Lost to the World: A Memoir of Faith, Family, and Five Years in Terrorist Captivity

Taseer, the son of assassinated Pakistani governor Salman Taseer, delivers a harrowing memoir about his abduction in Pakistan. In August 2011, Taseer was kidnapped by members of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and held captive for five years, during which time he was repeatedly drugged with ketamine, beaten, and taken to the country outside Lahore, “to a place where men go to vanish, either by choice or by force.” Taseer’s torture, spearheaded by a sadistic ringleader known as Muhammad Ali, was videotaped to extract a ransom from his family, and as the months turned into years, Taseer contemplated suicide: “Death preoccupied my mind.” But there were glimpses of hope; a guard allowed Taseer to listen to Manchester United soccer games on the radio and, though the guard was one of the tormenters, Taseer recognized how, with a small but important act, “He’d saved my life.” Later, he was released by a different guard, but never found out why. Taseer’s story is both chilling and infused with bravery and wisdom (“Hindsight can be cruel, especially if you are judge, jury, and executioner”). This testament to the resilience of the human spirit will inspire any reader. Agent: David McCormick, McCormick Literary. (Nov.)