The Shattered Lens: A War Photographer's True Story of Captivity and Survival in Syria

by Jonathan Alpeyrie, Bonnie Timmermann, Stash Luczkiw Narrated by Qarie Marshall

Overview

Capturing history was Jonathan Alpeyrie's job, but he never expected to become a news story himself. For a decade, the French American photojournalist weaved in and out of over a dozen conflict zones. But, during his third assignment to Syria, Alpeyrie was betrayed by his fixer and handed over to a band of Syrian rebels. For eighty one days, he was bound, blindfolded, and beaten. Over the course of his captivity, Alpeyrie kept his spirits up and strived to see, without his camera lenses, the humanity in his captors. The Shattered Lens is his firsthand account: the account of a photojournalist who has always answered the next adrenaline pumping assignment but, during his headline making kidnapping, was left to consider the value and risks of his career, to ponder the violent conflicts he had seen, and to put the historical events over which he had no control into perspective.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

★ 08/28/2017
A keen photojournalist’s eye serves Alpeyrie well as he painstakingly recounts his capture in 2013 by rebels during Syria’s civil war. The Paris-born American is an extraordinary observer of the suspenseful (as when plotting an elaborate escape attempt) and the routine (as when describing the defiance of unscrewing a light tube so he could sleep at night) activities that a hostage must reconcile in order to keep his sanity. Beyond the fascinating details he provides, Alpeyrie is a sympathetic narrator, sober about the causes of war and his relative suffering in it (he is beaten, often chained to his bed, and is forced to urinate into and drink from the same glass). The second half of the book serves as a forum for his open-minded, authoritative views on geopolitics, the clash of cultures, his own profession, and the ethics and intrigue of hostage taking that are as engaging and honest as the account of his ordeal. Throughout, he offers frank discussions about the illusion of freedom and the lure of violence, and offers a touching appreciation for the parental love and support he receives. The author both humanizes and scrutinizes his captors, whom he provides with tips on working out, having sex (which he demonstrates on a pillow), and swimming at a nearby pool. In this harrowing story, Alpeyrie offers insights that deserve attention. (Oct.)

Andy McNab

A gripping and a personal view of war by someone who has been there.

Booklist

"For all his suffering, Alpeyrie expresses, in words and color photographs, the compassion of a global citizen seeing beyond his personal terror and into the nuances of human interactions."

New York Journal of Books

"The Shattered Lens sometimes reads like a thriller. There are times your heart feels like it’s in your throat... But it is photojournalists like Alpeyrie that give us a glimpse into the true horrors of war. And as they risk their lives every day to accomplish very dangerous tasks, they can be considered both courageous and brilliant by bringing the chaos to the world at large, which would otherwise be hidden."

Booklist

"For all his suffering, Alpeyrie expresses, in words and color photographs, the compassion of a global citizen seeing beyond his personal terror and into the nuances of human interactions."

Library Journal

09/01/2017
In this thrilling memoir, war photographer Alpeyrie, who has worked in more than a dozen conflict zones, here writing with poet and translator Luczkiw, recounts his experience as a hostage of Syrian rebels. The narrative quickly launches into the events that led up to Alpeyrie's capture in April 2013, when for 81 days, he was bound and tortured. As the account unfolds, the author unveils parts of the story that brought him to the region and, with details of his imprisonment, humanizes his young captors. They watch American movies together, he teaches them how to swim and tries to learn their language and culture. Alpeyrie's perspective is molded by his fascination with and desire to understand all sides of a conflict, even those generally seen as the "bad guys.'' To him, all warfare, no matter the players or the reasons, is a cancer. VERDICT While Alpeyrie's story isn't unusual, not many journalists and photographers have come forward to speak about their experiences of violence, kidnapping, and danger overseas. For readers interested in current events, true accounts of war and thrill-seeking adventure, and journalism. [See Prepub Alert, 5/1/17.]—Heidi Uphoff, Sandia National Laboratories, NM

Kirkus Reviews

2017-07-17
Syria's bloody civil war swallows up an intrepid French-American photojournalist secretly struggling with his own ambivalence about the seductive nature of conflict and violence.In 2013, at various points in his 81 days of captivity at the hands of a ragtag force bent on toppling President Bashar al-Assad, Alpeyrie alternately found himself fantasizing about fighting his kidnappers and dashing for the hills at the earliest possible opportunity. There were also those times when he longed for the chance to sit and watch Arab variety shows with his tormenters. That the author wound up on Facebook at the conclusion of his punishing ordeal, curious about the welfare of the same gunmen who terrorized him for almost three month highlights the depths of inner turmoil roiling inside the veteran photographer. It was Stockholm syndrome coupled with a journalist's heightened ability to recognize all angles of an evolving story. Alpeyrie's often harrowing biographical tale is split between his time in Syrian captivity and his life immediately after a hefty ransom was paid for his release. Like many who have come before him, the author's dance with death left him yearning for even more dangerous adventures. Readers hoping for special insight into the geopolitical issues involved in the Syrian War will come away disappointed, as Alpeyrie views the ongoing carnage in the Middle East as a sort of inscrutable mess. "From a wide-angle perspective," he writes, "this whole Syrian War struck me as a historical clusterfuck that could even help set off some global Armageddon." What the author does offer is a chilling tale about how he managed to win the fragile esteem of his captors while simultaneously keeping his fried nerves from completely shorting out, as well as his personal take on armed conflict and global jihad. A gripping account of life in captivity and humankind's ongoing relationship to war.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940175732383
Publisher:	Dreamscape Media
Publication date:	10/17/2017
Edition description:	Unabridged

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