cover image 13 DAYS OF TERROR: Held Hostage by al-Qaeda Linked Extremists

13 DAYS OF TERROR: Held Hostage by al-Qaeda Linked Extremists

Greg Williams, . . New Horizon, $25.95 (310pp) ISBN 978-0-88282-229-7

Kidnapping for ransom is among the tactics used by the Philippine terrorist group Abu Sayyaf, which has been linked to al Qaida and has received millions of dollars for the release of Western and Asian hostages. As one of the group's first American hostages, in 1996, Williams initially had no understanding of why he was kidnapped. Williams skims over his life before his kidnapping by Abu Sayyaf rebels. Working in hospital and hotel management in Florida for 15 years, he traveled to Chile, Colombia, Honduras, Peru and other countries, training government employees. But in 1996, disabled and unemployed because of a back injury and sunk in despair, he had a vision of Jesus, and he volunteered for missionary work in the Philippines. Shortly after his arrival, he was taken hostage and led to a remote jungle camp, where he was taunted, intimidated, starved and subjected to sadistic beatings. After witnessing a gang rape and a beheading, his own death seemed imminent after a failed escape attempt. Then, incredibly, Joseph, one of his keepers, engineered his escape, influenced, he said, by the example of Williams's profound faith in God. Williams continued to live in the Philippines until 2000 and married a Filipino; they now reside in Rockford, Ill. Williams's pedestrian writing is punctuated with comic book–style sound effects ("THHUUUMP!") and clichés: "this living nightmare was reality. My heart sank as I apprehended the cruel truth of my situation and fear once again took hold of me." Only occasionally does the narrative manage to evoke, rather than describe, the fear and uncertainty of his captivity. Agent, Sedgeband Literary Associates. (July)