The riveting memoir of a Lebanese-Muslim-American and thirty-year US Marine veteran, who was seized in Yemen and spent six months in captivity--and an inspiring reminder that the best parts of the American dream are the dreamers As air strikes carpeted Yemen's capital, Sam Farran, a Muslim American who had immigrated from Lebanon at an early age and spent thirty years serving his adopted country in the US Marine Corps, was one of the few Americans in the war-ravaged country. They were there to conduct security assessments for a variety of international firms. Days after their arrival, they were brutally seized, separated and taken hostage by Houthi rebels. Sam would spend almost half a year suffering a horrific ordeal that would test his endurance, his loyalty and his very soul. Every day his Muslim captors asked him as a fellow Muslim to betray America--and to turn against what he had been for three decades: a proud Marine--in exchange for his freedom. Would he give in to the Houthis in exchange for freedom and a return to his Middle Eastern, tribal roots? In the end and despite the daily threats to his life, Sam found the strength to resist, and came out of his experience no longer a man of two countries, but rather an American. The Tightening Dark is an intimate, riveting and inspiring memoir of heroic strength, courage, survival and commitment to country. And a reminder that the best parts of the American dream are the dreamers--those who pledge to being American whether born on American soil or not.

The Tightening Dark: An American Hostage in Yemen

Biographies & Memoirs

Buchholz, Benjamin

Farran, Sam

Historical

Hachette Books

After 13 years in America, Abu Saheeh has returned to his native Iraq, a nation transformed by the American military presence. Alone in a new city, he has exactly what he wants: freedom from his past. Then he meets Layla, a whimsical fourteen-year-old girl who enchants him with her love of American pop culture. Enchanted by Layla's stories and her company, Abu Saheeh settles into the city's rhythm and begins rebuilding his life. But two sudden developments -- his alliance with a powerful merchant and his employment of a hot-headed young assistant -- reawaken painful memories, and not even Layla may be able to save Abu Saheeh from careening out of control and endangering all around them. A breathtaking tale of friendship, love, and betrayal, One Hundred and One Nights is an unforgettable novel about the struggle for salvation and the power of family.

One Hundred and One Nights

Literature & Fiction

United States

Back Bay Books

After 13 years in America, Abu Saheeh has returned to his native Iraq, a nation transformed by the American military presence. Alone in a new city, he has exactly what he wants: freedom from his past. Then he meets Layla, a whimsical fourteen-year-old girl who enchants him with her love of American pop culture. Enchanted by Layla's stories and her company, Abu Saheeh settles into the city's rhythm and begins rebuilding his life. But two sudden developments--his alliance with a powerful merchant and his employment of a hot-headed young assistant--reawaken painful memories, and not even Layla may be able to save Abu Saheeh from careening out of control and endangering all around them. A breathtaking tale of friendship, love, and betrayal, One Hundred and One Nights is an unforgettable novel about the struggle for salvation and the power of family.

One Hundred and One Nights: A Novel

In April 2005 they received the official alert: The Wisconsin Army National Guard's 2-127th Infantry Battalion was being mobilized. After training at Camp Shelby, Mississippi, the 620 soldiers of the Gator Battalion would serve in Operation Iraqi Freedom, providing armed convoy escort and route security throughout all of Iraq, from Umm Qasr in the south to Mosul in the far north. Their mission would take them into the most dangerous regions of Iraq, and during the next year the battalion would withstand hundreds of attacks, see dozens wounded, and lose three members killed in action. Private Soldiers chronicles the 2-127th's year-long deployment from the unique perspective of the soldiers themselves. Written and photographed by three battalion members, the book provides a rare first-hand account of war and life in Iraq. Fascinating soldier interviews reveal the effects of deployment on the troops and on their families back home, and interviews with Iraqi civilians describe the Iraqis' perceptions of life, war, and working alongside Wisconsin troops. Brilliant photography illuminates the 2-127th's year, from training to "boots on the ground" to their return home. And candid photos taken by battalion members capture the soldiers' day-to-day lives and camaraderie. An extremely timely and relevant account of soldiers' lives, Private Soldiers honors Wisconsin's participants in the Iraq war and helps readers understand the war's human side. All royalties from sales of Private Soldiers will go to the 2-127th's family support groups and to funds established in memoriam of the battalion members who gave their lives in the Iraq war.

Private Soldiers: A Year in Iraq with a Wisconsin National Guard Unit

History

Americas

Wisconsin Historical Society Press

An entrancing generational coming-of-age novel about a young woman, Dixie, who moves to 1960s-era New York City from small-town Idaho, trying to escape a devastating, deeply buried trauma. As she navigates Manhattan and her horizons expand—in this landscape so different from her own—the reverberations of her well-buried secret keep drawing her to catastrophe, like a moth to flame, or a siren calling sailors to their doom. Dixie builds a life for herself in NYC, but her buried secret catches up with her, and the cost may, ultimately be too much. This is a haunting, deeply affecting exploration of family, legacy, and the echoes of a soul trying to make meaning from pain.

Sirens of Manhattan

Literary

Bradley Publishing

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Books by Buchholz, Benjamin