A few years ago I read A House in the Sky by Amanda Lindhout. A true story about a woman from Red Deer who used to travel to Africa for humanitarian work. In Somalia, her and her colleague were kidnapped. She was physically abused, raped, tortured, etc before being released a year and a half later. Some pretty graphic details in the book. She went on a tour about her experiences and even returned to Somalia years later to continue her humanitarian work. I hate saying it was an excellent read given her experience, but it really was captivating and inspiring to read of her strength to get through it.
Unfortunately it didn't seem to have a happy ending in real life. Apparently the colleague and her disputed the facts of what happened and had a big falling out. As well, she had a pretty big following on social media, but it was pretty clear that she was having mental health issues that was exasperated by a bunch of perverted dudes with kidnapping/rape fetishes messaging her constantly. She said that every man she tried to date ended up being some pervert who had a fetish for her experiences, so she gave up on having romantic relationships. A few years ago she just disappeared off socials and the public eye, and I haven't heard from her since. Hope she's doing okay.
|