An Evil Cradling

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Keenan's recognition that his guards were in their own, psychological, prisons was what allowed him to overcome his ordeal.

A little like Primo Levi's 'If this is a Man' this book leaves you with a sense of awe, reverence even, for this 'beauty of the world, this paragon of animals', for what we are and what we are capable of. Considering he wrote it so soon after the events that transpired, it's impressive that it is so clear and so readable.Keenan’s mind went mad – and then, as only very few minds can do, he coerced himself out of that madness and became sane again. Together they withstood the horrors that the Beirut militias unleashed on them, until their eventual release.

I believe that the author was trying to portray a story that was as close to the truth as he could get and as boredom was the over-riding feature of his confinement then it would not do justice to him or his imprisonment if it were 'jazzed up'for an audience. Sebastian Faulks in the Independent on Sunday said "The scope and grandeur of his reflections is supported by the concrete detail of his narrative. This book stands up with the classics of prison literature, one of those books that makes you look at even the most mundane example of your daily life and see your freedom in new and appreciative light.A stubborn character, a fully paid-up member of the Awkward Squad, he exhibited an incredible strength of character that saw him through nearly 5 years of horror.

An Evil Cradling is the story of his four years' captivity in Beirut and is recognized as a non-fiction classic. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. There he was handed over by the Syrian Foreign Ministry to the care of Irish Ambassador, Declan Connolly.He was kept blindfolded throughout most of his ordeal and was chained hand and foot when he was taken out of solitary. It is an intriguing study of the emotions of human beings under such adverse circumstances and how, even in these most restricted conditions (for much of his time in captivity he was blindfolded and chained) we are able to experience a range of emotions, adapting to our circumstances and battling to survive. There's also enough insight into his behaviour that makes me realise he's probably grown up a fair bit and stopped doing several of the things that I thought were particularly inappropriate for the circumstances. Brian's account of his incarceration at the hands of extremist groups in Beirut during the 1980s is a harrowing read in its "matter of factness " - his observations and inner thoughts give the reader an insight into how desperate it must feel to have no control over any part of your existence and for for how long the situation would last. Keenan provides his own processed self-examination and reflection, keeping blunt details wrapped in an "extreme care and sensitivy," which ultimately keeps everything described at a remove.