Taken Hostage at a Convent: A Journey Through the Middle East

by Ben Neynens

If Churchill were alive today, his riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma, would surely be located somewhere in the Middle East. With the region’s opacity so contradictory to its global importance, Taken Hostage At a Convent tells of a journey through those forbidding lands on a quest for familiarity. From titillating encounters with Syrian convent nuns to sobering reflections on Egyptian museology, the narrative seeks to balance insight with humor, and create an engaging and accessible account of a journey through one of the most complex and intriguing regions on the planet.

172 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 31, 2012

Reviews

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book free from Library Thing to read and review. If you are looking for a good way to view the Middle East through the eyes of a seasoned traveler, this is a good book to accomplish this feat. Frankly, I seldom read travel books or sagas of journeys others have made in various areas of the world, so this was a real different read for me. The author obviously can write well and has provided some wonderful verbal pictures of places I never would have thought of traveling through or of reading about. This is a real insider’s view of the area, along with often humorous details and descriptions of the locale and natives. Some of the verbiage is rather formal, making me feel as if I had signed on for a travelogue. I wondered, as the book became very conversational, flowing richly into descriptions and stories of encounters why it had not all been written like this. It was interesting and refreshing to note how nice everyone and everything was, with few deviations into the nastiness a seasoned traveler generally comes to expect. I learned a lot about the region and the people who live therein, which will become quite useful to me as I listen to the daily news casts about that part of the world. I will at least know that there aren’t terrorists waiting to kidnap you or worse still, kill you, waiting around every corner or in each small town. Instead, as a seasoned traveler also knows, there are wonderful people to meet, sights to see and experiences to be had. This is a different book from all the ones I generally pick up to read, and I am glad I did go through it because the story is richly done and wonderful to read while, at the same time, illustrating that people and places everywhere are, at heart, genuinely welcoming and good, if you just let them show it. I received this book free from Library Thing to read and review.

[S.E. Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't usually read books in present tense because I find them hard to read, but as a travel book this book accomplishes it's mission. It's good to find a travel book this is objective about the Middle East and the various cultures. Most travel books are disappointing because they are biased. Not this one.