Alan Johnston’s kidnapping in the Gaza Strip was one of the more shocking moments of last year, and I think most people were relieved when he finally emerged largely unscathed – physically at least.
This is his book, and unusually it’s not a full blown affair like those of other hostages. Nor is it an autobiography like Frank Gardner’s book from 2006.
Instead we have the fairly rushed publication of what is effectively a series of pieces that Johnston has put together for From Our Own Correspondenet over his time in Gaza, as well as previous spells in Afghanistan and across Central Asia.
The highlight is Kidnapped which is a straight reprinting of his FOOC from last October. It’s followed by a question and answer session which elaborates on a few of the areas Johnston didn’t cover himself.
It’s an interesting little book and highlights how evenly Johnston reported events in Gaza. The group that took him did the plight of the Palestinian people no favours at all, something which the rest of the population in Gaza well understood.