The Actual True Story of Ahmed and Zarga

This is essentially an endearing desert fairy tale, made ever more remarkable in that it was imagined while the author endured 15 torturous years in Guantanamo Bay which was the basis of his previous work Guantanamo Diary.

Ahmed is a Bedouin camel herder in search of his prized camel Zarga, promised to his son Abdullah. Ahmed and his faithful camel Laamesh set off into the Sahara armed with the songs of his father. He will encounter poisonous snakes and barbaric nomads while navigating the unforgiving environment of the desert landscape. He is shored up by bedouin hospitality and the occasional tea and smoke. And while he attests to the absolute truth of his tale, sworn on the belly button of his only sister and the Sixty Holy Chapters, in the end he admits that a little pepper and salt never hurt any story. This was a tale well seasoned and easy to relish.