Three women, in An Oath of Vengeance, struggle with their seemingly hopeless conditions to survive and somehow gain their freedom against tremendous odds. It is a gripping tale of how three women and their families deal with the tragedies of their rape and abduction in different ways. It is also the story of men in their homes who live to defend their own honor and the honor of their families, and their women, at all costs.

"One Way to Pakistan" Harold Bergsma's tale of corruption and abduction in Pakistan is a very compelling read that rates right up there with, "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini. The novel is set in a post 9/11 world where American freedoms are at odds with Islamist traditions and the law of Sharia. Bergsma paints a vivid picture of sexual repression and wide-spread graft in a culture foreign to most of us but all too familiar to him as having been born and raised on the sub-continent. His characters are from all walks of life and social castes and give an insightful peek (literally) at how the other half lives. Inevitable none of them escape unscathed as they try to survive in the maelstrom caused by daily terrorist threats and the clash between imperialism and fundamentalism. As a world traveler and raconteur myself, I wholeheartedly recommend this novel to anyone who is interested in finding out more about a society that we as Americans have embraced as an ally in the war on terror- it is a real eye-opener. Robert McMahan, San Diego, California. In One Way to Pakistan, Harold Bergsma takes us behind the headlines to a world where Muslims and Christians are all too human. Using powerful images of three abductions, he weaves a tale which is engaging and passionately written and causes us to care deeply about his characters and their fates. Characters and events such as these, at first glance, may be misunderstood by westerners, but their cultural context on the global stage is made clear and definitely compelling. Fascinating, thought-provoking and sympathetic, this novel is an important contribution to both global and multicultural understanding. Elaine Jarchow, Ph.D., Dean, Author, Preparing to Teach Global Perspectives, Corwin Press, 1997 Reading One Way to Pakistan by Harold Bergsma gave me a nostalgic visit to my childhood in India. The characters in it became real people for me and I felt very involved in their lives. The story drew me in completely as I traveled familiar roads and visited familiar places when the action took us from village to city. I especially appreciated the detailed descriptions of these areas. Sally Hazlett Woolever, Storyteller. Living on the Edge Editorial Board and Contributor to Otsego Stories, A Bicentennial Collection, Walton, N.Y. 1995 You are in store for an amazing, bazaar-level, people's-eye view of a microcosm in 21st. century Pakistan The spotlight is on sex-starved men, who indulge, with impunity, in hypocrisy, graft, bribery, extortion and abduction, using their victims as chattel. Tom Stoup, Bluedoor Bookstore, San Diego

Tamrin, a resident of the ancient port city of Aksum, was tall and lean, with restless eyes that examined all those around him. He was a man who used words and persuasion before he used the sword, but if he drew his weapon, it tasted blood. Though illiterate, Tamrin had a fantastic mind for details, money transactions, ship's cargoes, and the faces of all he met. He was a man who recognized that silence and listening paid benefits that oratory seldom did. He respected the authority of the queen, yet held himself with pride. Menelik, son of the Queen of Sheba and fathered by Solomon, as a youth became Tamrin's charge. Menelik was to accompany Tamrin as a deck hand and not reveal his royal identity during their travels, but he told his secret to another sailor, which changed the nature of his apprenticeship and his life. Menelik, a quick learner, was faithful to Tamrin. Being shielded in a royal palace did not prepare him for the hardships and cruelties of a merchant sailor's life. He finally admitted his error, regaining the respect of the crew and his mother, the queen. About the Author: Born in Chicago, Harold M. Bergsma spent his early years in Ethiopia and India, where his father was a medical missionary. He studied linguistics and was a university professor and administrator for thirty years. The author has lived and worked in Africa and India. His first wife was born in India and his second is Chinese. "I am in many ways like Tamrin, of many origins, and many cultural backgrounds. Home is truly where the heart is." This is his tenth book. Publisher's website: http: //sbprabooks.com/HaroldMBergsma

Three women, in An Oath of Vengeance, struggle with their seemingly hopeless conditions to survive and somehow gain their freedom against tremendous odds. It is a gripping tale of how three women and their families deal with the tragedies of their rape and abduction in different ways. It is also the story of men in their homes who live to defend their own honor and the honor of their families, and their women, at all costs.

The author tells stories about his international wandering. In India he writes about his childhood and growing up in boarding school. He experiences frustrations of a child living with a dorm bully. His story "The Year I Became a Thief describes his humorous rationale for his resulting strange thefts. In "Bears' Cave" he describes a terrifying cave exploration with his older brother where they almost lose their lives. Bergsma resided twelve years in Nigeria. He made close friends with many of the traditional people resulting from both his work and his hobby, hunting. "Fat Hearts" is a story of Asema Kehe, his hunting companion for twelve years and their many unusual experiences in the bush together. After twenty five years apart, Bergsma returns to Nigeria and finds his dying friend. In "The Salt Makers" he becomes lost on a hunt and ends up in compound where six wild looking Utur tribesmen are boiling something in a huge metal pot. Bergsma's attempt to solicit assistance by using pantomime is a hilarious spoof of cross cultural mis-understanding. While in Yemen Arab Republic, in "Sleep Deprivation" he becomes involved with Russian spies and a noisy amorous couple in a hotel room in Sana'a. In Belize he accompanies a project student home. He stays overnight with the student in a tiny stilt house above a swamp and becomes acquainted intimately with "Sleep Apnea" when his partner dies a hundred times a night. In Egypt, with his family, they descend ancient stone steps under a pyramid. He discovers he has a serious case of 'tombaphobia' in "Pharaoh's Tomb." His memoirs speak of the birth and rebirth of ideas and beliefs over a lifetime; 'we are born in mystery, we live in mystery and we die in mystery'.

"One Way to Pakistan" Harold Bergsma's tale of corruption and abduction in Pakistan is a very compelling read that rates right up there with, "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini. The novel is set in a post 9/11 world where American freedoms are at odds with Islamist traditions and the law of Sharia. Bergsma paints a vivid picture of sexual repression and wide-spread graft in a culture foreign to most of us but all too familiar to him as having been born and raised on the sub-continent. His characters are from all walks of life and social castes and give an insightful peek (literally) at how the other half lives. Inevitable none of them escape unscathed as they try to survive in the maelstrom caused by daily terrorist threats and the clash between imperialism and fundamentalism. As a world traveler and raconteur myself, I wholeheartedly recommend this novel to anyone who is interested in finding out more about a society that we as Americans have embraced as an ally in the war on terror- it is a real eye-opener. Robert McMahan, San Diego, California. In One Way to Pakistan, Harold Bergsma takes us behind the headlines to a world where Muslims and Christians are all too human. Using powerful images of three abductions, he weaves a tale which is engaging and passionately written and causes us to care deeply about his characters and their fates. Characters and events such as these, at first glance, may be misunderstood by westerners, but their cultural context on the global stage is made clear and definitely compelling. Fascinating, thought-provoking and sympathetic, this novel is an important contribution to both global and multicultural understanding. Elaine Jarchow, Ph.D., Dean, Author, Preparing to Teach Global Perspectives, Corwin Press, 1997 Reading One Way to Pakistan by Harold Bergsma gave me a nostalgic visit to my childhood in India. The characters in it became real people for me and I felt very involved in their lives. The story drew me in completely as I traveled familiar roads and visited familiar places when the action took us from village to city. I especially appreciated the detailed descriptions of these areas. Sally Hazlett Woolever, Storyteller. Living on the Edge Editorial Board and Contributor to Otsego Stories, A Bicentennial Collection, Walton, N.Y. 1995 You are in store for an amazing, bazaar-level, people's-eye view of a microcosm in 21st. century Pakistan The spotlight is on sex-starved men, who indulge, with impunity, in hypocrisy, graft, bribery, extortion and abduction, using their victims as chattel. Tom Stoup, Bluedoor Bookstore, San Diego