40 Days

CBS correspondent Bob Simon--who, with his three-man crew, was captured by Iraqi soldiers on Jan. 21, 1991--here describes his subsequent imprisonment as a kaleidoscopic nightmare of beatings, interrogations, uncertainty and fear. He explores his reactions with thoroughness and sincerity. The impact of his account, however, is diminished by the brevity of his ordeal--less than six weeks. But it should be noted that Simon is a journalist, not a combat soldier for whom brutal captivity is an expected risk. Nor is he responsible for his profession's decision to make him a hero since he didn't die for facing the consequences of chasing a scoop. Nevertheless, a certain sense of proportion, perhaps even a touch of irony, would have done much to leaven the pervasive self-absorption of this memoir. First serial to Newsweek. (May)