In January 2012, having covered a Somali pirate trial in Hamburg for Spiegel Online International—and funded by a grant from the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting—Michael Scott Moore traveled to the Horn of Africa to write about piracy and ways to end it. $27.99 . donate now to support more stories like this! Caught between Muslim pirates, the looming threat of Al-Shabaab, and the rise of ISIS, Moore observes the worlds that surrounded him—the economics and history of piracy; the effects of post-colonialism; the politics of hostage negotiation and ransom; while also conjuring the various faces of Islam—and places his ordeal in the context of the larger political and historical issues. He went with an open mind and a grant from the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. Paperback (5/28/2019) Michael Scott Moore Interviewed on the Joe Rogan Experience, Ex-Hostage: No-Ransom Policy Doesn't Keep Us Safe. Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations, Select the department you want to search in, Choose delivery method and buy Kindle Books. As the only Western journalist to witness everyday life on a ship captured by Somali pirates, Moore recounts his dizzying ordeal as a rich and surprising story of survival. Subjected to conditions that break even the strongest spirits—physical injury, starvation, isolation, terror—Moore’s survival is a testament to his indomitable strength of mind. In September 2014, after 977 days, he walked free when his ransom was put together by the help of several US and German institutions, friends, colleagues, and his strong-willed mother. After a daring but desperate attempt to escape, he struggles with murderous fantasies as well as thoughts of suicide. © 1996-2020, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Moore offers an intimate and otherwise inaccessible view of life as we cannot fathom it, brilliantly weaving his own experience as a hostage with the social, economic, religious, and political factors creating it. He knew the stories of poor fishermen whose livelihoods were threatened by international fishing vessels; he sympathized with the legacies of colonialism. Caught between Muslim pirates, the looming threat of Al-Shabaab, and the rise of ISIS, Moore observes the worlds that surrounded him—the economics and history of piracy; the effects of post-colonialism; the politics of hostage negotiation and ransom; while also conjuring the various faces of Islam—and places his ordeal in the context of the larger political and historical issues. Upcoming Event. Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting1779 Massachusetts Avenue, NWSuite #615Washington, DC 20036(202) 332-0982contact@pulitzercenter.org, Jeff Barruspress@pulitzercenter.org(202) 460-4710, “We will illuminate dark places and, with a deep sense of responsibility, interpret these troubled times.”, Freelancer Michael Scott Moore has edited and written for Spiegel Online in Germany, where he followed the trial of 10 Somali pirates in Hamburg. These promotions will be applied to this item: Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. Moore would be stuck in Somalia for more than two and a half years, shifted from camps in the desert bush to barren prison houses, and—for several months—he was held on a hijacked tuna vessel, where he would make friends with a crew of hostage fishermen. Yet Moore’s own struggle is only part of the story: The Desert and the Sea falls at the intersection of reportage, memoir, and history. The Desert and the Sea: 977 Days Captive on the Somali Pirate Coast (Hardcover) By Michael Scott Moore. In January 2012, having covered a Somali pirate trial in Hamburg for Spiegel Online International—and funded by a grant from the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting—Michael Scott Moore traveled to the Horn of Africa to write about piracy and ways to end it. Does this book contain inappropriate content? He relates his captivity with calm detachment, brilliantly weaving his own experience as a hostage with the religious and political factors behind Somali piracy. Michael Scott Moore is an accomplished author and journalist, a California native and a longtime resident of Berlin. However, if you want a book about dramatic atempts to escapes this is not the one. Subjected to conditions that break even the strongest spirits—physical injury, starvation, isolation, terror—Moore’s survival is a testament to his indomitable strength of mind. Image courtesy of Michael Scott Moore and Harper Collins Publishers. Please try your request again later. Something went wrong. Harper Wave, 9780062449177, 464pp. In a terrible twist of fate, Moore himself was kidnapped and subsequently held captive by Somali pirates. Moore would be stuck in Somalia for more than two and a half years, shifted from camps in the desert bush to barren prison houses, and on a hijacked tuna vessel, where he would make friends with a crew of hostage fishermen. By Michael Scott Moore. Michael Scott Moore - The Desert and the Sea: 977 Days Captive on the Somali Pirate Coast. The Desert and the Sea is wildly compelling and a book that will take its place next to titles like Den of Lions and Even Silence Has an End. Yet Moore’s own struggle is only part of the story: The Desert and the Sea falls at the intersection of reportage, memoir, and history. His comic novel about L.A., Too Much of Nothing, was published in 2003, and Sweetness and Blood, a travel book about the spread of surfing to odd corners of the world, was named a book of the year by The Economist in 2010. Many many pages stuck together. Michael Scott Moore, a journalist and the author of Sweetness and Blood, incorporates personal narrative and rigorous investigative journalism in this profound and revelatory memoir of his three-year captivity by Somali pirates—a riveting,thoughtful, and emotionally resonant exploration of foreign policy, religious extremism, and the costs of survival. Poor quality product. This item has a maximum order quantity limit. The Desert and the Sea falls at the intersection of reportage, memoir, and history, and it will take its place next to titles such as An Evil Cradling and Even Silence Has an End. With echoes of Catch-22 and Black Hawk Down, author and former hostage Michael Scott Moore masterfully walks a fine line between personal narrative and journalistic distance in this page-turning and novelistic account of 977 days held captive by Somali pirates. We use cookies and similar tools to enhance your shopping experience, to provide our services, understand how customers use our services so we can make improvements, and display ads. The Gulag Archipelago: (Abridged edition) (Vintage Classics), Gotta Get Theroux This: My life and strange times in television. Does this book contain quality or formatting issues? In a terrible twist of fate, Moore himself was kidnapped and subsequently held captive by Somali pirates. Michael Scott Moore, a journalist and the author of Sweetness and Blood, incorporates personal narrative and rigorous investigative journalism in this profound and revelatory memoir of his three-year captivity by Somali pirates—a riveting,thoughtful, and emotionally resonant exploration of foreign policy, religious extremism, and the costs of survival. ISBN: 9780062449177 Michael Scott Moore is an accomplished author and journalist, a California native and a longtime resident of Berlin. Please try again. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 24 October 2019, Love this book, an amazing story, check out the Adam Buxton podcast where he interviews Michael Scott Moore for a taster, Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 June 2019. This sounded like a horrible ordeal to have gone through, but the author told it without making it a miserable read. Redemption links and Kindle Books cannot be resold. Near the end of his trip, a gang of pirates captured him and demanded a ransom of twenty million dollars. MP3 CD (7/24/2018). The Desert and the Sea NPR coverage of The Desert and the Sea: 977 Days Captive on the Somali Pirate Coast by Michael Scott Moore. Compact Disc (7/24/2018) A sort of Catch-22 meets Black Hawk Down, The Desert and the Sea is written with dark humor, candor, and a journalist’s clinical distance and eye for detail. Enter your zip code below to purchase from an indie close to you. Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading. News, author interviews, critics' picks and more. Yet Moore’s own struggle is only part of the story: The Desert and the Sea falls … After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. After a daring but desperate attempt to escape, he struggles with murderous fantasies as well as thoughts of suicide.