A Mighty Heart

by Mariane Pearl and Sarah Crichton.

Quickie recap: As a Wall Street Journal reporter, Daniel Pearl was in Pakistan covering possible terrorist connections when he went missing. His pregnant wife, Mariane, in a foreign country with few friends or trusted allies, had to do much of the work of finding her husband herself.

Quickie review: These kinds of books make me wary for 2 reasons. First, because we already know the outcome. Does this spoil the enjoyment of the book? Generally yes, but in this case, no: the heart of the story is Mariane's faith and her fight, both of which are abundant. Second, because the writing is often sub-par. Just because you live through something amazing doesn't make you a story-teller. Here, Mariane has some help (from Crichton), but the good news is that she is a journalist, and has a gift for words, even when the words must be very difficult to write.

Quickie recommendation: Yes.