given by the author, though his descriptions are frightening enough. There is no way to understand the minds of the captors. Why would THEY want to exist like this? What exactly do they get out of it?

A well-written account of trying to survive being kidnapped by some of the most violent men the Mid-East. And, a well-documented account of the people who risked their own lives to negotiate freedom for the hostages. Intriguing, to say the least.

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Lani Van Voorden

A Broadening of Understanding

Reviewed in the United States on September 22, 2017

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I recommend this book to anyone who wants to grasp or begin to grasp the very real differences and cultural realities of peoples in the world we inhabit today. This author is not colorful nor necessarily entertaining nor idealistic nor even enjoyable but his prose is clear and easy to read and he conveys deep insights which lend a realistic credence towards solving the deep and inherent religious cultural problems that exist in the world today. If everyone read this book, it would at least be a beginning of developing a much needed understanding, so I HIGHLY recommend it for ALL and thank this author for writing it which was truly a selfless act from which we can all benefit.

Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2013

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You can really empathize with Robert through his saga. It felt like a true insight to what it would be like to be in his situation. Something I think we all ask ourselves and think about when you hear of harrowing kidnappings in the media. Whether Somali pirates, or Jihadi fundamentalists It always amazes me how long they last, months, many times years. Some with a happier outcomes, many not. As Robert mentions in the book we all ask ourselves 'how would we fair', 'ho would we cope'. I feel this book give us a glimpse.

2 people found this helpful

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Helen the Swimmer

Riveting

Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2018

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This account of captivity by a high-level Canadian diplomat is very well done. The author knows just how much detail to include, and how to describe his experiences and reactions to a frightening and very difficult situation. Among other things, Fowler and his companion demonstrate the importance of mindset in surviving months in the desert where every day they are threatened by the thought of other captives who have been beheaded.

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Glenda Pliler

I wouldn't have wanted to have Robert Fowler's experiences

Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2017

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I wouldn't have wanted to have Robert Fowler's experiences, but I feel he did a good job of telling the story of what happened to him, with insights into Al Quieda and without whining or blaming.

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Renata Bernardo

It gives a good food for thought on the hostage/ kidnapping management/negociations policies ...

Reviewed in the United States on October 12, 2015

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Interesting account and perspective on kidnappings by jihadist groups. The story is told first as the hostage perspective and then overlays what wasnhappening in negotiations. It gives a good food for thought on the hostage/ kidnapping management/negociations policies of States and more generally on the war on terror.

3 people found this helpful

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Friend of Kensington Market

Thought provoking and informative

Reviewed in the United States on September 7, 2012

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The subject is disturbing and I didn't think I would finish the book, but once I started reading I had trouble putting it down. Kidnapping is hardly the stuff of a good read, yet Robert Fowler skillfully describes his traumatic experience in a straightforward, direct and honest manner.
I recommend this book for many reasons: the subject matter, the description of the kidnapping and the captors, the physical geography of the region, and the political, religious and social implications for all of us.

5 people found this helpful

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adrian

A well written disturbing book

Reviewed in the United States on August 1, 2012

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I made a note to wait to read this book until after I'd returned from Northern Nigeria.
I'm glad I did.
Its a very readable and informative book.
It was nothing like my time in Northern Nigeria, which was because thankfully I had no contact with Al Quada

2 people found this helpful

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Jessica Engstrom

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 11, 2014

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An excellent book, it met with all of my expectations!

russ Salo

Total Page-Turner- what an Ordeal!

Reviewed in Canada on February 23, 2013

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The CANCER of north African Islamic Extremism that is currently making headlines in 2013 throughout Mali -was experienced 4 plus years ago in the REALEST way possible by Robert Fowler. This is a powerful book that I could not put down and really shows the enormous cultural & philosophical world that these men live inside as "Warriors in Al Qaedas Jihad" You'll see how these utterly devoted Muslim extremists operate in a mix of dark ages, 7th century ideals mixed with the conveniences of modern western life when it suits them.

sandra bassett

Alarming insight into Al Qaeda

Reviewed in Canada on November 25, 2012

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Harrowing account of time spent in captivity and a warning of the shifting plague of terrorism as the fanaticism spreads like a deadly virus through North Africa. Fowler 's description of what motivates and drives the perpetrators is alarming: their zealotry peppered with distortions of the Koran reveals their ignorance. Many conclusions and observations made by Fowler have been prophetic and the infection is certainly virulent. A must read for those governments combatting the infection.

One person found this helpful

Murielle

Livre à lire

Reviewed in Canada on May 19, 2012

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Je n'ai pas encore lu ce livre et j'ai bien hâte de le faire. Demeurant à l'extérieur, j'ai fait livré ce livre chez ma soeur et devinez..., 2 jours plus tard, elle recevait la commande et lorsque j'irai dans quelques mois, je pourrai enfin lire ce livre. Je connais un des otages, ce livre m'intéresse. Merci

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Sue

It read like the best thriller

Reviewed in Canada on February 22, 2016

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It read like the best thriller. Although I knew the two men had been released, it still managed to be incredibly suspenseful. I can't imagine what it must have been like to have lived through this particular "hell." Gripping!

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