A biography for Amanda Lindhouthasn’t been written yet.
“I don't only long for the thrill of being in the middle of a war, I must understand it; I must make other people understand.”
“I used my captors' names every chance I had. It was intentional, a way of reminding them that I saw them, of pegging them, of making them see me in return.”
“I am so proud to be a Canadian.”
“Something happens when you are alone most of the time, when there are no distractions. Your mind grows more powerful--muscular, even. It takes over and starts to carry you.”
“Every day I have many choices to make about who I want to be.”
“Forgiving is not an easy thing to do.”
“Women in Somalia face almost unimaginable oppression.”
“I'm afraid of the dark, but I choose to sleep in the dark. I can fall right to sleep with the lights on. But I want to be someone who can sleep in the dark, so that's the choice that I make.”
“A little goes a long way in Somalia: $5 will feed a person there for about two weeks.”
“You have a responsibility to move your dreams forward, no matter what.”
“Somalia is an important story in the world, and it needed to be told.”
“I'm not afraid of IED's, bullets, mortars.”
“I know firsthand how critical support systems are.”
“My captors were definitely aware that what they were doing was wrong. It came out in small ways - occasionally through a show of guilt or compassion. One of the boys bought me a gift. Another used to sneak me acetaminophen tablets.”
“Sometimes it's nice for people not to know anything about me.”
“After being in captivity for so long, I can't begin to describe how wonderful it feels to be home in Canada.”
“I think it's the human spirit inside of all of us that has an enormous capacity to survive.”
“Getting on a plane is hard for me, but I do it, because travel is vital to me.”
“I must try desperately to absorb all information I can about the Middle East. I want to excel. I want to speak articulately about the politics of the Middle East and its religion.”
“Accompanied by an Australian photographer named Nigel Brennan, I'd gone to Somalia to work as a freelance journalist, on a trip that was meant to last only ten days.”