Considering he wrote it so soon after the events that transpired, it's impressive that it is so clear and so readable. Unlike some of his more cautious colleagues he didn’t live on the university campus but in a villa nearby. Then he was captured by fundamentalists on his way to work, and taken to a prison cell that was smaller than most bathrooms. There were plenty of outbreaks of violence and some kidnappings, but they didn’t worry him too much.

I was intrigued as Middle East history and people overcoming struggles are things I enjoy reading about.

Instead I found myself compulsively reading every moment I could, determined to finish this incredible book before the meeting, and not wanting to miss a word. Brian and John became staunch friends during the time they were together, at times mystifying other hostages who crossed their paths over the years, with their irreverant treatment of each other.

I didn’t expect anything out of it, but I still discovered I had a number of expectations, because I discovered them whilst I was reading something that seemed to contradict what I subconsciously thought. Keenan shows little interest in the politics of his captors, but considerable insight into their minds.I imagine Keenan with his back straight and a steady hand as he wrote it – though how he could have managed that beats me. This book is a testament to humanity, though not the idealised view of humanity in which we "ride above adversity because in the end the human spirit wins out. With musings on politics, philosophy and religion and the human capacity for love - and evil - this book is a very important and moving read.