Surviving the Unthinkable: A Review of ‘Saved’ by Benjamin Hall
In a suburb of Kyiv, Ben Hall and his reporting team get blown to bits by a Russian drone.
The first part of Ben’s story is about how and why he became a war correspondent and left home searching for war. In the second half, Ben is being put back together to return home to his wife and little girls.
The first part of the story is exciting.
It is filled with insights into purpose. It describes in detail, and very personally, the conviction that sent him to war zones. He knew he had to be there. He knew he was risking his life. He learned the only way to cover the war as a journalist was to get as close as possible to the action. In fact, to be right there.
The book’s second part shows the consequences of his purpose and his choice to live it. And these consequences are ugly, gruesome, and inspiring. Ugly as it shows the reality of war. Gruesome as it has us live through the loss of friends, limbs, and careers. It is inspiring when it shows how people come together, total strangers from all over the world, with different occupations, to help a man whose goal is to get home.
This book was a page-turner for me.
His life reminded me of how excited I was in my early career when I finally found my career. How I was willing to do whatever it took to succeed. To even sacrifice time with Kathy and the kids. I was all in, and so was Ben. It brought back some great memories of being in the “trenches” with my co-workers and friends. It also made me regret our sacrifices to live our purpose.
But the second half was a challenging read. The story of getting Ben out of Kyiv and to the States is thrilling and miraculous. It was indeed God’s hand in this escape story. And then there is the reconstruction of his body, mind, and spirit. To get Ben back on his feet, literally. To get him home.
In the end, he makes it. And not only is he rewarded, but he also rewards us, the readers. Ben, a man, husband, father, and journalist, tells us what he learned from all this. And what makes this sharing unusual is these life lessons are coming from a man in his early thirties. Lessons I didn’t learn until much later in life. Lessons I am learning right now at seventy.
I thank Ben for sharing his life story.
I thank Ben when he says, “I went into this believing in God, and I still do.” He saw the underbelly of life. He experienced the pain. But he concluded that good will always overcome evil. And pain is overcome by love.