A Season In Hell
Author(s): Robert Fowler
Finalist for the B.C. National Award for Canadian Non-Fiction, the Arthur Ellis Award for Best Crime Non-Fiction, and the Ottawa Book Award for English Non-Fiction
Longlisted for the Charles Taylor Prize for Non-Fiction
National Bestseller
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.
Review(s):
“A page-turner from beginning to end. . . . A tale of courage and human triumph.”
“Vital reading.”
“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.”
“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.”
“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.”
“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.”
“An engaging, clearly written story: subtle, informative, at times very moving, but never maudlin.”
“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.”
Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction, Arthur Ellis Award for Non-fiction, British Columbia National Award for Canadian Non-Fiction, Ottawa Book Award for English Non-Fiction
ISBN: 9781443402057