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Rating: 
Summary: Extraordinary work.
Review: I requested and received this book for Christmas and finished reading it within just a few days. Tho I never really heard much about Daniel Pearl or his wife when he was missing and his death was announced, I thought this book might help increase my understanding of what is going on in the world...and it did that. It was also a very warm and beautiful love story. This book is one of the best books I have read in the past couple years. I will be buying more copies for my grown children as I know they will appreciate the book also.
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Summary: Grounded in reality, yet an inspiring hope for the future
Review: Mariane Pearl is to be commended for this wonderful book. She weaves together the story of why she and Mr. Pearl were in Karachi, the current political situation that was taking place, and every emotion she went through when Danny disappeared. This book will ground you in the reality that there IS senseless hatred in the world, but it also will inspire the reader to look towards the future, where hopefully all can live in peace. The glimpses Mrs. Pearl gives into her life are astounding, particularly when she retells her difficult birth to she and Danny's child. She also expresses her unique balance of inner strength and her will to fight for Danny with her inner calm and ability to still trust in the world. After the epilogue, she has copied some of the numerous letters she received after the news of Danny's death, and they will restore your faith in humanity. Written by both common individuals and world leaders, these instill within the heart that there is good within mankind. The letters from adherents of Islam are especially poignant, and their calls for a peaceful, united world will bring tears to your eyes. Five stars.
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Summary: This book made me a better person
Review: Terrorists know so much more about us that we do about them. Now I understand that this HAS to change.This book made me feel like I was a better person, just for reading it. Moreover, it makes me feel want to be a better person. Easy to read, I read it in 4 nights, when usually it takes me 3 months to read a book. I only know about terrorism what I hear in the news or read in the newspaper. This book is a love story, an education and an eye opener all in one. I now have so much admiration for the dedication of journalists, for the people that I never consciously thought about ...who work around the clock to fight terrorism...to fight for our freedom, for peace, for every one of us on this earth. People who literally and knowingly risk their lives for a better world. Mariane is a remarkable woman, as is her friend Asra - both so brave, smart, courageous and warm. This story is one I wish everyone would read. In writing this book, in publishing it, Mariane Pearl has made the world a better place becasue she opens us up to a world that effects all of us. As I read her book, terrorism struck Madrid, and instead of feeling sorrow while watching the news, I felt so much more - it had so much more meaning. As is written in the book, terrorists know so much more about us that we do about them. Now I understand that this HAS to change.
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Summary: Heartbreaking, Empowering & Triumphant
Review: The book was better than I expected. Like the many people who wrote to Mariane and Adam, I too expereienced unbelivable pain and anger when I heard about Daniel Pearl. For those of you who commented Mariane's story was one sided GIVE ME A BREAK!!!! Did you read the book??? She consistently said good things about Pakistan and the people of Pakistan. Why do you even have to go there??? This book wasn't a personal attack against Pakistanis or Muslims, it is an attack against hatred and unbelievable evil.The book resonates within me, and I wish Mariane and Adam all the best!! God Bless!!
Rating:
Summary: Extraordinary work.
Review: The Epilogue was the portion of the book that had the most impact on me. I choose to believe that the great majority of the world's people are kind and empathetic, and that we all have much more in common than not. The letters written to Mariane and Adam Pearl by strangers around the world made me weep. In the midst of such tragedy, there is hope and beauty in the world.
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Summary: Great story of courage and love, but who wrote this?
Review: The problem I have with this book is it was written with the head (the co-writer's perhaps?) and not much from the heart. The prose is controlled and polished, too well written, too structured, too objective. I would like to "hear" Mariane's voice, but this book is more an anatomy of a murder. Only the authors know who actually did the writing, my guess is not Mariane.
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Summary: Heartbreaking story--beautifully written
Review: The universality of this autobiographical account of coping with the barbaric slaughter of a beloved husband and father-to-be is mirrored, in microcosm, in its author's mixed Hispanic, Chinese, Black, and Caucasian lineage. It is a triumph of the universal human spirit that Mariane Pearl has courageously risen above bitterness and hatred in reaffirmation of the challenges and joys of living. Her moving memorial of her late husband's personal and professional achievements has elicited tributes from world figures and ordinary citizens on all continents, and is itself a testament to the indomitability of love and faith in a world that increasingly resembles a theater of the absurd.
Rating: 
Summary: Intense
Review: This book tells the intense psycho-drama of Daniel Pearl's kidnapping and murder from Mariane Pearl's point of view. Mariane begins by explaining how she and her husband came to be working in Pakistan at the time Daniel was abducted. She then narrates minute-by-minute and hour-by-hour what happened when she discovered he was gone, and how the subsequent investigation proceeded. In the epilogue, she details what has happened subsequently. Following this are a sampling of the sympathy letters that she has received following Daniel's death. This book was quite engaging and intense. In fact, it was a little more than I was ready for because my anger over the September 11th attacks is still too fresh and raw. I hoped to learn more in this book about Mariane's read on the situation on the ground in Pakistan at the time of Daniel's abduction. She does discuss some of the religious parties a little, and points out Sheikh Omar's connections to them. But due to the incredible personal tragedy that was unfolding for her, she was not able to get out and talk to ordinary Pakistanis, to take their pulse and try to understand why these things happened. At one point, however, she does go out on a limb with a personal interpretation "This is how we end up in a world where people talk not to communicate but to subjugate; where ignorance keeps people hostage; where those in power simplify complexity so as not to be questioned. This is why those same people hate journalists, at least those who reject black-and-white views of the world, because by exploring the gray zones, journalists can shed new light on issues like Arab-Israeli relations, American foreign relations, or Islamic fundamentalism. ... Thus, for those who promote hatred, we are the most hateable of all."
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Summary: Suspenseful, though we all know the ending...
Review: This book was a little slow to start, but about halfway through I couldn't put it down. I was hooked. The author lets us know many details of her life with her husband, truly a great man -- what a loss to the world is his death. She exhibits great courage, persistence, hope, and appreciation for those who assisted her through this ordeal. I was crying at several points in this book, even at the end, where she includes many of the letters of support she received from people all over the world. The other bus passengers must have wondered what was going on with me as I sat there reading with tears streaming down my face!
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