Under An Afghan Sky
Author(s): Mellissa Fung
#1 National Bestseller and Finalist for the OLA Evergreen Award
In October 2008, Mellissa Fung, a long-time reporter for CBC’s The National, was leaving a refugee camp outside of Kabul. Suddenly, she was grabbed by armed men claiming to be Taliban, stabbed, stuffed into the back of a car and driven off into the desert. When the group finally reached a village in the middle of nowhere, her kidnappers pushed her towards a hole in the ground. For twenty-eight days, Mellissa Fung lived in that hole, which was barely big enough to stand up or lie down in, nursing her injuries, praying, writing in her notebook and, as a veteran journalist, interrogating her own captors. Under an Afghan Sky is the gripping tale of Fung’s days in captivity, and a powerful book about survival and the indomitable spirit of one woman in the most perilous of circumstances.
Review(s):
“[A] richly detailed chronicle of [Fung’s] ordeal.”
“Engrossing.”
“Fung invites us into her worst nightmare, providing honest reflections on her own strengths and limitations.”
“A breathtaking and deeply personal memoir of her capture and confinement, and her release a gruelling 28 days later. The book is testament to Fung’s passion for storytelling and her enduring spirit.”
“This is an important book that can lead the reader to a better understanding of a very complicated country.”
“Mellissa Fung’s vivid portrait of the soul of a journalist even in the most terrifying of circumstances is a recognition of the never yielding human spirit. When we follow our calling it can save our lives. Her experience is an example of this.”
“This breath-taking, deeply moving memoir of the nightmare of being taken hostage is immensely readable and compelling. The enormity of the experience is matched by the brilliance of the writing. This is a must-read for anyone interested in what’s happening in Afghanistan today.”
“I came away feeling that anybody else but Mellissa would probably have perished and that she survived because of the strength of her character, which certainly surprised some of her kidnappers. I was totally captivated.”
“Vivid in its detail, dramatic in its conversation, Under an Afghan Sky is riveting journalism, and guess what? There’s even an endearing love story that runs throughout the book.”
OLA Evergreen Award
ISBN: 9781554686810