A House in the Sky

A Memoir

By: Amanda Lindhout, Sara Corbett

Narrated by: Amanda Lindhout

Length: 13 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

Amanda Lindhout reads her spectacularly dramatic memoir of a woman whose curiosity about the world led her from rural Canada to imperiled and dangerous countries on every continent, and then into 15 months of harrowing captivity in Somalia - a story of courage, resilience, and extraordinary grace.

At the age of 18, Amanda Lindhout moved from her hardscrabble Alberta hometown to the big city - Calgary - and worked as a cocktail waitress, saving her tips so she could travel the globe. As a child, she escaped a violent household by paging through National Geographic and imagining herself in its exotic locales. Now she would see those places for real. She backpacked through Latin America, Laos, Bangladesh, and India, and emboldened by each experience, went on to travel solo across Sudan, Syria, and Pakistan. In war-ridden Afghanistan and Iraq she carved out a fledgling career as a TV reporter. In August 2008, she traveled to Mogadishu, Somalia - "the most dangerous place on Earth" - to report on the fighting there. On her fourth day in the country, she and her photojournalist companion were abducted.

An astoundingly intimate and harrowing account of Lindhout's 15 months as a captive, A House in the Sky illuminates the psychology, motivations, and desperate extremism of her young guards and the men in charge of them. She is kept in chains, nearly starved, and subjected to unthinkable abuse. She survives by imagining herself in a "house in the sky", looking down at the woman shackled below, and finding strength and hope in the power of her own mind. Lindhout's decision, upon her release, to counter the violence she endured by founding an organization to help the Somali people rebuild their country through education is a wrenching testament to the capacity of the human spirit and an astonishing portrait of the power of compassion and forgiveness.

©2013 Amanda Lindhout and Sara Corbett (P)2013 Simon & Schuster

Captivating

This story was very well written. She does a great job of making you feel like you're living her story with her.

A house in the sky

An inspiring account of what Amanda went through during her kidnapping in Somalia. The torture she endured.

The feelings rhe strength

Took my breathe away! I was on edge waiting for their release! Their strength and what they went through! Amazing and courageous!

Heartbreaking, compelling story

This is a story of two travelers in captivity for over a year in Somalia. It was difficult to listen to, more so knowing it is non-fiction, but I couldn’t put it down. At first Amanda’s senseless risk taking and naivety is frustrating, but as she continues recounting her story I began to understand her motives of entering Somalia despite all warnings. She gies into some very dark and scary moments, but her resilience, strength, and hope are worth the read. It was also interesting to see how she and her male friend were treated differently while in captivity- he also wrote a book, which will be my next to read as I would love to get his perspective. Go give Amanda’s book a read or listen though!

One of the best books I have ever read!

I cannot get this harrowing story out of my head. Among many things, the reader travels to many "forbidden" foreign countries experiencing many interesting cultures until Amanda is immersed in a crazy world of captivity with deprivation and the daily struggle to survive. But with all of its darkness, Amanda reveals how she triumphs each day, using the power of the mind coupled with human resilience and strategizes her own path to survival. I am in awe of Amanda for the quality person that she is surviving in the manner that she did, while still remaining so hopeful and compassionate towards others.

Touching and Inspiring

Where does A House in the Sky rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Amazing book ... several lessons to be learned thru this amazing real story ... On my top 3 list

Heartbreaking and fascinating

Wow. A wonderful story of strength. Good luck to you Amanda in everything you endeavor.

Such an amazing story

Prime example of why I read non-fiction. What an inspirational tale of survival. Well told and performed. This story was with me on my 20 hour car trip. Don’t think I could have done it without it. A few hours in I realized the author sounded exactly like my best friend from Edmonton. Thank you for sharing your story with the world!

Read this book.

Saw Amanda in television describing how Adam was caught and felt compelled to purchase the book, my first audio book, for back story. I am aghast. Captivity so much worse. Exellant read. Bless you Amanda and continue your good charity work.

Riveting, incredible, disturbing story.

First heard about this story on one of my fav shows “Locked Up Abroad” that recounted the disturbing true story of what these 2 went through. A Canadian Journalist and her ex-boyfriend, Australian photographer, had been kidnapped, tortured and held ransom for 15 months in Somalia. On the show it was Nigel telling his short version of the story. This book is Amanda’s long, disturbing, agonizing, detailed story. Starts off a little slow as she talks about her childhood, but gets real interesting as she starts to travel… Until finally when they are captured. Then the real story begins.
Also if you love to travel, you’ll like this book. She tells of her travel adventures too. Really good listen.