Hostage

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Hostage

Title:

Hostage

Author:

Delisle, Guy, author.

Dascher, Helge, 1965- translator.

Summary:

"In the middle of the night in 1997, Doctors Without Borders administrator Christophe André was kidnapped by armed men and taken away to an unknown destination in the Caucasus region. For three months, André was kept handcuffed in solitary confinement, with little to survive on and almost no contact with the outside world. Close to twenty years later, award-winning cartoonist Guy Delisle ... recounts André's harrowing experience in Hostage, a book that attests to the power of one man's determination in the face of a hopeless situation."-- Provided by publisher.

General Note:

Translation of: S'enfuir.

Edition:

First edition.

Physical Description:

432 pages : chiefly color illustrations, color map ; 23 cm

Genre:

Comics (Graphic works)

Nonfiction comics.

Personal Subject:

André, Christophe-Comic books, strips, etc.

Subject Term:

Hostages -- Biography -- Comic books, strips, etc.

Hostages -- Psychology -- Comic books, strips, etc.

Kidnapping -- Comic books, strips, etc.

Kidnapping victims -- Biography -- Comic books, strips, etc.

Kidnapping victims -- Psychology -- Comic books, strips, etc.

Author(s):

Dascher, Helge, 1965-

Publisher:

Drawn & Quarterly,

Publication Date:

2017

ISBN:

9781770462793

Publication Information:

[Montreal, Quebec] : Drawn & Quarterly, [2017]

Call Number:

741.5 DELISLE

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003243808	Adult Nonfiction	741.5 DELISLE	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

APPEARED ON BEST OF THE YEAR LISTS FROM NPR, WASHINGTON POST, PASTE, AND MORE!

How does one survive when all hope is lost?

In the middle of the night in 1997, Doctors Without Borders administrator Christophe André was kidnapped by armed men and taken away to an unknown destination in the Caucasus region. For three months, André was kept handcuffed in solitary confinement, with little to survive on and almost no contact with the outside world. Close to twenty years later, award-winning cartoonist Guy Delisle ( Pyongyang , Jerusalem , Shenzhen , Burma Chronicles ) recounts André's harrowing experience in Hostage , a book that attests to the power of one man's determination in the face of a hopeless situation.

Marking a departure from the author's celebrated first-person travelogues, Delisle tells the story through the perspective of the titular captive, who strives to keep his mind alert as desperation starts to set in. Working in a pared down style with muted color washes, Delisle conveys the psychological effects of solitary confinement, compelling us to ask ourselves some difficult questions regarding the repercussions of negotiating with kidnappers and what it really means to be free. Thoughtful, intense, and moving, Hostage takes a profound look at what drives our will to survive in the darkest of moments.

Author Notes

Guy Delisle was born in Quebec City, Canada. His bestselling and acclaimed travelogues ( Pyongyang , Jerusalem: Chronicles from the Holy City , Burma Chronicles , and Shenzhen ) are defining works of graphic nonfiction, and in 2012, Delisle was awarded the top prize in European cartooning when the French edition of Jerusalem was named Best Album at the Angoulême International Comics Festival. He lives in France with his wife and children.

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Delisle (Jerusalem) departs from his usual subjects and artistic style in this quietly powerful graphic "as told to" hostage story. Christophe André, a volunteer with Médecins San Frontières in Chechnya, was kidnapped on July 2, 1997, and held for 111 days. Handcuffed and isolated for almost all his captivity, he can only speculate on his fate and the possible progress of imagined negotiations. A change in his food, such as that brought by some stolen garlic, is a high point, as are the few occasions on which his captors share a drink or bring him out of his room to watch television. Despite the lack of action, Christophe is an admirable figure, facing boredom, fear, and a complete lack of information about his status for months while managing to keep his head and, eventually, rescue himself. Delisle perfectly captures his subject's inner monologue of pep talks and mental diversions, creating an indelible portrait of an ordinary person facing a frightening ordeal. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Library Journal Review

In 1997, Christophe André was working in Chechnya for Doctors Without Borders when armed men kidnapped him. Based on André's firsthand account, prize-winning cartoonist Delisle's (Jerusalem: Chronicle from the Holy City) work depicts the entire ordeal, as André is held in solitary confinement with almost no contact with the outside world for three months. This may be the most suspenseful book you'll ever read in which very little happens-André spends most of his days ruminating on his kidnappers' motivations, thinking about his family, and trying to find a comfortable position to sit with one arm chained to a wall. And yet the story is a true page-turner, as -Delisle brings the reader so fully into André's world that a simple change in his routine becomes either harrowing or hopeful, and the mundane details of his daily existence, saving a piece of bread from his morning meal for a snack, enjoying some music drifting through the wall into his cell, become heroic acts of defiance. VERDICT Delisle's previous books have gained him a loyal following among fans of highbrow cartooning, but this may be the masterpiece that elevates his name to the ranks of legends such as Art Spiegelman and Lynda Barry.-TB © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.