Not Child's Play: Captured. Held Hostage. A True Story
About this ebook
Not Child’s Play brilliantly traverses the Muller’s nightmare of seven weeks in captivity. You will be taken into the enigmatic world of the child soldier and share the Muller’s daily battle to protect their children from the impacts of the civil war in which they had become trapped. Plagued by intense mental and emotional strain, with the fear of violence and death a constant, as the days drag by, uncannily the hostages and captors begin to bond.
“Our time with Renamo was defined by constant paradox. The young boys who in cold-blood killed people, also played childhood games with our children. We could not speak their language and struggled desperately with a lack of information about our status. However, the kindness shown to us in sharing what few resources they had, transcended the brutality of the war in which we were all trapped, and required no translation. Every day held terrors, yet we were perplexed by the innate innocence of our captors. Therein lay the paradox.”
The eventual dramatic rescue 49 days later, in a rescue mission carried out by the South African Navy, was the culmination of intense negotiations between South Africa and Mozambique. The ceasefire that had to be agreed to enable this operation to take place was the first between the warring parties. Two weeks after our rescue, formal peace talks began, and peace came to Mozambique two years later.
Here are some reviews from the first edition of this book:
The books gives a unique glimpse into the reality of war and the hardships endured by all participants. The family, which includes two very young children, survives thanks to their resilience and resourcefulness, and also thanks to the kindness of ordinary people caught in the net of warfare. A remarkable book. Read it, it will help you understand the human condition a little more fully!
Reviewed in Canada - September, 2020
This book held me spellbound and I could not put it down. Descriptive and honest making it believable and challenging
Reviewed in Australia - January, 2020
Not Child’s Play is an absolute page turner and a remarkable and detailed account of a families terrible and often bizarre ordeal.
Go Travel Magazine – April 2020
