Hostage Bound, Hostage Free By Ben Weir, Carol Weir & Dennis Benson The true account of Presbyterian minister Ben Weir's sixteen months spent in Lebanon as a hostage of Islamic Jihad, and of his wife's attempts to hasten his release. ISBN-13: 9780718826901 Specifications: 234x152mm, 184pp, Hardback Price: £20.00 • US$42.50 Publication: September 1987 Order this Title Now

About this Book

Benjamin Weir was the first American hostage to be released from captivity in Lebanon having been held for sixteen months by Islamic Jihad Shiites. Hostage Bound, Hostage Free tells the remarkable story of Ben's kidnap, his imprisonment and his eventual release. It is also the poignant story of Carol, his wife, and her attempts to involve the United States' government in Ben's release.

Ben and Carol's experiences, told here in their own words, provide a unique insight into the world of hostages, hostage-takers and international politics. Terry Waite, whose role was crucial, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Colonel Oliver North, Robert MacFarlane and George Schultz all figured in the attempts to obtain Ben's release.

Ben and Carol Weir were working in Lebanon when their lives were irrevocably altered by events beyond their control. Each suffered isolation, pain, fear and despair, but the outcome is a tale of determination, hope, courage and faith.

Reviews and Comments

"Benjamin and Carol Weir's story is a compelling account of the tragedy of human indifference and official insensitivity that should be read and contemplated by all … These two brave and long-suffering people are a living testament to the power of individual initiative and humane principles, and to the folly of 'official' policies that choose to shoot it out rather than to talk it out, to escalate rather than to negotiate. Reading their story will move you from frustration and despair to faith and hope. It is a story for our age."
Rev Jesse L. Jackson

"Hostage Bound, Hostage Free is an extraordinary testament of faith, of hope, of love, by an American Presbyterian minister, Benjamin Weir, and his wife, Carol. In these pages I painfully touched my own captivity - the loneliness, the pain, the frustration, the fear, the despair, and finally the inner peace and utter reliance on God's love and faithfulness - and I touched the courage of a wife and son and daughters, Ben's family, who struggled against the forces that wanted their silence. Hostage Bound, Hostage Free is a spiritual odyssey of triumph."
Father Lawrence Martin Jenco OSM

About the Author

Rev. Benjamin M. Weir is the Moderator of the 198th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). His first position in southern Lebanon was as a pastor in the predominantly Shiite town of Nabatiyeh. At the time of his kidnapping he was a missionary in Beirut.

Carol Weir is on leave of absence from the Near East Scholl of Theology in Beirut, where she is Assistant Professor of Christian Education.

Dennis Benson is Director of Media Ministries and Associate Professor of Communications, United Theological Seminary, Ohio.