Penguin Random House India is honoured to publish Hostage, the first memoir by an Israeli civilian abducted on October 7, 2023, and already the fastest-selling book in Israel’s history.
In this stark, unflinching account, Eli Sharabi recounts the 491 days he spent captive in Gaza’s tunnels after being torn from his home in Kibbutz Be’eri. Enduring starvation, violence, and crushing isolation, Sharabi offers a rare and deeply human perspective on survival under extreme duress. Through it all, Sharabi charts the emotional terrain of captivity with rare clarity—his longing, his faith, the camaraderie formed among captives, and the relentless decision to choose life even in the face of this extreme adversity.
Praised by major international outlets—Time Magazine calls it “taut and immersive,” while The Daily Telegraph deems it “one of the most compelling and unflinching books you will ever read”— Hostage is both a personal testimony and a vital document of contemporary history.
India has long valued stories grounded in truth, courage, and human resilience. At a time when the world grapples with conflict, misinformation, and fractured narratives, Hostage offers a firsthand lens into a region and event that remain central to international humanitarian and geopolitical conversations. Sharabi’s story: rooted in fear, endurance, vulnerability, and hope, speaks to the universal human will to survive, regardless of nation, politics, or circumstance.
Evocative of Elie Wiesel’s Night, Hostage stands as a witness for the present moment, ensuring that the realities of captivity and courage are neither forgotten nor denied.
Publication: November 2025
