Saving Sam

A gripping testament of resilience, family, and faith, this is the incredible and true story of an American traveler who was captured and wrongfully imprisoned in Syria while on a journey to experience every country in the world.
 
What would you do if your son suddenly disappeared in Syria, and you had no idea what had happened to him? Would you contact the FBI? The State Department? Pray? Would you Google “What to do if your son disappears in Syria”?
 
When the unthinkable happened, the answer, in the case of Ann Goodwin and her husband Tag, was: all of the above. Their 30-year-old son Sam, who was attempting to become one of the few people in history to travel to every single country on the planet, vanished in a supposed safe-zone run by the Kurds on the Turkish border. At first, they didn’t even realize he had been abducted: maybe the phone reception had gone down, they told themselves, as had happened plenty of times before when Sam was in an off-the-beaten-path place. Just wait, he’ll call back soon.
 
But Sam never did call back, and over the coming days, the horror of their situation quickly bore down on the Goodwins, a devout Catholic family of seven living a middle-class suburban lifestyle in St. Louis, Missouri. Frustrated and increasingly terrified, the Goodwin’s came to realize that they couldn’t rely on their government to save Sam. They were going to have to do it themselves.
 
This is the extraordinary story of Sam’s abduction by the Syrian regime, who threatened to hand him over to ISIS for beheading if he did not confess to being a CIA spy. It’s also the story of a Midwestern American family who transformed themselves into their own detective agency, building up a network of journalists, hostage negotiators, Middle East experts, Russian diplomats, Vatican envoys, and shady mercenaries, until eventually – by nothing short of a miracle – they found a secret backdoor into the heart of the Syrian intelligence service itself.
 
Through multiple first-person narrators, Saving Sam recounts an inspiring and unforgettable saga that includes a travel journey to every country in the world, famous celebrities, heads of state, high-stakes diplomacy and critical life lessons around curiosity, uncertainty, prayer and what it ultimately means to be free. In a genuine, straightforward and sometimes humorous style, Sam draws on his experience as a hostage to demonstrate how we can all turn our own adversities into assets, whether it be in our personal, professional or spiritual lives.

• "Saving Sam is both a poignant narrative and an important recount of state-sponsored hostage-taking that’s being routinized, globally. Having worked on freeing American-held hostages from a dystopian Syrian regime, Sam Goodwin’s deeply personal ‘road to Damascus’ and eventual freedom is an important, timely and well-told story."
  Col Christopher P. Costa, USA, ret., Former Special Assistant to the President for Counterterrorism, National Security Council, White House.
• "As one of the few other people who have journeyed to every country in the world, I resonate deeply with Sam's remarkable odyssey chronicled in Saving Sam. This book is a testament to the indomitable will to survive and thrive, offering invaluable lessons that transcend boundaries andreshape our perspectives on life and the world."
  Lee Abbamonte, Travel influencer and Youngest American to Visit Every Country
• "Saving Sam is one of the most remarkable stories revealing the miraculous potential for love to liberate us from our most isolating and agonizing situations. In reading this moving book, you’ll recognize the same love that connected dots to save Sam from his confinement can also liberate all of us from ours."
  John O’Leary, #1 National Bestselling author of On Fire and In Awe
• "Sam Goodwin's harrowing journey, surviving against all odds after being taken hostage in Syria, is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. His unwavering faith, and the faith and actions of his supporters and family at home, not only guided him through the darkest of times, but also inspires others to find strength and hope in the face of overwhelming adversity."
  Sean Magennis, Former Global President of YPO, National Chairman of Young Catholic Professionals
• "Sam’s story vividly illustrates how the resilience and skills cultivated through competitive athletics can be the difference between despair and triumph in life's most daunting challenges. I train world-class athletes at the highest level and commend Sam’s gripping account of survival and growth. We can all learn from this book!"
  Chris Pronger, NHL Hall of Famer and Stanley Cup Champion
• "Saving Sam takes readers on a heart-pounding journey through the depths of captivity in Syria, one that profoundly resonates with my own in Iran. Sam and his family's unforgettable odyssey is a riveting testament of love, perseverance and freedom."
  Jason Rezaian, Global Opinions Writer, Washington Post
•  "The true story of Sam Goodwin’s false arrest and imprisonment in Syria is a must read. The faith of this ordinary American family and the miraculous series of events which led to his freedom make an inspirational and page-turning tale."
   
  Patricia Heaton, Emmy Award-winning actress and advocate
• "Sam’s story is a quintessentially American story. He explored the whole world – every corner of it – and brought his midwestern good cheer with him. Sam made friends for himself and the USA across the globe. When things went very bad, he faced an unimaginable situation with determination, optimism, and grace. For anyone who has traveled beyond our shores or yearned to do so, Sam’s book is a must read."
  Ambassador Robert C. O’Brien, 27th US National Security Advisor and 2nd Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs
• "Hostage stories in the Middle East can run on for years, and then end in tragedy. Often, the days along the way are mind-numbingly routine even when frightening. Sam Goodwin's story in Syria is of a different sort. This is an adventure tale that, though dark, ends well. Sam's story has real narrative drive."
  David Bradley, Chairman & Owner of The Atlantic Media Company
• "Saving Sam is the warm, uplifting story about an adventurous, athletic, enterprising, and likable young man; his large loving family; the Hostage Recovery Cell of the U.S. government; and a vast array of other characters. His ambitious quest to see every country in the world, and unknowingly to find himself and his purpose in life, and how and why he was taken prisoner in Syria, known for torturing and killing its captives, and how he, in his resourceful way, survived many weeks in solitary confinement, under the most primitive conditions, where he found the strength, in part from his faith, but also in himself, using his quick mind and athletic background to not lose hope and to keep himself strong. Unlike most hostage stories, even about those who survive, this one has a happy ending, and for the author, for whom we are rooting, the future is bright."
  Jere Van Dyk, Journalist, Author and Expert on the Middle East
• “Living the American dream to the fullest, Sam’s journey intersected with some of the worst of humanity. His courage to endure is an inspiration for Americans to be brave in the face of downright tyranny, and know the greatest force on God’s green earth will always come for within. God speed to those in service… and to those who play hockey.”
   
  Kash Patel, Former Chief of Staff to the Department of Defense
• “Don't miss Sam Goodwin's dramatic account of his survival in one of the most brutal places on earth: a Syrian prison. The Syrian story has dropped out of the news, but for Syrians, the story continues. Goodwin's insights of an arrest, his time in a prison where torture was a feature, his fear, and the heroic family measures to free him is riveting.”
   
  Deborah Amos, NPR Correspondent, Princeton University Professor
• “Many would be crushed by such unrelenting hardship, pain and suffering inflicted by the Syrian regime. Not Sam Goodwin. This is the story of an idealistic human being who set out on a global odyssey to better understand the people of the world. When taken hostage by the Syrian regime in a Kafkaesque nightmare, he refused to surrender to hopelessness and despair. Supported by his strong and faithful family, Sam gained strength, courage and profound empathy during his brutal captivity and came home recommitted to making the world a better place and spreading the gospel of resilience and positivity. This is his testimonial. I was uplifted.”
   
  Christopher C. Miller, Former US Acting Secretary of Defense
• “Sam's miraculous and captivating story serves as a reminder of how the life lessons we learn through competitive sports about perseverance, discipline, and mental resilience can help us in the most unexpected ways.”
   
  Rick Westhead, TSN Senior Correspondent
• “Saving Sam beautifully illustrates the power of the human spirit's ability to survive in the most harrowing of circumstances. Not only is Sam's strength during detainment admirable but so too is that of his family. Circumstances like these typically break a family down, but not this one. This is a testament to faith, loyalty, and an impenetrable belief that hope always wins.”
   
  Jessica Buchanan, New York Times Bestselling Author
• “Sam Goodwin and his family embody the finest qualities of American excellence. Through vivid storytelling and raw emotion, ‘Saving Sam’ is their gripping testament of faith, perseverance, and the unbreakable human will to defy odds and emerge stronger from even the darkest of trials. Do not miss the opportunity to read this book.”
   
  John Ratcliffe, 6th US Director of National Intelligence
• “Sam Goodwin and his family’s incredible story is a redemptive reminder of how critical it is to continue pushing forward in the face of uncertainty – to still hope, still dream and still see the possibilities ahead. Reading this book is like having a close friend look you square in the eye and say, ‘The time to be courageous is now’.”
  Ali Soufan, Former FBI Special Agent and Counterterrorism Expert
• “It reads like a John Grisham novel. But it’s also very inspirational.”
  Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, Archbishop of New York