Kabul 24 - Book Review

I chose to read and review Kabul 24 by Henry O. Arnold and Ben Pearson.

I have to admit, I do not watch much of the news, so I was not familiar with the story.

This book tells the FAITH that held this group together.

They were kidnapped by the Taliban and forced to live in very poor conditions.

Their FAITH is what brought them home, safe!

The headlining sentence on the back says...

YOU CAN'T KIDNAP SOMEONES HOPE.

That right there grabbed my attention.

Kabul 24 is the story of members of Shelter Now International. (SNI) This group was composed of 8 Christian workers, from Western Countries, who answered Gods calling to come and help the refugees of Afghanistan learn to rebuild and relearn. Once in Afghanistan, they had 16 Afghan's that joined with them in the reconstruction of their country.

The Taliban set out to kidnap them, as they thought that they were a threat to them.
The Taliban felt as though the SNI members were trying to convert them to Christianity.
When taking the SNI 8, they also took the Afghan members as well.

Therefore, they became the Kabul 24.

I thought that although this book is titled, Kabul 24, you really learn more of the SNI 8. I feel as though the name lead me to think that they were going to go into more coverage of the Afghan 16.

I really enjoyed learning about the work that Shelter Now International has done for Afghanistan. I think one of the things I enjoyed the most about this book was although they were faced with MANY things that would bring most people down, they kept their faith and realized that they could overcome anything.

One thing that hit home was that no matter what they faced, they made a vow to let no one be killed at their expense to be free.
This book shows that although there are members of the Taliban that are not the nicest people, there are also Afghans willing to risk their life for what is right, and in this case, that meant helping the Kabul 24. Some of the Afghans we meet in this book help to remind you that although there is still so much prejudice in the world, you really can not stereotype everyone. They even show us how the Taliban treat prisoners, that had not even done anything wrong!

I am glad I had the chance to read Kabul 24.

I will say though, I had a really hard time getting into it.
Maybe it is because I read more fiction, but towards the end, it had my complete attention and I had a hard time putting it down.

I really like that they told us what has happened with the Kabul 24 since their capture. (After 105 days of being held hostage, you wonder what they do now... )

I do feel lucky to have been able to "sit in" on the meetings of their faith...

The scriptures that kept them from totally losing it all, the songs that they wrote to keep their spirits lifted. The personal thoughts and fears that they dealt with...

I just wish they had more pictures in the book. I guess that means I will have to see the movie now!

Book Description

The story of the capture and imprisonment of eight Western aid workers in Afghanistan by the Taliban.

For three months in 2001, the desperate plight of aid workers kidnapped by the Taliban in Afghanistan captured the attention of the world. With the growing specter of U.S. retaliation for 9/11, the Taliban and Osama bin Laden attempted to use their Western hostages as bargaining tools. What the captors did not count on was coming face-to-face with the enduring faith of people who know their only hope was in Christ.

Kabul 24 revisits their grueling interrogations, their sham trials before the Taliban Supreme Court, their peril during the bombing of Kabul, and the crushing sense that the world had abandoned them. It reveals not only the eight Westerners’ 105 days in captivity but also the gauntlet endured by their 16 Muslim coworkers who, after being taken to the notorious Pulicharki Prison, were beaten and tortured, having been accused by the Taliban of converting to Christianity.

***** I received a free copy of Kabul 24 for review purposes. *****