Word to Dreams

Reviewing a victims book is always hard. Just for what the author went through and being able to talk about it, is worth 5 stars. I do recommend this book to everyone though, because how she and the other two women who were also victims were kidnapped, could easily happen to others.

This book isn't just about the kidnapping and the daily torture she went through. This book starts when the author is very young and the abuse she endured from youth and on. How she tried to get out of that situation again and again. This woman just could never catch a break. She was rescued at the age of 32 and basically that is when she finally got the taste of true freedom.

The author details the torture that the other women and she went through. The rapes, the miscarriages, the birth of a child. The author didn't go in graphic detail about the rapes, but let it be known just how severe they were. The heartbreak of the forced miscarriages comes through. This is a woman who treasures life and wanted the children, even if they were created from a man who was her kidnapper, rapist and torturer. She missed her son, who she last saw when he was 2, and it felt like she was looking for someone she could mother during that separation.

Out of the three women kidnapped, Michelle was the first and in turn was there the longest. The things she describes would break a person, instead of giving up, Michelle pushed through each day, living for the hope of seeing her son again one day. She was the big sister to the other women, giving them the strength to not give up. By the time I finished this book, I wanted nothing more than to give Michelle the biggest hug and tell her, she did good, the evil is gone and one day she will have the happy ending she is looking for.

Now after all this, I couldn't give the book 5 stars. The writing was a bit underdeveloped and the way time jumped it sometimes was a bit confusing. There was also descriptions of various things that seemed a bit jumbled and could have used some fine tuning. I know, she's not writing this to be an author, but to get her and the others stories out there, but as a reviewer, this is what I have to do.

Mothers and fathers, read this. Once your daughter turns 13, have her read it. Read it to your daughter, who is under 12, leaving out whatever you feel would be too much for them. This book is not just a memoir but also an education in what victims go through.