Status
Available
Publication
Viking (2015), Edition: First Edition, 336 pages
Description
On May 6, 2013, Amanda Berry made headlines around the world when she fled a Cleveland home and called 911, saying: "Help me, I'm Amanda Berry... I've been kidnapped, and I've been missing for ten years." A horrifying story rapidly unfolded. Ariel Castro, a local school bus driver, had separately lured Berry, Gina DeJesus, and Michelle Knight to his home, where he kept them chained. In the decade that followed, the three were raped, psychologically abused, and threatened with death. Berry had a daughter -- Jocelyn -- by their captor. Drawing upon their recollections and the diary kept by Amanda Berry, Berry and Gina DeJesus describe a tale of unimaginable torment. Reporters Mary Jordan and Kevin Sullivan interweave the events within Castro's house with original reporting on efforts to find the missing girls. The full story behind the headlines -- including details never previously released on Castro's life and motivations -- Hope is a harrowing yet inspiring chronicle of two women whose courage, ingenuity, and resourcefulness ultimately delivered them back to their lives and families.… (more)
Similar in this library
User reviews
LibraryThing member carlahaunted
The journalists’ portions of this book: well-researched, factually reported breakdown of the crime and of who Ariel Castro was.
Gina and Amanda’s portions of this book: honest sharing interlaced with unnecessary and heavy doses of We Don’t Like Michelle Knight
Seriously. There were parts of
I am carefully separating this present pettiness from the mind games Castro would play with the three girls; I completely understand the difference. But it’s so blatant that, in the conclusion, you learn that Amanda and Gina go to the White House for an event honoring the missing, and Michelle is excluded. If I’d been through ten years of hell, and someone else had suffered in that hell *even longer*, it would not matter to me how I felt about her as a person. I would make completely sure she was by my side at that White House event because she is also a survivor.
Let me put it this way: I am an avid reader of true crime, and I was glad and relieved when this book ended.
Gina and Amanda’s portions of this book: honest sharing interlaced with unnecessary and heavy doses of We Don’t Like Michelle Knight
Seriously. There were parts of
Show More
this book where it seemed the message was how much they both dislike Michelle, today, rather than what happened to them, then.I am carefully separating this present pettiness from the mind games Castro would play with the three girls; I completely understand the difference. But it’s so blatant that, in the conclusion, you learn that Amanda and Gina go to the White House for an event honoring the missing, and Michelle is excluded. If I’d been through ten years of hell, and someone else had suffered in that hell *even longer*, it would not matter to me how I felt about her as a person. I would make completely sure she was by my side at that White House event because she is also a survivor.
Let me put it this way: I am an avid reader of true crime, and I was glad and relieved when this book ended.
Show Less
LibraryThing member susiesharp
So powerful, what these women endured and survived is nothing short of a miracle. That they were able to get out of there and live normal lives is pretty astonishing.
The narration was very well done and conveyed all the emotions it needed to.
Highly recommend this book because it is totally about
4 stars
The narration was very well done and conveyed all the emotions it needed to.
Highly recommend this book because it is totally about
Show More
Hope and resilience. 4 stars
Show Less
LibraryThing member shsunon
Ten years is a long time to be held captive, to be chained beaten, raped, and threatened; however, this was the life experience of Amanda Barry. Gina Dejesus had the same horrible trial for nine years. Both girls were kidnapped by Ariel Castro in Cleveland, Ohio. They were allowed to watch
A third girl, Michelle Knight, was also held captive and is mentioned briefly; Finding Me is her personal story. Both memoirs detail a ray of hope and tremendous courage in a seemingly hopeless situation. The books chronicle the victims' dramatic escape and their continuing recovery.
Show More
television and were aware of the searches and vigils associated with their disappearance. Amanda gave birth to a child while in captivity and did a remarkable job of creating a life for her.A third girl, Michelle Knight, was also held captive and is mentioned briefly; Finding Me is her personal story. Both memoirs detail a ray of hope and tremendous courage in a seemingly hopeless situation. The books chronicle the victims' dramatic escape and their continuing recovery.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Susan.Macura
This is the story of two if the incredible women who survived a decade of captivity by Ariel Castro. Their story is amazing, as are these two resilient women.
LibraryThing member jlsimon7
This book switches between the voice of Amanda Berry and Gina Dejesus. This is their first hand account of their abduction and subsequent abuse at the hands of Ariel Castro. It is sad, touching, and full of their personal struggle.
This is not a book for the weak at heart. If you chose to read or
This is not a book for the weak at heart. If you chose to read or
Show More
listen to this book be prepared to experience their fear, loathing, and confusion right along with them. Understand that this is a book I recommend, just one that I caution the reader to be prepared to hear their voices. Be prepared to doubt your neighbors. Show Less
LibraryThing member justablondemoment
Pretty good read for such a horrible crime. I really feel for all of these girls and the courage it took to go through what they did and survive. The book gives you not only details of the crime that only the girls could provide with accuracy but the emotional side of what they were forced to
Show More
endure. All 3 of you rock and are a bright light of strength for all those that think there is only darkness. Show Less
LibraryThing member marshapetry
Quite a difficult story to read just because of the subject matter but I think this is one of the best "awful stories" I've read. The now-women are surprising honest in how they were manipulated by Ariel Castro and it's refreshing to hear them discuss the Stockholm syndrome of which they were all a
I highly recommend this book for an inside look at the behavior of perpetrators and their young victims if you are interested. Although the book gets a little repetitive in some of the mundane activities described by two of the girls in two different ways, it is stunning and thorough in its description of the 10 year plus ordeal.
I can only hope that, though all the girls will have good days and bad, that they truly can gain the peace they describe.
Show More
part as a simply a fact of the story rather than trying to resist that it happened. They were young, it's a fact of many kidnappings (contrast Elizabeth Smart's story and her adamant refusal that stockholm syndrome occurred all while discussing behavior all part of the syndrome). I highly recommend this book for an inside look at the behavior of perpetrators and their young victims if you are interested. Although the book gets a little repetitive in some of the mundane activities described by two of the girls in two different ways, it is stunning and thorough in its description of the 10 year plus ordeal.
I can only hope that, though all the girls will have good days and bad, that they truly can gain the peace they describe.
Show Less
LibraryThing member JenniferRobb
This is a hard book to read because it's emotional. I can't speak for outside the Cleveland, OH area, but in this area, it was big news. So at the beginning of the book, you already know that Amanda and Gina are going to be kidnapped and held for 10 years. You might find yourself, like me, wanting
The middle part is sad (detailing what he did and said to them and what he put them through), but it was interesting to see what sustained them and their hope during the decade that they were held captive--and how things changed after the arrival of Jocelyn Jade Berry. I am not sure what made Ariel Castro leave the house that day without taking his usual precautions--I am glad he did and glad that Amanda was able to escape and summon help for Gina and Michelle--but part of me wonders if he didn't do it to bring an end to it in his time rather than waiting for Jocelyn to let something slip to the wrong person when he had her out with him.
I am glad both Gina and Amanda seemed to be moving on with their lives post-Castro. I heard that Amanda was doing segments on missing children on a local TV station, which is a good thing. In fact, just today I heard about a 56 year old woman who is missing and it is suspected that her boyfriend is holding her against her will. Very scary world that we live in.
Show More
to warn them to not get in the van--to not give him the cell phone when he asks to see it--to not go into the house. Even though you know it's futile because it's already happened. For awhile, the only thing that kept me reading was the knowledge that the ending is a good one. The middle part is sad (detailing what he did and said to them and what he put them through), but it was interesting to see what sustained them and their hope during the decade that they were held captive--and how things changed after the arrival of Jocelyn Jade Berry. I am not sure what made Ariel Castro leave the house that day without taking his usual precautions--I am glad he did and glad that Amanda was able to escape and summon help for Gina and Michelle--but part of me wonders if he didn't do it to bring an end to it in his time rather than waiting for Jocelyn to let something slip to the wrong person when he had her out with him.
I am glad both Gina and Amanda seemed to be moving on with their lives post-Castro. I heard that Amanda was doing segments on missing children on a local TV station, which is a good thing. In fact, just today I heard about a 56 year old woman who is missing and it is suspected that her boyfriend is holding her against her will. Very scary world that we live in.
Show Less
LibraryThing member lauriebrown54
In the spring of 2003, 17 year old Amanda Berry, walking home from work, was lured into a van by the father of a schoolmate. She was then taken to his house (still believing he was taking her to see her friend), where she was grabbed, brutally raped, and then chained up in the basement. She, and
For ten long years, they were held inside without even a window to look out of. They were chained up, repeatedly raped, not fed nearly enough, terrified the whole time. Amanda had a baby girl while captive. Her rapist, Ariel Castro, was very proud to be a father and doted on the baby- while still keeping Amanda chained up. Amanda tried to raise the little girl with some sense of normalcy, teaching her to read, write, and do arithmetic. Castro enjoyed allowing the girls to watch the TV news when their families were on, begging for the return of their loved ones- an extra little bit of sadism.
The story is nothing short of horrifying. Castro and his treatment of the young women was viscerally revolting to me. The families and the police searched for them for years without finding anything. They despaired that they would never be found, never get out. Castro lied to each of them, telling them how he liked each one better than the others and that the other girls were saying bad things about them, driving a wedge between them so they could only look to him and not have warm feelings for the others. Now, Amanda and Gina are best friends- who else could understand what they have been through?-and have the support of their families again. I’m amazed at how well they have settled back into normal lives. They are very strong people to have survived as they did- I know I could never have survived in their situation.
The book alternates points of view, not just of the two girls, but also third person sections that show what their families, the police, and Castro himself were doing at the time. Amanda kept a diary of sorts; she intended to remember every detail and wrote in notebooks Castro bought her; when she filled those, she wrote on pizza boxes, receipts, and any other piece of paper she could find. The book was riveting; like a bad auto accident, I wanted to look away but couldn’t. Five stars, but very, very hard to read.
Show More
later Gina DeJesus, would remain in this house until 2013. Also there was Michelle Knight, who decided to tell her story on her own, so she is largely absent from these pages. For ten long years, they were held inside without even a window to look out of. They were chained up, repeatedly raped, not fed nearly enough, terrified the whole time. Amanda had a baby girl while captive. Her rapist, Ariel Castro, was very proud to be a father and doted on the baby- while still keeping Amanda chained up. Amanda tried to raise the little girl with some sense of normalcy, teaching her to read, write, and do arithmetic. Castro enjoyed allowing the girls to watch the TV news when their families were on, begging for the return of their loved ones- an extra little bit of sadism.
The story is nothing short of horrifying. Castro and his treatment of the young women was viscerally revolting to me. The families and the police searched for them for years without finding anything. They despaired that they would never be found, never get out. Castro lied to each of them, telling them how he liked each one better than the others and that the other girls were saying bad things about them, driving a wedge between them so they could only look to him and not have warm feelings for the others. Now, Amanda and Gina are best friends- who else could understand what they have been through?-and have the support of their families again. I’m amazed at how well they have settled back into normal lives. They are very strong people to have survived as they did- I know I could never have survived in their situation.
The book alternates points of view, not just of the two girls, but also third person sections that show what their families, the police, and Castro himself were doing at the time. Amanda kept a diary of sorts; she intended to remember every detail and wrote in notebooks Castro bought her; when she filled those, she wrote on pizza boxes, receipts, and any other piece of paper she could find. The book was riveting; like a bad auto accident, I wanted to look away but couldn’t. Five stars, but very, very hard to read.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Shahnareads
I remember hearing about this case but never really paid attention to it. I didn't realize how big it was until years later, so when I saw this I snatched it up. I have a weird fascination with stories like this.
I can't believe what I read, it's all so crazy. I'm impressed by their determination
Fuck that guy. He was Satan's taint.
I can't believe what I read, it's all so crazy. I'm impressed by their determination
Show More
to survive. I couldn't imagine I'd make it all. I'm glad they are living happy normal lives now. Fuck that guy. He was Satan's taint.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Micareads
This was a remarkable story showing exactly how brave these 3 women were when looking into the face of pure evil.
Awards
In the Margins Official List (Nonfiction — 2016)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2015-04-27
Physical description
9.56 inches
ISBN
0525427651 / 9780525427650