A Mighty Heart by Mariane Pearl- Book review
Finally it is in 2022 that I am reminded of the case again and I came to know that there is a book written by the wife of the slain journalist.
It is now that I understand what a high profile case it was.
The book is a personal account of the time before, during and after the murder of Daniel in 2002 and is written by his wife, Mariane. An immense task and not easily understood and not at all to be cheapened as a publicity stunt. It takes immense courage to recollect and narrate the sorrows of the most tragic moments of one's life, especially when you are about to bring a new life into this world.
Daniel Pearl is the South-Asian correspondence chief of The Wall Street Journal, a mediahouse based in USA, and Marianne is working with a French publication.
Both travel throughout South Asia and were about to leave Karachi when all of a sudden, Daniel got the opportunity to conduct one more interview with one of the top terror leaders, one Gilani. That was the last time his family and friends saw him. They didn't hear from him for three long days as the kidnappers where shifting him to a safer haven before putting down their demands. The coming pages reveal how the plans to find Danny were woven and how one contact led the the other and a chain of contacts were found, how bonds were formed in the middle of this ordeal and how it changed the lives of many people.
Initially, I felt like reading a novel. But with each passing day, I searched more on the internet the names of the people I read in the book, their photographs and their instagram profiles, the more I started feeling the pain. Yes, the pain is real, because the characters are not fictional.
On a personal note, I think Mariane is a fighter. Not everyone can gather the courage to see the beheading video of one's husband, forget the fact that she was about six months pregnant at that time, how news anchors were not satisfied with the absence of tears in her eyes while giving interviews and when even the president of USA asked her, how aren't you bitter?. I started the book to see how she managed to cope up with the shock. It has now changed me, given me an alternate perspective, made me realise that there are people out there coming face-to-face with death almost everyday. Still they are the most lovable souls. What surprised me was the fact that Mariane didn't lose hope in humanity.
Little Adam was born at the end, which gives hope to the reader.
It was almost the end of the book and a few more pages left and I thought to just run through the pages. Then I realised, these are not just some pages, it was the love of people spread all across the globe that was pouring for the Pearl family. It gives me as a reader so much hope in humanity.
In case you are interested, there is a movie by the same name with Angelina Jolie playing the role of Mariane Pearl.
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