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What would cause an intelligent, well-educated, and, by all accounts, privileged Californian to forgo an easy life in the United States to struggle for survival in a land of strife and mortal danger? With this question in mind, journalist Mark Kukis retraces the personal and spiritual evolution of the most reviled American traitor since Lee Harvey Oswald. "My Heart Became Attached" provides a detailed biographical account of John Walker Lindh's odyssey, beginning with his time growing up in an affluent San Francisco suburb. Kukis then follows Lindh's footsteps to Yemen, where Lindh encountered radical Islam while studying Arabic, and on through the wild hinterlands of Pakistan and Afghanistan. The journey culminates with the violent prison uprising at Mazar-i-Sharif and ends with his military detention and criminal trial.
Searching for the truth about the enigmatic Lindh, Kukis himself traveled through Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen, and California, seeking out everyone Lindh had crossed paths with during his own now infamous journey. While conducting research, Kukis achieved unparalleled access to major players in Lindh's life. In Pakistan, Kukis talked to militants from the terrorist group Harkat ul Mujaheddin, who trained with Lindh in a Pakistani camp. In the hardscrabble Pakistani village where Lindh studied the Koran before journeying into Afghanistan, Kukis also conducted several rounds of interviews with Lindh's closest Pakistani friend, who had initially settled him into his Islamic boarding school, with Lindh's instructor, and with fellow pupils. In Afghanistan, Kukis interviewed Taliban soldiers who fought during the prison uprising in Mazar-i-Sharif and General Dostum, warlord of the region. Ex-roommates, teachers, and friends all contributed to Kukis's research, resulting in the most thorough portrait available of the character and exploits of "the American Taliban."
