A season in hell

the long version

"Robert Fowler was a dominant force in Canadian foreign affairs... On December 14, 2008, Fowler, acting as the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Niger, was kidnapped by Al Qaeda. Along with his colleague Louis Guay, Fowler lived, slept, and ate with his captors for over four months, gaining rare first-hand insight into the world's most feared terrorist group. For those 130 punishing days, Fowler survived in extreme desert conditions at the whims of his volatile kidnappers, fearing every moment could be his last. Fowler's capture, release, and subsequent media appearances have shed new light on the confrontation between Western values and violent Islamic fundamentalism. A Season in Hell is Fowler's riveting story of his captivity, told in his own words, but it is also a startlingly frank discussion about the state of a world redefined by clashing civilizations."--book jacket.