118 Days

Greetings everyone,

Last night I was up a little too late, absolutely engrossed in a book. (It's been too long since doing this, as having reading assigned to me for school takes all the joy out of said reading). But this one I chose of my own accord. It was important, and close to home.

Christian Peacemaker Teams, the organization I worked for most of my time in the Middle East and on the US/Mexico border, has just published "118 Days: Christian Peacemaker Teams Held Hostage in Iraq." As you know, I returned from Iraq to begin seminary, and Tom Fox, the person who joined the team in my place, was taken hostage along with my colleague Jim and two visiting delegates, and Tom was later killed. This is one of the events that has made it very hard for me to feel at peace in completing my studies.

I find it incredibly helpful and cathartic reading--too much grief at the time had to be 'shelved' because I was also in the midst of changing churches and seminaries. I also find it to be helpful in doing my own writing work now; I just sent back my revisions to the publisher for my Iraq memoir, which ends a little before this book picks up. It also helps me to think about how I will prepare my next book, which is the memoir from jail.

If you are interested in purchasing the book for yourself, or recommending it to your bookstore or library, please visit 118days.org. Also, here is a short clip if would like to read a bit:

On November 26, 2005, Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) members Tom Fox and Jim Loney along with delegation members Norman Kember and Harmeet Sooden were kidnapped in Iraq. Tom Fox was killed on March 9, 2006. Jim, Norman and Harmeet were freed two weeks later on March 23 after 118 days of captivity.
The kidnapping of these four peacemakers was like a rock thrown into a pond.
This collection describes the ripples on the water, the impact and results of that rock, in stories characterized by hope, courage, friendship, and forgiveness. 118 Days bears witness to vital peacemaking being done around the world in these times.
Tricia Gates Brown is the editor of pieces from 23 contributors to this volume.