Some of you may remember Jessica Buchanan’s name from the news, and with good reason; while on a humanitarian aid mission in Somalia (and hoping to settle there), she and a colleague were kidnapped by Somali pirates and held hostage for ninety-three days until a rescue operation was ordered.
Determined not to remain silent about her experience, Jessica Buchanan, along with Erik Landemalm and Anthony Flacco wrote a first-hand account of the experience, and titled it Impossible Odds.
Though the book has been spruced up here and there to be exciting for the reader and retain your attention, everything is based on facts and first-hand accounts. The whole ordeal is chronicled from start to finish, beginning with the events in Buchanan’s life prior to the kidnapping, going through the torturous three months, and ending with the harrowing and nail-biting hostage rescue during which SEAL Team Six killed nine pirates without harming the hostages or suffering casualties themselves.
This is not only a look at how the operation was conducted from the government’s side, but it is also an in-depth exploration of what being a hostage for the Somali pirates was like. It pretty much looks at all sides of the equation, even attempting to explain to reasoning behind the Somali pirates’ actions.
Though the book has been spruced up here and there to be exciting for the reader and retain your attention, everything is based on facts and first-hand accounts. The whole ordeal is chronicled from start to finish, beginning with the events in Buchanan’s life prior to the kidnapping, going through the torturous three months, and ending with the harrowing and nail-biting hostage rescue during which SEAL Team Six killed nine pirates without harming the hostages or suffering casualties themselves.
This is not only a look at how the operation was conducted from the government’s side, but it is also an in-depth exploration of what being a hostage for the Somali pirates was like. It pretty much looks at all sides of the equation, even attempting to explain to reasoning behind the Somali pirates’ actions.
All in all, I have to say that I was pretty well entertained by this book, in the sense that it really allowed me to get as close as possible to such a harrowing experience without actually going through it. The story is told with exceptional detail in regards to every single perspective, and regardless of whether you’d want to read this book for the emotions experienced by Buchanan or to learn about the SEAL Team Six operation, you’ll definitely find all the juicy details you could ever ask for.
All in all, this is one of the most well-written and interesting books in the “real military operations” genre (at least that’s what I like to call it) and I can safely recommend it to pretty much anyone interested in Buchanan’s story.
 | Jessica BuchananPersonal site Jessica Buchanan’s story is an extraordinary one, as she was once captured by Somali pirates, alongside Poul Hagen, and held in captivity for a few months until a team of Navy SEALs raided the compound she was held on, safely freeing them both. She wrote a book as an account of the events, titling it Impossible Odds. |
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