The Fox Hunt: A Refugee's Memoir of Coming to America

Written by Mohammed Al Samawi

Narrated by Assaf Cohen

A young man’s moving story of war, friendship, and hope in which he recounts his harrowing escape from a brutal civil war in Yemen with the help of a daring plan engineered on social media by a small group of interfaith activists in the West.

Born in the Old City of Sana’a, Yemen, to a pair of middle-class doctors, Mohammed Al Samawi was a devout Muslim raised to think of Christians and Jews as his enemy. But when Mohammed was twenty-three, he secretly received a copy of the Bible, and what he read cast doubt on everything he’d previously believed. After connecting with Jews and Christians on social media, and at various international interfaith conferences, Mohammed became an activist, making it his mission to promote dialogue and cooperation in Yemen.

Then came the death threats: first on Facebook, then through terrifying anonymous phone calls. To protect himself and his family, Mohammed fled to the southern port city of Aden. He had no way of knowing that Aden was about to become the heart of a north-south civil war, and the battleground for a well-funded proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia. As gunfire and grenades exploded throughout the city, Mohammed hid in the bathroom of his apartment and desperately appealed to his contacts on Facebook.

Miraculously, a handful of people he barely knew responded. Over thirteen days, four ordinary young people with zero experience in diplomacy or military exfiltration worked across six technology platforms and ten time zones to save this innocent young man trapped between deadly forces— rebel fighters from the north and Al Qaeda operatives from the south.

The story of an improbable escape as riveting as the best page-turning thrillers, The Fox Hunt reminds us that goodness and decency can triumph in the darkest circumstances.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Apr 10, 2018
• ISBN: 9780062802972

Mohammed Al Samawi

Mohammed Al Samawi was born in 1986 in Yemen. In his midtwenties, he became involved in interfaith groups promoting dialogue between Muslims, Christians, and Jews. In 2015, during the Yemeni Civil War, he fled from Aden to the United States. Since his entry to the United States, he has worked for several NGOs that promote peace and religious tolerance.

Reviews for The Fox Hunt

[melodyreads · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Longish picture book; Swiss translation; good story, with chickens!!

[abigailadams26 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Fox Hunt, 2000 Michael Rollerson translation of R?vjakten.Swedish children's author Sven Nordqvist returns to the story of farmer Pettson - somewhat grouchy, and prone to forgetfulness - and his prickly cat Findus, in this second book chronicling their adventures. When neighbor Gustavsson stops by to inform them that he is on the hunt for the fox that has been making off with his hens, Findus declares that foxes shouldn't be shot, they should be outwitted. And so begins an ever-more complicated plot to outfox the fox, involving fireworks, a fake hen filled with pepper, and a ghostly visitation. Not everything goes exactly as planned, of course, but the hilarious hijinx that ensue when Gustavsson stumbles upon their little trap serve the purpose, and accomplish all that Pettson and Findus had hoped...One of three English translations available of R?vjakten - the other two include an American edition, also entitled The Fox Hunt, released in 1988, two years after the original, and a British version, Findus and the Fox, released in 2009 - this edition was translated by Michael Rollerson in 2000, and was put out by the original Swedish publisher, Bokf?rlaget Opal. Of the two versions I have read (I was not able to obtain the British edition), it is the one I prefer, as it includes a fuller text, and many of the sharp little observations that really make the narrative stand out (and which were omitted from the American edition). In this sense, my reading experience here exactly matched that I had with the first Pettson and Findus book, The Birthday Cake (Opal edition) / Pancake Pie (American edition), in which I felt that the American edition elided certain pointed social observations that might have made their target audience uncomfortable (see my other review of The Fox Hunt for more specifics).In any case, this was just a delightful tale, complete with all the madcap antics I have come to expect from this wacky duo! The artwork is detailed and engaging, with more than enough to keep young readers glued to the page, and the narrative itself is full of humor, and goodheartedness. As a fox-lover myself, Pettson's compassion, when he spies the pitifully emaciated vulpine 'thief,' was good to see. All in all, another winner from the excellent series!

[imtanner2 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I thought this was a funny little story and has great imaginative pictures but it seems to me to be the worst kind of picture book. The text is very small and there is a lot of it but the pictures are big and have a lot of detail. The story is full of nuance and trickery so it's really best suited for bigger kids, who will be put off by the fact that it is a picture book.

[bnielsen_30 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Sverige, ude p? landet, ca 1990Katten Findus bor hos den gamle Peddersen. Katten har t?j p? og kan tale med Peddersen og fungerer i det hele taget som var den et opvakt lille barn.I denne historie har r?ven v?ret p? bes?g ved naboen Gustafsen og har taget en h?ne. Gustafsen vil skyde r?ven, men Peddersen og navnlig Findus vil hellere snyde r?ven. Peddersen bygger en kunstig h?ne vha en ballon med peber i og nogle fjer. Derefter bygger de en tovbane, s? Findus kan komme flyvende som et sp?gelse og endelig finder de en masse fyrv?rkeri. R?ven kommer godt nok, men den er mager og halter p? det ene ben, s? Peddersen kan ikke n?nne at g?re den noget. I stedet kommer Gustafsen til at udl?se f?lden og han lover aldrig at skyde r?ve mere.R?ven napper Peddersens chokoladekage, men han kan jo godt finde ud af at bage en anden.S?d lille historie.

[brokenteepee · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the story that kept me on the edge of my seat. Imagine being a country torn by civil war and you are a wanted man. The situation is deteriorating and you need to get out – but how? Oh, and that country is Yemen. The Fox Hunt is the memoir of the man in this story.In this time of division and hate a story like this certainly offers hope. For the author of this memoir is a Muslim and he is helped by an international assortment of friends and associates of all religions and beliefs. They come together to help the PERSON remembering that a person is not the religion they practice but an individual.Despite this book being nonfiction it reads like a first class fiction suspense thriller with a sense of humor. In fact it’s Mohammed’s humor that makes all of the horror palatable. His childhood is not easy and yet he shares the trials with quiet dignity. He is a truly remarkable young man. He is taught from an early age that Jewish people are the worst of the worst. Until one day he is given a Bible and he has to readjust his worldview – which he does. To an amazing degree.I really enjoyed this book even given my general tendency to not read non fiction books. I think if more books like this were read and more people looked past labels like Muslim, Christian, Jewish and looked more at the person the world would be a much gentler place.

[eurekas_5 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love this author! His illustrations are humorous, subtle and utterly delightful. There are many whimsical figures hidden in the illustrations, lots for young & older children to find. Pettson is a wonderful character, a lonely old farmer, set in his ways, slightly forgetful, gentle, warm and a little cracked. Findus is his perfect companion, young and smart, funny and cute, this cat and Pettson are a great pair. This story is a laugh out loud type. Enjoy!

[cheryl_in_cc_nv · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Laugh-out-loud action, adorable characters, a message that resonates in the heart, fun illustrations - I want everyone in the US to read about Findus & Mercury!

[jbgusa · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I borrowed this book from a member of my synagogue's book club last spring and finally started reading it last week. I literally could not put the book down! The book is an autobiography that reads like an action adventure novel.

Its author, Mohammed Al Samawi is the son of two Yemeni doctors. He grew up with a disability in desperately poor Yemen. About tho only thing well-funded in Yemen is its ongoing civil war between the Shi'ite Houthi tribes, funded liberally by Iran and Al Quaeda of the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), funded by Saudi Arabia. Raised among the ongoing madness as a pious Muslim, the author decides to learn about the other great monotheistic religions, Christianity and Judaism. Through chance online encounters on Facebook and other media the author explores his interest in ecumenical healing.

This activity places him and his family in great danger; on the receiving end of credible death threats. The author flees, and through a network of people who barely knew him but believed in his story is exfiltrated by way of Aden and Djibouti to the U.S. Spoiler alert; I will tell no more of the details. The book is quite an inspiring and ultimately heart-warming story.

I have read other comments and agree that he received some help in writing the book and placing it in idiomatic English. But in his defense, don't almost all autobiographies involve heavy "ghost-writing"? This book is clearly the author's unique product and can only hope for more.

The same people who would like Ayaan Hirsi Ali's books, of which I have read Infidel and Nomad, would love The Fox Hunt!

[r · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

As good as the book is, it is likely worthless now, as our southern border is wide open, and upon entry our corrupt government will give you a free phone, fly you to a red state, and hand you a bag of Doritos and a ballot. It just isn’t the big news it once was, is all I’m saying. Since anyone can come into our country as we only believe in the sovereign borders of a country called Ukraine, and don’t believe the citizens if the United States have a right to defend themselves, with guns, because, you see, guns are “bad”. It’s not that an armed population is more of a threat to a corrupt government or anything like that, noooo..all this as we hand 80 billion more in weapons to arm the Ukrainian population. That makes sense.

[dolphari · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The author grew up in a strictly Islamic society in Yemen, which taught a hatred of Jews and Christians. Slowly he became aware that those religions had some similarities with his own, and then that people of those religion were... just people. He rather fell into international peace work, keeping it secret from his family. Then the Yemeni Civil War came, and he ended up hiding out in an apartment, fearing for his life from the Sunnis who would see he was from the North with lighter skin, and from nearly anyone in his country who would think he was a traitor for communicating with Jews. But his international friends, some of them American Jews, worked tirelessly to contact governments and ask for Mohammed to be evacuated. It worked, finally, in an exciting sequence of events.This book feels like a thriller, with the weight of real life.

[bookscookslooks · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the story that kept me on the edge of my seat. Imagine being a country torn by civil war and you are a wanted man. The situation is deteriorating and you need to get out – but how? Oh, and that country is Yemen. The Fox Hunt is the memoir of the man in this story.In this time of division and hate a story like this certainly offers hope. For the author of this memoir is a Muslim and he is helped by an international assortment of friends and associates of all religions and beliefs. They come together to help the PERSON remembering that a person is not the religion they practice but an individual.Despite this book being nonfiction it reads like a first class fiction suspense thriller with a sense of humor. In fact it’s Mohammed’s humor that makes all of the horror palatable. His childhood is not easy and yet he shares the trials with quiet dignity. He is a truly remarkable young man. He is taught from an early age that Jewish people are the worst of the worst. Until one day he is given a Bible and he has to readjust his worldview – which he does. To an amazing degree.I really enjoyed this book even given my general tendency to not read non fiction books. I think if more books like this were read and more people looked past labels like Muslim, Christian, Jewish and looked more at the person the world would be a much gentler place.

[bettytaylor56 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is one of the most amazing stories I have ever read – and it is a true story! Across the top of the front cover of the book is a very powerful description – “Four Strangers, Three Faiths, and One Extraordinary Escape to Freedom”.Mohammed Al Samawi grew up in Yemen being taught to hate Christians and Jews. But then he met Luke, a Christian professor, and they struck up a friendship. With sincere concern for Luke, Mohammed presented him with a copy of the Quran. Luke agreed to read the Quran if Mohammed would read the Bible. This challenge would ultimately totally change Mohammed’s life.The more he read, the more he came to realize that Jews, Christians, and Muslims are more similar than they are different. This realization resulted in so many questions he knew he had to get answers. He began on-line interactions with Jews and Christians and attended conferences in Sarajevo and Jordan. It was in Jordan that he met a young lady who would later help save his life. But his interactions with Jews and Christians soon got the attention of the extremist groups. He began receiving death threats and soon knew his life was truly in danger. How could he get out of Yemen? Fearing for the safety of his family he left his home of Sana’a and fled to Aden.In Aden, he reached out on social media asking for help. He was trapped, all alone, in the bathroom of his apartment while outside the gunfire and grenades exploded. His social media friends became his family, there with him 24 hours a day. It was four young interfaith activists – two in the US and two in Tel Aviv - with no experience in foreign affairs, international relations, or foreign diplomacy who, through social media, carried out a miracle. They reached out to everyone they knew and got them to also reach out to their networks. And people responded! They connected with various militaries, governments, and organizations where they found some who were willing to help. The way they got him out of Yemen is just mind-boggling. Not only did they get him out of Yemen but they then got him to the US. This is a miraculous story. It restores faith that there really are good people out there who will go to great measures for people they do not know. Why? It is just the right thing to do I guess. It really should be no surprise too that his story has already been picked up to be made into a movie. This is absolutely a MUST READ.