Six Years a Hostage
The Extraordinary Story of the Longest-Held Al Qaeda Captive in the World
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Narrated by:
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Byron Mondahl
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By:
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Stephen McGown
About this listen
The extraordinary story of the longest-held Al Qaeda captive in the world.
Stephen McGown was en route from London to South Africa, on a once-in-a-lifetime trip by motorbike, returning home to Johannesburg. He had reached Timbuktu, in Mali, when he was captured, along with a Dutch and a Swedish national, by Al Qaeda Islamist militants. Steve was taken because he held a British passport. He was subsequently held hostage at various camps in the Sahara Desert in the north-west of Africa for nearly six years before eventually being released.
Life as Steve had known it changed in that instant that he was taken at gunpoint. He had nothing to bargain with and everything to lose. For the next six years, he reluctantly engaged in what he came to call the greatest chess game of his life.
Thousands of kilometres to the south, in Johannesburg, the shock of Stephen's capture struck the McGown family and his wife, Cath, with whom he had, until recently, been living in London. They immediately began efforts to secure Steve's release, through diplomatic channels and in every other way they felt might have a chance of seeing Stephen freed.
But as the months of captivity became years, Steve was compelled to go to extraordinary lengths to survive. Making it back home alive became his sole aim. To accomplish this, he realised that he would have to do everything he could to raise his status in the eyes of his captors. To this end, he taught himself Arabic and French, and also converted to Islam, accepting a new name, Lot.
To this day, Steve retains the unenviable record of being the longest-held surviving prisoner of Al Qaeda. While he was undoubtedly always Al Qaeda's captive, through the long years he spent in intimate proximity to his captors, Steve got to see the Islamist militants as few other Westerners have ever seen them.
Six Years a Hostage is not only a remarkable story of mental strength, physical endurance and the resilience of the human spirit, but also, significantly, a unique and nuanced perspective on one of the world's most feared terrorist groups. Steve did not merely survive his terrible ordeal; he emerged from the desert a changed - stronger, more positive - human being.
This is Stephen McGown's remarkable story, as told to Tudor Caradoc-Davies, a freelance writer, editor and author based in Cape Town, South Africa. After seven years spent working for glossy magazines such as Men's Health, GQ, Best Life and Women's Health, he now contributes to a range of publications. He also writes for the (South African) Sunday Times, and Red Bulletin.
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In January 2012, having covered a Somali pirate trial in Hamburg for Spiegel Online International, Michael Scott Moore traveled to the Horn of Africa to write about piracy and ways to end it. In a terrible twist of fate, Moore himself was kidnapped and subsequently held captive by Somali pirates for 977 days. Yet Moore’s own struggle is only part of the story: The Desert and the Sea falls at the intersection of reportage, memoir, and history.
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Wow!
- By Jonathan on 08-04-18
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The Translator
- By: Daoud Hari
- Narrated by: Mirron Willis
- Length: 6 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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The young life of Daoud Hari—his friends call him David—has been one of bravery and mesmerizing adventure. He is a living witness to the brutal genocide under way in Darfur. The Translator is a suspenseful, harrowing, and deeply moving memoir of how one person has made a difference in the world—an on-the-ground account of one of the biggest stories of our time.
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Horrific
- By B.S.Johnston on 04-02-24
By: Daoud Hari
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The Beast
- Riding the Rails and Dodging Narcos on the Migrant Trail
- By: Oscar Martinez, Francisco Goldman - introduction, Daniela Maria Ugaz - translator, and others
- Narrated by: Timothy Andrés Pabon
- Length: 10 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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One day a few years ago, 300 migrants were kidnapped between the remote desert towns of Altar, Mexico, and Sasabe, Arizona. A local priest got 120 released, many with broken ankles and other marks of abuse, but the rest vanished. Óscar Martinez, a young writer from El Salvador, was in Altar soon after the abduction, and his account of the migrant disappearances is only one of the harrowing stories he garnered from two years spent traveling up and down the migrant trail from Central America and across the US border.
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Phony accents
- By Gina on 05-17-22
By: Oscar Martinez, and others
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The Fear Bubble
- Harness Fear and Live Without Limits
- By: Ant Middleton
- Narrated by: Ant Middleton
- Length: 8 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Ant Middleton is no stranger to fear: as a point man in the Special Forces, he confronted fear on a daily basis, never knowing what lay behind the next corner, or the next closed door. In his groundbreaking new book, Ant Middleton thrillingly retells the story of his death-defying climb of Everest and reveals the concept of the 'Fear Bubble', showing how it can be used in our lives to help us break through our limits. Powerful, unflinching and an inspirational call to action, The Fear Bubble is essential listening for anyone who wants to push themselves further....
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Great book
- By Avid reader on 06-09-20
By: Ant Middleton
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Fast Times in Palestine
- A Love Affair with a Homeless Homeland
- By: Pamela J. Olson
- Narrated by: Julia Farhat
- Length: 10 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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Pamela Olson, a small town girl from eastern Oklahoma, had what she always wanted: a physics degree from Stanford University. But instead of feeling excited for what came next, she felt consumed by dread and confusion. This irresistible memoir chronicles her journey from aimless ex-bartender to Ramallah-based journalist and foreign press coordinator for a Palestinian presidential candidate.
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Palestine from the Inside—and Out
- By Susie on 11-04-13
By: Pamela J. Olson
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Cry Havoc
- By: Captain Simon Mann
- Narrated by: Captain Simon Mann
- Length: 16 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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On March 7, 2004, former SAS soldier and mercenary Simon Mann prepared to take off from Harare International Airport. His destination was Equatorial Guinea; his intention was to remove one of the most brutal dictators in Africa in a privately organized coup d’état. The plot had the tacit approval of Western intelligence agencies, and Mann had already planned, overseen, and won two wars in Angola and Sierra Leone. So why did it go so wrong?
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Average
- By Miriam Majome on 08-23-15
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The Way Forward
- Master Life's Toughest Battles and Create Your Lasting Legacy
- By: Robert O'Neill, Dakota Meyer
- Narrated by: Robert O'Neill, Dakota Meyer
- Length: 8 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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American Sniper meets Make Your Bed in these life lessons from decorated United States service members and New York Times bestselling authors Robert O’Neill and Dakota Meyer—an in-depth, fearless, and ultimately redemptive account of what it takes to survive and thrive on battlefields from Afghanistan and Iraq to our daily lives, and how the perils of war help us hold onto our humanity.
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Hit with emotions
- By Josh on 03-12-22
By: Robert O'Neill, and others
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The Love Stories of the Bible Speak
- Biblical Lessons on Romance, Friendship, and Faith
- By: Shannon Bream
- Narrated by: Shannon Bream
- Length: 7 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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The Bible reveals not just butterflies and broken hearts. In Scripture, we see God’s beautiful design for the partnership of marriage. We witness friendships that cross all boundaries. We watch as families navigate the many seasons of life. Our guiding example for them all is the deepest, most abiding, foundational love ever known: God’s unconditional love for His people. In The Love Stories of the Bible Speak, Shannon Bream draws lessons from the good, the bad, and the ugly of Biblical romances, friendships, and families.
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Uplifting and motivational book
- By Joseph Sullivan on 03-31-23
By: Shannon Bream
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Drone Warrior
- An Elite Soldier's Inside Account of the Hunt for America's Most Dangerous Enemies
- By: Brett Velicovich, Christopher S. Stewart
- Narrated by: Brett Velicovich, Roger Wayne
- Length: 8 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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For nearly a decade, Brett Velicovich was at the center of America's new warfare: using unmanned aerial vehicles - drones - to take down the world's deadliest terrorists across the globe. One of an elite handful in the entire military with the authority to select targets and issue death orders, he worked in concert with the full human and technological network of American intelligence - assets, analysts, spies, informants - and the military's elite operatives to stalk, capture, and eliminate high-value targets in al-Qaeda and ISIS.
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So Few Protecting the Many!
- By Gerald J. Vogt on 09-11-17
By: Brett Velicovich, and others
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Kidnapped by the Taliban
- A Story of Terror, Hope, and Rescue by SEAL Team Six
- By: Dilip Joseph
- Narrated by: Vikas Adam
- Length: 5 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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An American physician in rural Afghanistan faces the unimaginable. Dilip Joseph dreams of life as a medical humanitarian. In 2009 his dream comes true as he joins the staff of Colorado-based Morning Star Development, a nonprofit community and economic development organization. On December 5, 2012, Dr. Joseph and two native colleagues, en route from a medical clinic in an Afghan village to Kabul, find themselves face-to-face with four men carrying AK-47s.
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Very Good Story
- By The Paramedic on 04-27-15
By: Dilip Joseph
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The Last Rescue
- How Faith and Love Saved a Navy SEAL Sniper
- By: Howard Wasdin
- Narrated by: Daniel Butler
- Length: 9 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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The Last Rescue is an unforgettable tale of brokenness and healing, going deep into the firing line of modern warfare, through the agony of broken marriages, and onto a path of redemption and love. With a clear-eyed view of the inevitability of heartache and the power of God's faithfulness, Howard and Debbie remind us that no matter what our circumstances, we should never, ever, give up hope.
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Narrators
- By Trey Lewis on 03-27-15
By: Howard Wasdin
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Love, Africa
- A Memoir of Romance, War, and Survival
- By: Jeffrey Gettleman
- Narrated by: Charlie Thurston
- Length: 11 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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A seasoned war correspondent, Jeffrey Gettleman has covered every major conflict over the past 20 years, from Afghanistan to Iraq to the Congo. For the past decade, he has served as the East Africa bureau chief for the New York Times, fulfilling his teenage dream of living in Africa. Love, Africa is the story of how he got there - and of his difficult, winding path toward becoming a good reporter and a better man.
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Loved this book!!!
- By Benjamin on 05-26-17
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Six Minutes to Freedom
- How a Band of Heroes Defied a Dictator and Helped Free a Nation
- By: Kurt Muse, John Gilstrap
- Narrated by: Paul Heitsch
- Length: 10 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Six Minutes to Freedom is the remarkable tale of Kurt Muse's arrest and harrowing months of imprisonment; his eyewitness accounts of torture; and the plight of his family as they fled for their lives. It is also the heart-pounding account of the only American civilian ever rescued by the elite Delta Force. Timelier than ever, this is a thrilling and highly personal narrative about one man's courage and dedication to his beliefs.
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excellent book!
- By Andrew Tomlet on 07-05-21
By: Kurt Muse, and others
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Legion Rising
- Surviving Combat and the Scars It Left Behind
- By: Jeff Morris, LC Mickler
- Narrated by: Jack Ares, Audra Buras
- Length: 7 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Not everyone has pulled shards of another man's skull from the palm of their hand. Not everyone has stood over the bodies of friends whose lives were lost in an instant. Not everyone has struggled to face their own reflection for years on end. But anyone who has experienced trauma or adversity will resonate with Legion Rising, the unflinchingly honest account of an army officer's journey through combat in the Iraq War and rising beyond the scars that trauma leaves behind.
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The vivid memories
- By Chris Wright on 01-21-24
By: Jeff Morris, and others
What listeners say about Six Years a Hostage
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Kindle Customer
- 03-07-22
absolutely amazing
This is one of the best books I've listened to in a very long time...emotional, compelling. I definitely recommend it
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- Anonymous User
- 07-29-22
It's a visit to the desert you won't forget.
We need to learn from each others stories. This is a good story to learn from.
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- Isaac
- 11-09-22
couldn't stop listening
harrowing account. author went through hell and came out better. fascinating, gripping, real. after the first chapter, you won't be able to stop it.
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- Anonymous User
- 10-06-21
Excellently written biography
This was a captivating book. Not only because of the story, but the sensitive, introspective and multi-perspective manner in which the book is written and presented. There are chapters written from the perspective of the author's (and thus the hostage's) wife and father. This provides the story with an extra gripping and actually heart-wrenching edge. It brings the tragedy and the absolute trauma of the event to life and thus the book isn't just reduced to a memoire, but to something that you feel in the depth of your soul. I was a bit traumatised and teary for a few days. Not because of violence or horror - there is little violence retold in this book - but because of the enormous emotional burden that such an event places on the victim's very soul and on the victim's family. I feel a bit heart broken when I think about it, but I really feel that this book has been so sensitively written that I am encouraged by the author's journey - that the human soul can be absolutely crushed and then can recover - if one is willing and receptive and if one allows oneself TIME. This was one of the greatest take-aways from this book for me - horrible gut-wrenching tragedies can hi-jack our lives. But if one allows the spirit and soul the required humility, openness and time to heal, in most circumstances, one needn't remain broken. Well done to the author, I think you did a great job.
The narrator is very average (sorry narrator!). I LOVED that it was a South African who was the narrator, since the story is written from the perspective of a South African. However, I was very disappointed that the narrator was struggling with pronunciation of words and names that were not English. I believe he did his best, by his child-like, slow and deliberate pronunciation of Afrikaans and African names in the book, but it did sound like he never really had to pronounce these names before, and they are quite common in South Africa and one should not have trouble pronouncing htem. I also found his pronunciation of some of the Arabic words unsatisfactory - by now we should all know how to pronounce Allahu Akbar correctly, it is not an uncommon phrase, although Arabic is not commonly heard in South Africa. Other than that, I enjoyed to listen to the narrator.
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- Liandi
- 02-03-22
Gripping stuff!
Wow! I couldn't stop listening. What a story! Many life lessons as well as insight. I would also give the narrator 10 out of 10!
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- Englishrosie
- 05-18-24
What an amazing person. I didn’t want this book to end.
From the beginning to the end I was hooked. I couldn’t stop listening. What a fascinating account of a horrendous event. I loved how positive Steve stayed for his self preservation. Just wow!
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- Beverley Clark
- 09-05-24
Stephen’s perspective on his experience is so brave and so unexpected.
The narrator was not good at all. I think it is a narrator’s duty to find out how to pronounce the words he is reading - basic words like “plover” and “auberge” were grossly and repeatedly mispronounced. Very irritating.
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