The Monks of Tibhirine: Faith, Love, and Terror in Algeria (ISBN 0312302940)

Amazon.com Review:
Few Americans heard about it, but the story gripped Europe (and especially France) during the summer of 1996: The mysterious kidnapping and murder of seven Trappist monks living in the Algerian village of Tibhirine at their monastery of Notre-Dame de l'Atlas. John W. Kiser III tells their story, or at least what parts of it can be known; much of what happened to them remains unclear, including the motives of their captors. Parts of The Monks of Tibhirine are grim, but this is an unavoidable fact of the case. The monks' bodies, for instance, never have been found--except for their heads. Kiser describes the scene: "The monks' desiccated faces, hollow eye sockets, and exposed teeth made them look like mummies." (Apparently they had been buried, then disinterred.) Readers looking for a nonfiction thriller won't find it on these pages, however. Much of the book is a history of monks living in Algeria, and much of the rest chronicles the good relationships the seven doomed monks shared with their Muslim neighbors. Their devotion to both their faith and their neighbors is inspiring; the way they died is abhorrent. --John Miller

Difficult, but worth reading:
This is an enjoyable, but slightly dry book. It is definately hard to actually sit down and read without ones mind trailing off! But as I labored through it I came to enjoy the writers style, and actually feel the importance of the information about the trappist monks of Algeria!

A Bridge between two Cultures:
From a tragic and almost incomprehensible act of barbarity, the author has fashioned a beautifully nuanced work of art that succeeds in bridging a good portion of the chasm now separating the Judeo-Christian and Muslim worlds. With great sensitivity and understanding of these seemingly antagonistic cultures, Kiser has succeeded in constructing an uplifting and heart-felt story that not only instructs the reader, but successfully addresses and perhaps heals some of intercultural bitterness rampant today.

great book:
Interesting book filled with facts and interesting opinions about an important event, an important country, and an important effort to live together made by Christians and Muslims. Kiser includes a valuable bibliography and time line at the end.

Great book - Terribly messed up place:
Algeria is one of those places that you know of, but you dont know much about. There are Muslims there, the French USED to be there, and it's in Africa. But this story really brings Algeria to fruition. You see what a diverse nation it is; Arabs and Berbers; Francophones and Arabaphones; Conservatives and Liberals; Radical Muslims and 21st Century ones. It's with this diversity in mind that one can deal with the tragedy of this story at all. This is really a great book if one is interested in the story of Islam in Africa, the French in Africa or Algeria in general. I really connected with the monks and the difficulty the Church faces in Algeria. It also made me realise the love required to even stay sane in such hostility. Love was their oxygen.

Awe Inspiring:
This book recounts the heroic faith and works of "ordinary" monks living in dangerous times!