Lost Son of Salem: An American Boy's Odyssey in the Arab World (ePub)

When John's mother let her nine-year-old boy leave her home in Salem, Massachusetts and board a merchant ship bound for Mocha in Yemen, she had no idea that it would be a one-way journey for him to the other side of the world. What was supposed to be a few months of travel turned into a lifelong saga of waiting and longing.

Based on true events that actually took place in the early 19th century, the story revolves around a young boy from Salem, Massachusetts who in November of 1805, embarked on a ship bound for Mocha in Yemen. The vessel, named Essex, belonged to the wealthy merchant William Orne, with his nephew Joseph Orne as the captain. During this time, Salem was renowned as a major sea port, importing sugar and molasses from the West Indies, tea from China and pepper from Sumatra.

The Essex arrived in Mocha in March of 1806 with a mission to purchase coffee beans using the $60,000 entrusted to Joseph by his uncle. Unbeknown to the crew, the ship became embroiled in a heated dispute between local leaders and the British over territory. Eventually, the Essex was set ablaze and its crew killed near Kamaran Island in the Red Sea, off the coast of Yemen.

Remarkably, the nine-year-old boy survived and was taken in by Mohammad Bin Aqeel, a local Sheikh from the Dhofar region in southern Oman. Bin Aqeel, a complex figure, could be seen as both a pirate and a profiteer, navigating the political landscape involving the British, the French, the Sultan of Oman and the Imam ibn Saud in the heartland of Arabia.

The young American boy was adopted by Mr Aqeel's wife. The story is a blend of drama, history, political struggle, greed, adventure and the human side of the agony of mother and son separation, all based on true events and real characters.