In the Shadows: True Stories of High-Stakes Negotiations to Free Americans Captured Abroad

Bergman, director of the Richardson Center for Global Engagement, an NGO that facilitates the release of political prisoners, debuts with a riveting window into the hushed world of such negotiations. Soon after grad school, Bergman went to work for the International Crisis Group on “conflict reduction” efforts. Early relief initiatives in such countries as Sudan convinced him that “engaged individuals” could help tackle some of the world’s “largest challenges,” and in 2007 he began working with New Mexico governor Bill Richardson, founder of the Richardson Center, to free Americans held in the world’s most repressive countries. Noting that NGOs are often able to act more nimbly than the government, Bergman provides captivating accounts of the “back-channel” negotiations that aided the release from Russian prisons of WNBA star Brittney Griner, who was held for 10 months for a minor offense, and U.S. Marine veteran Trevor Reed, who was arrested for allegedly assaulting Russian officials while intoxicated. Also recounted are such devastating losses as Otto Warmbier, a college student who was released in a comatose state by his North Korean captors in 2017 and who died soon thereafter. The author’s insights into the intricate interpersonal dynamics of his work fascinate, from peeking inside the minds of leaders of oppressive regimes to delicately balancing U.S. government priorities, and handling the sky-high emotional stakes involved. This is hard to put down. (June)