A House in the Sky
A Memoir
Large Print - 2013 | Large print edition
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Opinion
From Library Staff
From Library Staff
I was really inspired and touched by the journey Amanda has made and her willingness to share this story and to forgive her abusers.
Amanda, a Canadian freelance journalist from Alberta, likes traveling around the world. She visits Kabul, Baghdad, Addis Ababa, Cairo, and finally, Somalia, where she is a captured and kept in captivity for 460 days. The book is a moving account of how Amanda stayed alive and how strength, endura... Read More »
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Age Suitability
Add Age SuitabilityStephanie Gisela Mckenzie thinks this title is suitable for 16 years and over
Quotes
Add a QuoteP.43
... Travel gave me something to talk about, something to be. That I'd just been to Nicaragua or was thinking about going to Ethiopia seemed, in the eyes of the people I encountered at work, to override the fact I hadn't been to college or that I was late in getting a round of dirty mojitos to table nine. It helped erase the past, too, allowing me to duck questions about where I'd grown up or who my parents were. Among travelers, talking about the past usually meant talking about the just passed. The expiration date on old experiences came quickly. What mattered most was where you were going next.
Comment
Add a CommentI have read this memoir more than once, because even though it is a raw and traumatic story, it is also one of resilience and strength. There is darkness in the journey Amanda shares, but there is also moments of deep human compassion and perseverance. Amanda’s story is one that will stay with you.
recommended by Judy Westbrook, may be intense. Author from Red Deer.
This was such a good book, and very well written.I could not put this book down! Not going to lie, it took me a good week to stop thinking about the horrors she went through.
Such a great read. I could NOT put this book down. An amazing story of strength and willpower.
What a powerful book! Amanda does a wonderful job of weaving in hints of her kidnapping into the early pages of her story, adding a touch of unease to her descriptions of discovering the world. Even though we know she survives her ordeal, the tension and horror of those 400+ days of captivity will haunt you forever. This is a book I will never forget.
9.
A well written memoir. This book was moving in so many ways...Amanda’s story is inspiring. Hard to believe that I didn't know it happened!
Amanda, a Canadian freelance journalist from Alberta, likes traveling around the world. She visits Kabul, Baghdad, Addis Ababa, Cairo, and finally, Somalia, where she is a captured and kept in captivity for 460 days. The book is a moving account of how Amanda stayed alive and how strength, endurance and the spirit of forgiveness can help a person to survive even the darkest moments. I was really inspired and touched by the journey Amanda has made and her willingness to share this story and to forgive her abusers. (Submitted by Ilona)
I'm surprised so many have said that the first chapters were slow and dragged on. I really appreciated hearing her travels and her descriptions of the exotic places that she visited. Places that most people will never in their lifetime visit.
What a fantastic book. I couldn't put it down. I was in awe of the strength and resilience that carried her through.
A harrowing memoir of a young Canadian woman held captive in Somalia for 15 months. Unfortunately for Amanda, she was blamed and judged for her experience. Why was she in such a dangerous country etc.? I think she does a good job explaining how it all came about. Though some said the beginning of the book was slow, I think she needed to show her great experiences with travel before Somalia--even in countries she was told not to go to like Pakistan and Afghanistan. This set up her decision to go to Somalia (along with being young and naive). While being held captive she showed strength of mind and spirit beyond expectation. Especially frustrating and crazy was the description of her attempted escape. Great reading even if you don't think you like nonfiction.