Book Review of Fadi Dabbousi's "59 Dark Hours"

When I saw the poster for the book launch of “59 Dark Hours” written by our own Fadi Dabbousi, I  was excited! I wanted  to be at the event but I was not sure if my work schedule would permit me to be there. So you can imagine my excitement when my boss asked me to represent her at the book launch. Such luck!

From the title, I knew straight away that the book was about Fadi’s experience while in detention at the BNI cells. In September 2016, he was arrested at the airport and detained by the BNI for over 48 hours. The hours while he was in detention were long and filled with horror stories/assumptions of what he was going through. Fadi was a member of the NPP Twitter Army so the group leaders urged us all to launch a #FreeFadiNow campaign online. Social media was flooded with bold red headlines of #FreeFadiNow. We changed our profile pictures to photos of Fadi with the caption #FreeFadiNow. I was impressed at the solidarity and the communal effort to put pressure on the security apparatus of the NDC government. 

                                                   

After the 48-hour period elapsed, there were rumours that he had been harmed. Someone even told me that he had been killed. While I didn’t believe that they would kill him, I wondered what kind of treatment was being meted out to him. I have no doubt that those were the longest and the darkest hours of his life. Thankfully, he was released on Sunday night, just before a planned protest march scheduled for Monday morning. Indeed, I was happy to hear that he had been released, but I still wondered what had happened to him while in detention.

I couldn’t wait to grab a copy of the book to satisfy my curiosity. It was therefore frustrating to read the first few chapters which sort of gave a background to the author’s writing and the setting in which he wrote. While, I admit that those first chapters helped to put the story in context, I was impatient to get to the actual details of those 59 Dark Hours.

Finally, he talks about the ordeal! I was covered with goosebumps as I read the vivid account of his experience while in detention. The thorough description takes the reader right into the BNI cell where Fadi was kept. As I read the account of his release and his journey back to his home, I couldn’t help but smile as I heaved a sigh of relief.

This book is not only an account of the author’s experience, but it is also a call for people to stand firm for what they believe in. Fadi is a fearless author. I believe that his confidence is backed by his wealth of knowledge which he garners from reading and research. Thus, although his writings are sometimes harsh, I am certain that he has evidence for every allegation he makes.

Overall, I enjoyed reading the book. In fact, I was so captivated by the story that I spent my Saturday morning reading in bed instead of cleaning the house. I simply had to get to the end of the story before putting the book down. Well done, Fadi. Thanks for sharing your story.

Mr. Fadi Dabbousi, the author of "59 Dark Hours"