Author Description

You're a law-abiding citizen, so you won't be arrested on your overseas vacation. You're a U.S. citizen, so even if you are arrested, your government will come to your aid. Peter Laufer explodes these common misconceptions in his eye-opening study of how Americans end up imprisoned abroad, why our government helps so little, and how to avoid disaster in foreign travel. Thousands of Americans are currently imprisoned overseas. To research Nightmare Abroad, Laufer traveled. Around the world, stopping in twenty-one countries to visit imprisoned Americans, who are often held without trial. Despite resistance from most foreign jailers and even some U.S. consular officials, he managed to tour jails and talk with American prisoners, interview U.S. and foreign government officials, and meet Americans now released from custody. Conditions ranged from horrible filth in a Pakistani prison to the comfort of a modern Canadian jail to a Mexican prison. Community where money could buy just about anything. Prisoners included middle-class vacationers, international businessmen, and young Americans touring the world. Laufer explores the cultural misunderstandings that land Americans in jail. A woman accepts a curio in Turkey to get rid of a street seller and is arrested for smuggling antiquities. A businesswoman in Nigeria finds her dealings have been made illegal retroactively, and she faces a death sentence. Two young. Men in Pakistan are convicted of bank robbery and sentenced to have their hands and feet cut off. Despite the often horrible situations in which Americans are confined, Laufer finds many inspirational tales of perseverance in the face of adversity. His book is a compendium of real-life drama from around the world.