Even though Taseer (or his ghost writer) tells the story of those harrowing 5 years (starting from his father's shocking murder to his miracle release from captivity) in sparse, tightly controlled sentences, no one can quite understand the depth of fear, confusion and loss that this family and this man has faced. I wish he'd been more verbose, more emotive and more opinionated in this book. He and his family represent the 1% elite of the country with a life trajectory, options and lifestyle entirely separate from the ordinary citizens. You will not get a sense or taste of his privileged life before or since those 5 years. For his father to be confronted and taken out by a guard (essentially a servant from one of the lowest financial and class brackets) and for Taseer to be kidnapped by faceless, nameless nobodies, has got to be a cruel irony. Anyone looking to warp their mind around this clash of haves and havenots will have to look elsewhere. These are perhaps Taseer's own bare words, barely there, sanitized for mass consumption.

He is not looking for answers on what or why it happened to him or his father. He's not looking to be an activist or a leader. He has no take on frequent killings of citizens and foreigners over blasphemy allegations since 2018, the lack of accountability of 'establishment' and political class in playing the religious and national security cards, and the monopoly of resources and budgets (with benefits, subsidies and tax breaks) for vested interest groups instead of citizen development, the increase in divide between haves and havenots and the hate and polarization seeping into Pakistani DNA, especially the young people. As a young man and survivor of traumatic terrorist events, he has no advice for PTSD sufferers and disempowered angry young men. His post-kidnap adjustment to relationships (whether with his first wife or second one, children, or his siblings) and in business, remains unknown (you'll have to watch interviews posted on youtube for that). Basically, all the things (and introspection) expected in the Western World from survivors of violence are non-existent in Taseer's autobiography. You'll have to check out his twitter feed to realize his bravery and potential for social change, and psychoanalyze his RTs for subliminal messages on what ails Pakistan. However, in this book, he comes across as someone who wants to disappear into the crowd without another thought, to live a quiet, peaceful life, and this book is his parting shot.

There are plenty of hair-raising, frightful scenes in the book. The chapter on how Salman Taseer's last day unfolded for his family is engrossing.

Essential reading even if the book is a bit mentally and emotionally barren.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC and all the best to the author and his family.

This is the story of a young man held captive for five years, the story of his pain and his struggle. A well written account of his time in captivity. The writing is amazing.
Even if you are not interested in politics or non fiction, read this book for excellent writing.

I have been on a nonfiction kick recently and this one stood out for many reasons. I loved the honesty and emotion. I felt like I was in the moment with the author and I felt like the articulation of the circumstances were easy to understand which I appreciated with such a complex issue.

An important and moving account. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a review.

An extraordinary account of one man’s captivity at the hands of a terrorist group for more than four and a half long years. And he lived to share this story. Shabhaz Taseer, a businessman in Lahore, Pakistan was abducted by a militant group while on his way to work in August 2011. His family was well known. His father, a highly successful business leader and governor of the Punjab province was assassinated in January 2011 for his criticism of the country’s blasphemy laws. The author’s captors demanded an exorbitant ransom and freeing of a number of prisoners in exchange, including the individual responsible for his father’s assassination. This is a vivid, intense, and tightly written account of what the author went through during these harrowing years - the depths of despair, the psychological batterings,the taunting, and of course, the physical abuse and torture. In all of this, he found ways to hold out hope, find do,ace in the Quran, and be thankful for the tiny bits of humanity extended to him from unlikely sources. It is astounding that he lived through this horrific ordeal, was able to escape, and live to write this book. I can only attribute this to the fact that, like his father, his belief that “I am not made from a wood that burns easily” is what kept his drive and spirits alive. Besides the riveting account, I was pleasantly surprised at the writing - well crafted, tightly written, superbly expressed, and well paced. At the end of the book I wondered how can someone move forward in life with such a traumatic past. God willing, he and his family are able to as much as possible with the same resilience, fortitude, and grit the author demonstrated in his years in captivity. This is an unforgettable read. Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.