Categories: uncategorized
Date: 25 March 2007 09:03:58
Hostage in Iraq by Norman Kember is a wierd book which makes a surprisingly easy read. As is admitted within the introduction and acknowledgements the publishers had to take what was primarily a scientific report written by an academic and turn it into a readable account without losing his voice. That is one of the things that actually makes this book quite grandfatherly in tone and so tends to make the style of the book both annoying and reassuring in equal measure.
As the book makes clear a kidnap ordeal leads to days of nothingness, time to be filled without being eaten up by the negativity of the situation. This means that in reality the main body of the book is quite dull, although the detail and humanity within it makes it readable. What is far more interesting though are the chapters that revolve around life outside captivity. The chapter "Have Banner, Will Travel" which is far more autobiographical in style and outlines aspects of the life journey which led Norman to Iraq is the best bit of the book. Within that chapter you have a love story unfolding, a faith emerging, "celebrities" being encountered, friends being made, principles being formed and more. The other highly readable part of the book is the final one, in which Norman reflects and seeks to honestly and with integrity face up to the questions he and others are left with after his ordeal. This made one wonder if infact rather than an account of his ordeal whether an autobiography with a chapter or two within it about the kidnap wouldn't have been more useful.
Personally there were two small paragraphs / sentences in the book which I found particularly interesting, probably because of my own denominational background.
The first was on page 21 where he said:
"During the 1960s I found myself unwilling to live up to a challenging standard of discipleship and thus fell away from both the FoR and the BPF to pursue my career and family life as a comfortable member of a Baptist Church. I taught in Sunday School and helped at a club for children. It took me until the 1980s to accet that none can fully live up to the high calling of being followers of Jesus - of being called Christians."
The second on page 192 was:
"Is Baptist spirituality useful in such as situation? My answer is 'no' or 'largely no'. ... I find it difficult to concentrate and the contemporary Baptist forms of worship with their emphasis on songs of praise cannot be readily transferred to conditons of confinement."