Confessions of an Innocent Man: Torture and Survival in a Saudi Prison

by William Sampson

Book Overview

"What was it that I did to survive? Where did those ideas come from? Where did I find the resolve to enact them? At the time of my release, I had no ready answers beyond that I did what seemed natural... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0771079036
• ISBN13: 9780771079030
• Release Date: October 2005
• Publisher: McClelland & Stewart
• Length: 419 Pages
• Weight: 1.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.4" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

harrowing and compelling

This book about one man's torture at the hands of Saudi Arabian officials is a must-read. To cover up internal problems, Saudis blamed bombings of Westerners on other Westerners. They then tortured the arrested into confessing. It's hard not to be irate reading this book - Saudi Arabia strikes one as the most dangerous and vile country on Earth. Sampson's survival is testament to the human spirit, and his horrific tale makes for gripping and worrying reading.

A Valuable Read on the Greatness of a Man

Like the book Night, by Elie Weisel, this book shows how even a man imprisoned can fight his captors with the strength of his mind (and body). Samson is challenged in ways many of us "soft" Americans cannot dream of; yet he rises to the challenges and finds ways to stay sane in an insane situation. He learns how he can live without even basic necessities (giving up books is harder than giving up food) so that his torturers cannot use these privileges against him. Samson shows us when he "fails" himself and when he triumphs. To think that a citizen of a Western country can be abandoned by his country in order to keep good relations is an outrage that needs to be corrected. Samson shared with us his trial so that we might see the truth and perhaps others would be spared. Thanks so much for this well written, eye-opening book. You are a true hero.

If you think torture is acceptable, read this book

Sampson provides a very detailed account, not only of what happened to him, but also his state of mind as it happened. He describes the hell that he went through, along with his attempts to resist, and his methods of trying to preserve his sanity. A scary look inside the corrupt Saudi justice system. Note: Some scenes are very graphic, and not suitable for children or the faint of heart. Personally, I found the book hard to put down.

Saudi Allies? NOT!

Shocking story of Saudi brutality to innocent westerners. What's even worse than the torture is the spineless acquiescence of Canadian officials who turned a blind eye to the barbarism and allowed it to continue. If the Saudi's are U.S. allies, we don't need any enemies.

An Extraordinary Account

Sampson has done a superb job of delineating the hideous nature of the Saudi Arabian pseudo-justice system. His account of the years of torture he endured after being falsly accused of murdering via bombs fellow ex-patriots is specific, detailed, and unrelenting. And, the horror of Saudi wickedness (he is, for example, repeatedly raped by his captors, AND accused of the capital offense of homosexuality!) is only exceeded by the bland complicity of both British and Canadian embassies. This account is in some ways reminiscent of the Dali Lama's book "My Land and My People" which recounts the torture-genocide of the Tibetan people at the hands of the Chinese. There is nothing more powerful then a first hand account by a credible witness of "the horror of the situation" in portraying the real nature of a political regime, and Sampsons record is just such a powerful and direct record. It is very well written, utterly fascinating, and has the feel of a nightmare that one has somehow woken up in only to find that one is, indeed, not dreaming at all but in the depths of a living hell. Well done, William Sampson, and may your record help to bring to the rulers of Saudi Arabia what they truly deserve.