Under an Afghan Sky: A Memoir of Captivity

by Mellissa Fung

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.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, War, Middle East, Canada, Autobiography, Biography Memoir

368 pages, Paperback

First published May 3, 2011

Reviews

[Mikey B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a page turner this is! It is an engrossing true story of a CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) journalist who is kidnapped in Afghanistan. She is hidden by her Taliban captors (or a variation of them) in a hole in the ground for about thirty days. During this time she is aware that negotiations for her release are in some stage of vicarious progress.

The great strength of this account is the conversations that she has with her captors. We get a vivid inside portrayal of these Afghan men and their society. It is a very limited world view indeed, constrained by a fundamentalist view of Islam. They are from a poor and shattered country; like Mellissa we often feel a total disconnect with their thought processes.

We learn from the author’s description of her experience in refugee camps and the subjugation of women expressed in the conversations with her captors that this country has a long journey to go before it can attain anything resembling social stability.

Perhaps it is trivial, but I also came away with the impression that her captors were a physically tough people (i.e. formidable adversaries). Towards the end of her captivity they took her on a trek in the mountains and were able to sleep comfortably during the night with only a blanket on the rocky mountain escarpments and continued the walk the next morning with very little nourishment. When we do something similar in western countries we carry loads of expensive high tech paraphernalia (tents, backpacks, specialized foods, cooking equipment…) and stay at a pre-arranged campsite. These Afghans simply tossed a blanket on the rocks and fell asleep.

This is a passionate narrative of a woman who had her life taken away from her for a month. Although she is helpless, she maintains her strength and dignity. We feel her endurance throughout the arduous ordeal. It is an absorbing story and gives an inner view of Afghanistan.

[Krista · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was recently reading A House in the Sky, Amanda Lindhout's account of her fifteen month captivity at the hands of Somali kidnappers, and came across this passage early on:

Melissa Fung, the CBC television correspondent who looked so purposeful and confident, couldn't know that sixteen months later, on a return trip to Afghanistan, she would get kidnapped outside of Kabul and spend twenty-eight days as a hostage, kept half-starved in an underground room in the mountains.

I immediately felt deflated because I thought that I was reading about the Canadian journalist who had been held in a hole in the ground, so it was just by happenstance that I had picked up the wrong memoir. I went on to quite enjoy Lindhout's book, and although comparisons between the two might not be fair, I can't help but compare them now, and as a result, Under an Afghan Sky falls short.

Of course, I'm not comparing the two women's actual experiences -- whether for one month or fifteen, being held against your will by armed young extremists must be a hopeless and terrifying experience, and both Lindhout and Fung held up much better than I suspect I would in their stead. The real comparison is in the reporting of their experiences, and my biggest complaint about Fung's book is that it came off as a bit dry and clinical, curiously lacking in heart, yet -- and here's where I get to look like a hypocrite -- I had initially been put off Lindhout's book because she collaborated with another writer, someone who added flair and drama that I initially felt built up a barrier between me and the plain truth. Under an Afghan Sky seems to demonstrate what happens when a straight-up journalist goes solo with her material: the story lacked in storytelling. I was teary throughout much of Lindhout's account, full out crying when she reunited with her family, but totally dry-eyed (though not completely unaffected by the details) throughout Fung's.

Mellissa Fung was (until very recently) a CBC correspondent and so many of her attitudes displayed in Under an Afghan Sky demonstrate why I resent my tax dollars funding the public television station, or at least its news division anyway. Most annoying was her voicing the Canadian left's reflexive anti-Americanism in statements like: I thought that by trying to make Zahir see that there was a difference between Canada and the United States, I could make him realize his captive wasn't a sworn enemy of the Taliban the same way an American might be. I thought that after 9/11 we were "all American" and that Canada was actually leading the efforts in Afghanistan -- a maple leaf on her backpack wasn't going to get Fung out of this jam. Also: "I agree, I think George Bush is a very bad man," I said. This wasn't completely untrue, and I figured it was time we agreed on something. I understand trying to find common ground with her captor, and also appreciate that many people didn't find Bush too bright, but "a very bad man"? Later, Fung made this statement: It was Wednesday, November 5, and the night after the US presidential election. I wondered what had happened, and hoped that America had made the right decision. The right decision, electing Obama. What hubris coming from a Canadian journalist, and totally inappropriate coming from someone who reports for Canada's national broadcaster.

Despite her no-atheists-in-foxholes-constant-rosary-recitation, Fung also takes swipes at Christian fundamentalists (equating a devout Muslim's prayer cycles to that of a "Deep South" Christian and saying, "God knows there are enough problems with Christian fundamentalists in Western society…") and also demeans her own Canadian citizenship: Just like I wouldn't say I'm a devout Catholic, I wouldn't call myself an unduly patriotic Canadian…But everywhere I went, I was pretty proud to be a Canadian, proud of everything Canada stood for internationally in the tradition of Lester Pearson and Pierre Trudeau. In the tradition of Pearson and Trudeau is really important there -- the peacekeepers-not-policemen foreign policy that certain proper-thinking people think should be Canada's only role internationally -- you know Pearson and Trudeau, the Prime Minister who charged into Korea and the one who chummed with Castro soon after the Bay of Pigs.

Her politics aside, I was also surprised that Fung seemed to empathise with her kidnappers, blaming a generation of domestic war for their criminal activities. While I could see why Lindhout understood her captors' motivations (the young men who held her wanted the ransom to fund their education and marriages) I was dismayed that Fung could also see logic in her captors seeking ransom to buy Kalashnikovs and materials to make the IEDs that were all too often blowing up the Canadian Forces that she was embedded with.

And one last comparison -- Lindhout's book included information about what her family and the Canadian Government were doing to secure her release, including information about how the ransom negotiations were going; information I found very interesting and compelling. Fung's book didn't share any of this, despite including letters from her "special friend" Peter, a man who began writing letters to her while she was being held because "I wanted you to have a record of what went on". These letters, while loving, don't actually include any information about "what went on".

I have much empathy for Mellissa Fung and am heartened to see that writing this book has helped her to deal with her horrific experience, but fair or not, I have recently seen the format done better, and as a result, this memoir is ultimately disappointing.

[Mariola · Rating 1 out of 5]

Classic example of Stockholm syndrome where "hostage express empathy and sympathy and have positive feelings toward his captors. Convinces herself that lack of abuse is an ack of their kindness."
Besides that, very repetitive and boring. With sentences like :" I didn't know there was a gun market there"........ seriously now, this country was/is being torn by war for 3 decades now.
This war journalist is naive and clueless beyond believe.

PS. " I am canadian but I prefer the american national anthem"....Im not even going to comment on that one.

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really didn't like this book. Throughout I just kept saying "waaa, waaa, waaa". Sure it was a traumatic and really harrowing experience to be kidnapped and kept in a hole in the ground with no privacy for 28 days in Afghanistan. The story is worth telling. But the repetition of all the apologizing to others for the stress and heartache they were experiencing in the letters written to family and friends was way over the top in terms of what readers need to get the point.

The verbatim conversations with the kidnappers and the whining day after day after day was so tiring to read. I just got so tired of Melissa's voice.

The prayers and hymns written out in full - too much for me.

What I did appreciate what her resilience and ability to remain thankful for things light daylight on a wall of the hole, the beauty of the landscape appreciated, engagement with her kidnappers and their interests (learning Pashto, teaching English, singing, relationships, etc).

The book could have been a lot shorter and succinct for the reader. I realize however that writing the book was part of her process of healing and appreciate it for that and the fact that all proceeds fund a school for women.

But as a reader, there was just too much personal religion, relationships, and whining for me.

[Meaghan Paulionis · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing account of Melissa Fung’s experience being held captive by kidnappers in Afghanistan. The story is captivating, emotional and real.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read, however the journalistic way of depicting her experience made for a slightly less than emotional account. It was more a series of events, during which I didn't feel like her descriptions of her mental state were enough to get me inside her head during that time. Would like to have more context around what actually happened outside during her ordeal. A brave woman

[Hildy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Under an Afghan Sky – A Memoir of Captivity recounts the traumatic abduction and confinement of Mellissa Fung a journalist who was held captive for 28 days in a dark, rancid hole in a small town on the outskirts of Kabul.

I read this book fairly quickly as the writing style is simple and easy to read but vivid in detail and dialogue. It is a poignant and somewhat riveting recollection of inner and mental strength and the author’s belief in God and faith in pray which I found to be ultimately inspiring.

It was interesting to read about the relationship, which I guess was one of friendliness (during most of their interaction) between the author and one of her captors. It just demonstrated that her captors were not bad people, but rather individuals pushed to the edge in a worn torn country, with harrowing poverty and divided by political and religious extremes. Within this set of pre-existing conditions, these individuals were eking out an existence by abducting and ransoming foreigners for a few hundred K. The author however portrayed her captors and the conversations they had with a lot of humanity that you were able to get a sense of who they were and not just a one dimensional stereotype of an Afghani captor.

Another thing I found interesting was that the author was not afraid of dying. There is always that possibility when you go to such war torn places like Afghanistan, but to be that mentally prepared (about the very real possibility) of getting killed was surprising to me.

The only thing I really did not like in the book was some of the background information and anecdotes from the author’s life which I thought were unnecessary and boring. However that is just my opinion, and does not take anything away from the fact that this is a poignant and gripping read.

[Heather Clitheroe · Rating 2 out of 5]

While Fung's story is compelling, the book reads like a script from a news segment: choppy and short. I wanted to like the story better because I felt so much sympathy for the author - her ordeal was, without a doubt, horrible. And though I did read on, it felt a bit like I was reading because of the sheer spectacle...which was disturbing to me. There's little understanding to be gained from the book. Her kidnappers are, she says, petty thieves. There's some discussion about the state of the police force in Afghanistan, and repeated mention that ransom was not paid, and some talk about the kind of work she was doing. But most of the book talks about her time in captivity which was, by her account, filled with moments of terror and long, long hours of boredom.

I feel conflicted saying that I didn't enjoy it much. I had hoped there would be more about her reintegration into her old life after her negotiated release, I think. Instead, a lot of remarks about the cookies her kidnappers ate. It's still a compelling story, but I felt a bit guilty for having read it at all.

It felt like the literary equivalent of watching while something really bad happened to somebody...and watching just for the sheer entertainment of it. Fung has recently said, in an interview, that she thought the experience of writing the book would be cathartic, but that it wasn't...and that if she had to do it again, she would not have written it. I think that sense runs through the book - that the expected release of emotions isn't there, for the author, and can't be found by the reader.

[Paula Dembeck · Rating 3 out of 5]

In October 2008, Melissa Fung, a CBC reporter embedded with Canadian troops in Afghanistan was on her second tour, a five-week assignment interviewing families affected by the war. As she left a refugee camp outside Kabul, she was abducted by several men and as she struggled against her captors, was stabbed in her hand and shoulder, blindfolded and shoved to the floor of a waiting car. They travelled a short distance by car, then by motorcycle and finally on foot, finally arriving at what would be her home for almost a month. It was a dark hole in the ground with a crude opening about the size of a manhole cover, hidden by a wooden door, dirt and rocks. The opening dropped about eight feet into the earth, with a twelve-foot tunnel branching out one side, leading to a small space with mud walls and a dirt floor. This is her account of that harrowing experience, surviving life underground and guarded by a band of thugs. She lived through fear she would be executed, was sexually assaulted, subsisted on a diet of cookies and juice and smoked hundreds of cigarettes. During her time in captivity, her interactions with her guards swung from trust to outright defiance, as endless days passed. They kept promising her she would be released “in a few days” but as those days came, passed and nothing happened, her hopes were followed by crushing disappointment. Time seemed to stand as she had no idea what was happening in the outside world or the progress of the negotiations for her release.

Mellissa was freed twenty-eight days after she was taken, still in one piece mentally and physically, although severely affected by her experience. Her greatest challenges were boredom and her inability to sleep, the unconscious state she longed for as an oblivious escape from “the hole”. As the days dragged on, she worried about how her family, friends and boyfriend Paul Workman, a CTV reporter also in the area, were doing, more concerned about them than her own safety.

She was continually guarded by rotating shifts of her captors who neither spoke nor understood English well. She passed every hour and each long day in a semi-dark enclosed space with men she did not know, their genders, language and culture all barriers between them. Khalid was the son of the man in charge of her case and the one she trusted most. There was also Shafirgullah and the despicable Abdulrahman, the fat, brutal man who raped her at knife point. Her guards were as bored as she was and Fung describes how at times they did things together, giving each other language lessons, praying, singing and playing Snake Xenia on the phone. She spent most of the time reciting the rosary, praying to God for help, recording her experience in her notebook and writing to her girlfriends, family and Paul. With little else to do, she worried about inconsequential things such as her planned trip to Dubai with Paul, whether all the colored drinks she was consuming would stain her teeth and whether all those sweet cookies would result in a cavities.

There was little discussion with her captors about politics. They identified themselves as “other Taliban” and feared the other scattered splinter groups who were more violent. It is clear Khalid’s plan to become a suicide bomber was more about pleasing his father and the twenty-five girlfriends he would have in paradise than his support for a political belief. As time passes, Mellissa realizes that these men are just a disorganized band of thugs, with less interest in political ideology and jihad and more interest in the money kidnapping foreigners brings in. They are taking advantage of the political chaos in their country to make easy money, buy AK47s and materials to make IEDS, and sell them to others at huge profits.

After days of praying, Mellissa begins to get desperate, not sure how much longer she can last, trying hard not to feel sorry for herself, and determined to stay positive. She questions God, wonders if her captors who pray to Allah at the same time she prays to her God, are speaking to the same entity. If so, she questions who this God is listening to and why he does not help her. If she calls him Allah, will he answer her? These thoughts push her to a dark place and when she realizes it, she stops herself and redirects her thoughts.

She considers “what if scenarios”, wondering if she could strangle the guard sleeping beside her and whether she could get out of the hole on her own, knowing it is eight feet up to the entrance and covered with a wooden board, dirt and rocks. She ultimately decides it would be foolish. If caught, she would be shot, and if she got out undetected, she had no idea where to go. She considers that if attacked, she might kill someone to defend herself, but is not certain. She does know that premediated murder is not something she could carry out.

Her story is not without its scary moments. It is clear these thugs are terrified of the “real Taliban” who every once in a while, are heard passing overhead. She and her captors know they will be killed if they are discovered or she might be sold to another terrorist group. The other more difficult thought is their fervent political ideology which leads them to publicly execute their hostages.

Interspersed with her day-to-day account of her incarceration are Paul’s letters. He shares what it is like waiting for news, knowing nothing about the negotiations for her release and his dark despair when he feels he has lost her.

Mellissa is finally released after a harrowing trip through the nighttime Afghan hills, a night in which she is mesmerized by the beautiful Afghan sky filled with stars. She explains little about the terms of her release but makes clear no ransom was paid, instead a hostage exchange was arranged. Her captors were never caught.

Readers will be affected by Fung’s story and impressed by her resilience and strength through this horrific experience. She is a very strong, brave woman and this is the incredible and moving story of her ordeal.

[J. E. Hewitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an gripping account of this journalist's ordeal being held hostage in Afghanistan. I've read other such stories and, even though more happened in them, I found them less compelling. That's not a great thing to say, I know ... gee, your story of being kidnapped is not as good as hers ... but in this case it's a journalist telling the story so inevitably it is well written and well paced. Although much of the story is about how she passed many intolerably horrid hours, it's never boring because it's quite a study in human nature. It's pretty amazing how she keeps up her hope in such a situation and does not become swamped by fear and despair. I am certain that I would not be as patient and forgiving as Ms. Fung! I read this book because it is up for the Evergreen award and I'm trying to read a few of those as I do every year.

[Jean Oram · Rating 2 out of 5]

Canadian journalist is captured by the Taliban in Afghanistan and held in a hole for a month while her kidnappers try to negotiate a lot of money for her return. However, she is an employee of a public broadcasting corp and there isn't a lot of money...

A memoir of how she kept her spirits up, connected with her captors, and subsisted on juice and cookies for a month. No showers. A dusty hole the size of most washrooms.

My husband really enjoyed the aspect of how Fung connected with her captors and understood why they were doing what they were. Personally, I wanted more 'on the back end.' In other words, after her release the book ended. I was curious about how she felt back home. Whether she really did form that cavity. How her reunion was with her boyfriend, etc.

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was interesting to read Amanda Lindhout's story about her experiences living in captivity in Somalia for over a year, then this book. Fung's story is not nearly as dire since she was treated comparatively well and released after only 28 days (even though she was held in an underground bunker for most of it!). Her advantage was having the CBC on her side whereas Lindhout was freelance (and green to boot). The most interesting part of this book was her focus on contrasting her religion (Christianity) with fundamentalist Islam, though she certainly could have dealt with this more deeply. The letters between her love (Paul Workman) and herself did not really add anything - rather repetitious and not very insightful.

[Bookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this story after reading Amanda Lindhout's story which unfortunately affected my overall enjoyment. I feel for the author as being captured and held hostage for a month is certainly a traumatic experience. I enjoyed the author's tell it like it is approach. As for plot, the author seemed to fill a lot of pages with her descriptions of living in Canada, her friends and her normal everyday life. I just didn't find those bits very interesting and detracted from the overall story. Although 30 days would feel like forever while in captivity, I just don't think it gives much to write about in a novel format. Perhaps a short story format would have been better.

[Kat Hodgins · Rating 2 out of 5]

As others have said, I really, really wanted to like this book ... but I didn't. I wanted to feel real empathy for Mellissa; I wanted to understand her experience; I wanted to get inside the head of her captors, get a feel for the realities. I didn't get any of that. I got a dis-jointed and repetitive narration that left me completely unsatisfied.
Mellissa Fung indicates in the afterword that she felt the need to write this book, and thought it would be therapeutic; in interviews since she says she did not experience any healing from it. I do feel for her, and hope she finds peace.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an amazing tale of capture, confinement and release. You feel you are in the cave with her and you hope, every time she hopes, for release.

Months later, I can still picture the dirt floor, the cramped conditions. Fung's faith is apparent.

As an interesting footnote, the 10th anniversary edition of The Walrus has a follow up piece by Fung that is a must read regarding what the whole presence of Canada in Afghanistan has meant from her perspective.

[Patrick · Rating 1 out of 5]

Whine, whine, whine... Nothing insightful in this book, with nothing much to say. Maybe that's why half of it is reprinting emails from her boyfriend. I made the mistake of reading this book after finishing "A House In The Sky" by Amanda Lindhout, another journalist held hostage by Islamic fundamentalists, but for a much longer length of time. Fung's book pales by comparison.

[Kristall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Under an Afghan Sky was an interesting book but ultimately disappointing. I had read The Dogs Are Eating Them Now by Graeme Smith who mentioned CBC reporter Mellissa Fung's ordeal after being kidnapped by Afghan criminals and held for ransom. Her story sounded intriguing and it is engaging however the writing is very repetitive, shallow, and choppy.

It's hard to separate Fung's unusual reactions and thoughts about being kidnapped from the actual writing. I don't want to judge her for how she experienced and interpretated her kidnapping. But some portions of her memoir did not sit right with me. In particular, her views on one of her kidnappers as being disgustingly fat. And how of course he was because he wolfed down cookies. In the next section, she expounds on how she gorges on food. How she loves food so much, it's all she thinks about sometimes. And yet, she's not disgusting? It's just fat people that are apparently. Because she's thin, of course eating "junk food" doesn't mean the same as when her fat kidnapper does. She seemed to equate his fatness with his unethical immoral behaviour. It's myopic and deeply disappointing. I know that he was not a good person. That he assaulted her. But that has nothing to do with his body size or shape. I had hoped that a reporter, someone who talks to every kind of person as her job, would be less fatphobic and less focused on people's body size.

The book ends abruptly, immediately after she's released. I wanted to know more about the negotiations for her release and how she reintegrated back into her old life. I was disappointed in the letters she decided to include in her memoir as well. They seemed pointless. I didn't get a very good sense of what was happening with her friends and family during her captivity.

I admire her resilience, bravery and ability to see her kidnappers as complicated misguided individuals rather than simply "bad".

[Gsmyles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fair. I feel badly for Mellissa- she didn't deserve to be kidnapped and she was actually luckier than most I have read about in similar predicaments. The book wasn't very intriguing though. I hope it has helped her heal from her ordeal. It was a good peek into the volatility of the kidnapper's moods and perhaps their lifestyles (maybe not if it was all based on lies) and the reasoning they use for themselves behind why they take foreigners to convert to cash. But the letters in between were pretty redundant, the story repeats itself because Mellissa is stuck in a hole with nowhere to go, and there is not a clear enough afterword that explains what transpired, how her reunions went with all of the people she felt guilty for worrying, and perhaps what connection to Afghanistan she still has- if any. Did she ever try to email Khalid? I read Lindhout's story about her abduction and captivity in Somalia it was just as long to get through- but more tedious and more horrifying. I read the story of Daniel Pearl, and also many North Korean prisoners that have been held against their will for "breaking" rules. Some of those have been much more compelling due to their examination of their relationships with God or the development of the relationships they had with their interrogrators or captors, or their deconstruction of their lives of privilege and the political war going on behind the scenes in negotiations for release. I am glad this story has a happy ending, but I don't think it is one of the better ones to read on the topic-- and I never want to see a sandwich cookie again.

[Casey Riddle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read Amanda Lindhout’s “A House in the Sky” last year and was engrossed by it. I picked up this book because it was a similar story (a Canadian woman abducted in a war-torn country). After reading it, all I’ve got to say is..... meh. It’s was alright but did not fair well in the shadow of the incredible true story of captivity that was “A House in the Sky”. Not to mention this book should NOT be called “Under and Afghan Sky”, but rather “Under the Afghan Sand” since 90% of the story takes place in a hole in the ground..

It is also strange how bland Mellissa’s writing style is considering her years of professional journalism. Most bizarre was the sexual assault that was briefly mentioned, but never really addressed again anywhere else in the story. Amanda was so raw and honest about the effect sexual violence had on her. Perhaps it’s because of her Catholic upbringing or that she had not fully processed the encounter when she wrote this story, but I was disappointed Mellissa did not confide in her readers how utterly destroying that experience must have been. I felt like throughout the story she never really divulged her whole truth. Mellissa held back.

This book was fine. Simply not the page turner I had been hoping for.

[Abbey Libs · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really good! For some reason I love stories revolving around Afghanistan and the female experience, this is one of the best in the genre. I found Melissa’s story very fascinating and her bravery as a woman very empowering. This story has an immediate dive into the action which makes it compelling the whole way through. Though the book does remain in a constant setting, it is never boring and I enjoy reading all the still moments. The book goes by very fast and resolves within the last 50 pages. (Apologies if this is a spoiler). I will say that there is mentions of SA and uncomfortable imagery revolving a male in the story, but no graphic context except mild mentions of blood.
Overall the book was really good and I loved reading about Melissa’s experience!!

[Bobi Tychynski · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hate reviewing biographies and memoirs. How can I be the judge of someone’s feelings or their experience? I feel evil to rate it less than perfect. Nonetheless the first 3/4 of this book was monotonous. I am glad I finished reading it though... her story arc was what it was- not much she could do as a captive but the insight into her experience was not particularly compelling.

I found the most interesting thing, which was at once irritating as it was interesting, was her experience of her captor Khalid who she humanizes throughout the book. I found this a tough nut to swallow. The blurred line between good and bad wasn’t really blurred for me at all, but for her it was.

[Joan Morin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This memoir was interesting but not as captivating as I thought it would be. She had been held in an underground type of cave in Afghanistan for almost a month and the descriptions of that were quite powerful. However, there was much repeating of her thoughts over and over. She didn't seem to be as scared as it would seem she should be. I found the ending very abrupt without any of her final thoughts on being released. I wondered how she was able to recall all the daily notations she made in her journal over the month. She stated that her journal books were taken from her by her captives so she would not have had them for reference.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Melissa Fung, a long time reporter for CBC The National, was leaving a refuge camp outside of Kabul in Oct. 2008 when she was grabbed by armed men claiming to be Taliban. She was shoved in a car, and later when the arrived in the middle of no where she was pushed into a hole in the ground where she lived for the next 28 days. This hole was barely big enough to stand up or lie down in, she had a variety of captors spend the time with her, serving her juice boxes and cookies were all they ate. Melissa spent her time, praying, writing and interrogating her captors. This is her story.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the route of Canadian journalist kidnapping stories, I had just finished A House In the Sky and The Price of Life, one or both had mentioned Melissa Fung's story. Great story and captivating writing, Melissa even mentions Amanda Lindhout in the story. Although much shorter than Lindhout's book, I think I enjoyed this so much because I related so much to her stories of the GTA. Overall great read.

[Boni Wagner-Stafford · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved Under an Afghan Sky: A Memoir of Captivity. Partly because I briefly worked with Melissa at CBC in Vancouver years ago, and partly because I love captivating (pardon the pun) nonfiction. I sensed Melissa was leaving certain details out, and if that is the case, I thank her for sparing me exposure to further horrors. Truly a great read, and sad that Melissa and other journalists must expose themselves to such risk to bring important stories to the world.

[Margo Allore · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had heard Ms. Fung speak a few years' ago. It was a great read of a journalist who was kidnapped in Afghanistan. Not kidnapped for political reasons but for money. She 29 days and 28 days of these in a hole. She outlined the day-to-day life and how she was treated. Of interest was her interactions with her Afghan kidnappers.

[Karen Cairns · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tale of strength. A well-written memoir that kept me fully engaged.

[Lester · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mellissa Fung..thank you so much for this story and wishes for happiness to you. Dream softly and well.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read - not what you would expect by the kidnappers

[Lindsey Grover · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a pretty easy read. The story keeps you interested.