Freed US hikers look back on captivity in Iran
The three young American hikers who were held captive for two years in Iran are out with a new book, "A Sliver of Light."
Sarah Shourd, Josh Fattal, and Minnesota native Shane Bauer were captured in summer 2009 and spent some time in Tehran's infamous Evin Prison.
For the first time, the authors detail why their hiking trip took them into Iran, what gave them the strength to survive their torment and captivity and the cause they now champion because of that experience.
Shourd spoke to NPR about the experience of solitary confinement:
Create a More Connected Minnesota
MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.
In the early month, I had only one book. And absolutely nothing in the cell except for a wool blanket on the floor. The most entertainment that I could find was singing loudly. And when my anxiety got at its worst points, I would count. I would do multiplication tables in my head over and over again. In the beginning, I couldn't believe it was real. Every morning I woke up and it was -- I just felt like it must have been a nightmare. But then when the reality set in, that it could last for years, I started to really degenerate mentally ... [I] screamed, even beat at the walls. And then there was just the grueling monotony of many, many months after that.
Bauer and Shourd join The Daily Circuit to talk about their experience.
Bauer on how they ended up in prison:
Watch all of Bauer's videos on Vimeo.