Structure

The book is divided into 44 chapters, a prologue, and an epilogue. The prologue includes a look at the life Amanda lived as a captive for more than a year. Amanda ends the prologue with the thought that she sometimes believed she would die in Somalia, never to be found. The epilogue included a few of the steps Amanda took once she returned home, including her path to self-forgiveness.

The first chapter opened with the memory of National Geographic magazines from Amanda's childhood, which had first sparked a desire to see the world. In Chapter Two, Amanda moved to the larger city of Calgary where she worked and began to realize her desire to travel was a dream within reach. She traveled first with a boyfriend and later with a friend before taking off on her own, returning home between trips to work and save more money.

By...