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Memoir of a Milk Carton Kid
Tom, ' I said, bracing myself for the threat that was sure to follow. 'I need to talk to you about something. About leaving here, I mean.' He didn't hit me. Didn't threaten. Instead, he looked at me with great sadness. 'Who saved your life?' 'You, ' I replied, 'but...' 'Who takes care of you?' 'I know that, ' I told him. 'I just can't live like this.' 'You can't live? What about me? You would destroy my life if you left. I am the only person to ever show you love, and you would leave me? Don't be stupid.' Told from the perspective of Tanya Nicole Kach, Memoir of a Milk Carton Kid is the haunting story of a girl, lost in the cracks of the system, forced to spend more than ten years as the prisoner of her school's security guard. From her troubled childhood, through her captivity at the hands of a manipulative captor, and ultimately on her road to recovery, Tanya's story is one of pain but ultimately triumph. Her story is told by her advocate and confidant, Lawrence Fisher. For more than five years his impassioned advocacy has helped Tanya as she has reintegrated into society. He successfully blends Tanya's story with his own insight into the legal issues surrounding the controversial case that followed Tanya's release. This multipronged approach gives the reader insight into Tanya's emotional state and the state of a criminal justice system that allowed her ordeal to happen.
213 pages, Paperback
First published October 11, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews
July 20, 2015
I feel compelled to write a review although I rarely do for other books. I'm disgusted by other reviews which seem to place the blame on a 14 year old who was manipulated by so many horrible people in her life. The book is not well written, and perhaps the lawyer/author has taken liberties to shine a light on himself, however I can't help but think that some good may come from a memoir such as this.
Yes, the book lacks depth and gory details of the victim's captivity, however it does give enough detail to see how wrong the system is and how everyone truly failed Tanya (before, during and after her abduction). I feel cold and disturbed after reading this from start to finish. Unlike Tanya's optimism, I do not feel any faith in humanity after finishing her story, but I applaud her strength while at the same time wondering how much her lawyer has gained from the experience.
Yes, the book lacks depth and gory details of the victim's captivity, however it does give enough detail to see how wrong the system is and how everyone truly failed Tanya (before, during and after her abduction). I feel cold and disturbed after reading this from start to finish. Unlike Tanya's optimism, I do not feel any faith in humanity after finishing her story, but I applaud her strength while at the same time wondering how much her lawyer has gained from the experience.
February 20, 2012
Saw the authors speak at a library event. I think that Tanya Kach has been manipulated by men her entire life and her lawyer is no exception. The story is, of course, compelling, but the writing and editing are abysmal. If Kach's lawyer was really doing what was in the best interest of Kach (as he says motivates all his decisions) he would have left the writing up to a real writer, which would likely have led to the book being published by a major publisher. It is a horrifying story of negligence and indifference.
August 29, 2023
Victim of captivity?? ... Or mentally unstable teen looking for love and affection who writes her story and calls it a ten year 'captivity'? (Thus redeeming some of that attention she so desperately craved :/ )
How disappointing. What starts as a well written, cut to the chase summary of Tanya Kach's life and mental state before meeting her 'captor', (Due to the lack of affection and stability in her home life), turns into an almost quickly scribbled down list of dates and facts which is told in random sequence without a hint of detail or emotion.
I would maybe feel differently if she and the writer whom she collaborated with actually TOLD the audience about her life while living with Tom Hose. Hose is obviously an unstable, lowlife, however nothing is even detailed or explained about the captivity that could make Tanya's words 'psychologically tortured and sexually degregraded' justifiable in context to this book she has written.
And considering she was able to go on shopping trips, start work in a thrift shop and as she even says 'I decided to leave the house for a little while'.. It is very very hard to be able to call this book and her story a story of captivity...
By page 72 she's already explained why she took a liking to Hose, which as a reader I can genuinely understand and I also feel genuinely sorry for as her parents and living situation was rubbish to say the least. She has already had consensual sex with him (granted she was a minor and Hose is in the wrong)and in those 72 or so pages we have already spanned nearly 9 years in 'captivity' without any actual detail except having to have relieved herself in a bucket (which she knew she would be doing when she chose to live with him.)
- She has already had numerous chances to leave the bedroom she was being held captive in and yet does nothing. Even when police enter the house, or she goes shopping (yes she was allowed on multiple shopping trips over 10 years.)- she still does nothing, in fact she says DIRECTLY to the reader 'I had no impulse to escape, and I'm ashamed to say that leaving him never entered my mind'. The easiest thing from a reader's perspective would have been to make some noise to let Hose's parents know that she was living day to day in his bedroom, if she wanted to find a way out.
So far I feel her story takes away from the numerous other stories I have read by women who truly were kidnapped and held in captivity against their will. This situation,- although Hose as an adult is completely wrong in abusing his authority over a minor, - barely resembles a hostage situation.
Rather It resembles a wayward troubled teen who craves attention/affection (and has every right to need and want attention and affection from parents/authority figures) and who has very low self esteem, that she decided to stay with a man twice her age for a 10 year period. Within the 10 years she also agreed to marry him.
It seems to be an obvious case of a misguided feeling of'love' situation,- to - I'm bored now and feeling mentally unstable so Im going to say I was being held captive.
While I understand Mental instability and it is justified given being isolated in one room for so long (although she did take many shopping trips outside the home) - It's hard to seriously look at this as a story of captivity.
UNLESS it's just the way it's written...There are barely any details of the captivity and abuse she seems to have suffered.
It's very randomly written and goes from her captor doing his normal thing such as going to school then coming home,..to then saying he will throw her body in a lake...I mean WTF?... How about actually letting the audience know HOW that came about?,how and when his moods changed with you, when you noticed he was a bit cuckoo, about your day to day living situation, your fears, your happiness, what made you change your perspective of him?, how you lived, what you ate, how you felt etc?
There's No lead up of his treatment toward her or anything.
seems like a crazy (and wrong) relationship between an obviously repressed and unstable adult, and a teen who craved affection so badly from a bad childhood.
Sorry, but in both story content and writing style I feel it takes away from those amazing true life stories of terrible captivity, such as Colleen Stan, Natacha Kampuch and Jaycee Dugard.
How disappointing. What starts as a well written, cut to the chase summary of Tanya Kach's life and mental state before meeting her 'captor', (Due to the lack of affection and stability in her home life), turns into an almost quickly scribbled down list of dates and facts which is told in random sequence without a hint of detail or emotion.
I would maybe feel differently if she and the writer whom she collaborated with actually TOLD the audience about her life while living with Tom Hose. Hose is obviously an unstable, lowlife, however nothing is even detailed or explained about the captivity that could make Tanya's words 'psychologically tortured and sexually degregraded' justifiable in context to this book she has written.
And considering she was able to go on shopping trips, start work in a thrift shop and as she even says 'I decided to leave the house for a little while'.. It is very very hard to be able to call this book and her story a story of captivity...
By page 72 she's already explained why she took a liking to Hose, which as a reader I can genuinely understand and I also feel genuinely sorry for as her parents and living situation was rubbish to say the least. She has already had consensual sex with him (granted she was a minor and Hose is in the wrong)and in those 72 or so pages we have already spanned nearly 9 years in 'captivity' without any actual detail except having to have relieved herself in a bucket (which she knew she would be doing when she chose to live with him.)
- She has already had numerous chances to leave the bedroom she was being held captive in and yet does nothing. Even when police enter the house, or she goes shopping (yes she was allowed on multiple shopping trips over 10 years.)- she still does nothing, in fact she says DIRECTLY to the reader 'I had no impulse to escape, and I'm ashamed to say that leaving him never entered my mind'. The easiest thing from a reader's perspective would have been to make some noise to let Hose's parents know that she was living day to day in his bedroom, if she wanted to find a way out.
So far I feel her story takes away from the numerous other stories I have read by women who truly were kidnapped and held in captivity against their will. This situation,- although Hose as an adult is completely wrong in abusing his authority over a minor, - barely resembles a hostage situation.
Rather It resembles a wayward troubled teen who craves attention/affection (and has every right to need and want attention and affection from parents/authority figures) and who has very low self esteem, that she decided to stay with a man twice her age for a 10 year period. Within the 10 years she also agreed to marry him.
It seems to be an obvious case of a misguided feeling of'love' situation,- to - I'm bored now and feeling mentally unstable so Im going to say I was being held captive.
While I understand Mental instability and it is justified given being isolated in one room for so long (although she did take many shopping trips outside the home) - It's hard to seriously look at this as a story of captivity.
UNLESS it's just the way it's written...There are barely any details of the captivity and abuse she seems to have suffered.
It's very randomly written and goes from her captor doing his normal thing such as going to school then coming home,..to then saying he will throw her body in a lake...I mean WTF?... How about actually letting the audience know HOW that came about?,how and when his moods changed with you, when you noticed he was a bit cuckoo, about your day to day living situation, your fears, your happiness, what made you change your perspective of him?, how you lived, what you ate, how you felt etc?
There's No lead up of his treatment toward her or anything.
seems like a crazy (and wrong) relationship between an obviously repressed and unstable adult, and a teen who craved affection so badly from a bad childhood.
Sorry, but in both story content and writing style I feel it takes away from those amazing true life stories of terrible captivity, such as Colleen Stan, Natacha Kampuch and Jaycee Dugard.
April 19, 2026
I read this for two reasons:
1) I am a domestic abuse survivor and
2) I saw a German documentary on Tanya Nicole Kach and thought this book would help answer some of the questions I had about it. The documentary is on Amazon Prime Video:
Unfortunately, this book was published BEFORE the documentary, so the documentary actually had far more information than the book. Kach's lawyer does write a long chapter or two here about how the police and social services failed to help Tanya before she was kidnapped.
This is a very short book that moves quickly but does not go into great detail over Tanya's captive or non-captive life. She writes in generalities and very few specifics. So, if you pick this book up wanting to read about kinky sex between a teenager and a 30 year old, forget it. And get some psychiatric help while you're at it, will you?
If the comments on Amazon Prime are anything to go by, people have a hard time believing Tanya would voluntarily be kidnapped (and she was.) They say that she could have just walked away at any time.
However, it's not that easy once the victim is YOU. Your mind is basically taken over by your abuser and you do not see any safe alternative than to stay with your abuser. I'll write that (and I'm not the first and won't be the last) and (unless its happened to you) you won't beleive me.
It could be said that I identify too much with Tanya to write an entirely unbiased review and I'll be the first to admit that.
1) I am a domestic abuse survivor and
2) I saw a German documentary on Tanya Nicole Kach and thought this book would help answer some of the questions I had about it. The documentary is on Amazon Prime Video:
Unfortunately, this book was published BEFORE the documentary, so the documentary actually had far more information than the book. Kach's lawyer does write a long chapter or two here about how the police and social services failed to help Tanya before she was kidnapped.
This is a very short book that moves quickly but does not go into great detail over Tanya's captive or non-captive life. She writes in generalities and very few specifics. So, if you pick this book up wanting to read about kinky sex between a teenager and a 30 year old, forget it. And get some psychiatric help while you're at it, will you?
If the comments on Amazon Prime are anything to go by, people have a hard time believing Tanya would voluntarily be kidnapped (and she was.) They say that she could have just walked away at any time.
However, it's not that easy once the victim is YOU. Your mind is basically taken over by your abuser and you do not see any safe alternative than to stay with your abuser. I'll write that (and I'm not the first and won't be the last) and (unless its happened to you) you won't beleive me.
It could be said that I identify too much with Tanya to write an entirely unbiased review and I'll be the first to admit that.
October 20, 2011
(Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted illegally.)
Although I'm glad for the existence of books like Memoir of a Milk Carton Kid: The Tanya Nicole Kach Story, written with her participation by her former attorney, Lawrence Fisher, I feel the need to admit my biases right away -- that I find stories about girls who are kidnapped and sexually abused within suburban-home dungeons for years and years to be just so upsetting, most often I won't even pick such books up, and I have to confess that even here all I could manage to do was sort of skip around and give the manuscript a light scanning. I mean, I did definitely read enough to have an opinion, because I wanted to be able to say with authority that I found it competently written, which it absolutely is; but if like me you're one of those people who can't even have tabloid news shows running in the background of a room without succumbing to tears, this is not the book for you, but rather one for all you more steel-hearted Nancy Grace fans and the like. I'm glad that Kach was finally able to escape her situation, and without a doubt I recommend this title to fans of true-crime books and "To Catch a Predator" type shows; but in this case I unfortunately cannot give you too much more detailed a review than that, in that I was barely able to even read more than a few pages at a time without wincing and putting the book back down. It comes recommended but with that caution in mind.
Out of 10: 8.0
Although I'm glad for the existence of books like Memoir of a Milk Carton Kid: The Tanya Nicole Kach Story, written with her participation by her former attorney, Lawrence Fisher, I feel the need to admit my biases right away -- that I find stories about girls who are kidnapped and sexually abused within suburban-home dungeons for years and years to be just so upsetting, most often I won't even pick such books up, and I have to confess that even here all I could manage to do was sort of skip around and give the manuscript a light scanning. I mean, I did definitely read enough to have an opinion, because I wanted to be able to say with authority that I found it competently written, which it absolutely is; but if like me you're one of those people who can't even have tabloid news shows running in the background of a room without succumbing to tears, this is not the book for you, but rather one for all you more steel-hearted Nancy Grace fans and the like. I'm glad that Kach was finally able to escape her situation, and without a doubt I recommend this title to fans of true-crime books and "To Catch a Predator" type shows; but in this case I unfortunately cannot give you too much more detailed a review than that, in that I was barely able to even read more than a few pages at a time without wincing and putting the book back down. It comes recommended but with that caution in mind.
Out of 10: 8.0
August 11, 2015
Memoir of a Milk Carton Kid sounds like it would be an odd book to bring on a vacation, but I am fascinated with True Crime and memoirs, so this seemed like a good choice.
It was very dry, tedious in places and overall, mostly a bore.
It's told by the victim, Tanya Kach, with her lawyer, Mr. Fisher. While I didn't expect the subject matter to be thrilling or light hearted, I didn't expect it to fall flat. She was a neglected child that fell for a janitor who used that to his advantage. Yes, he was a pedophile, yes it seems like the child welfare/police wronged her, but this read like a manuscript of name calling and half hearted better business bureau complaints.
It was very dry, tedious in places and overall, mostly a bore.
It's told by the victim, Tanya Kach, with her lawyer, Mr. Fisher. While I didn't expect the subject matter to be thrilling or light hearted, I didn't expect it to fall flat. She was a neglected child that fell for a janitor who used that to his advantage. Yes, he was a pedophile, yes it seems like the child welfare/police wronged her, but this read like a manuscript of name calling and half hearted better business bureau complaints.
August 4, 2020
Here's the thing: the story is interesting.
But the writing is very bleh.
Tanya has suffered by manipulation and people not helping her her entire life, I get it and am sympathetic towards her. But having a crush on an older man and then just deciding to live there for 10 years isn't being kidnapped like Jaycee Duggard. Did he commit a crime by sexual assault of a 14 year old? Absolutely. She was a stupid kid and he used her as a pawn.
But this isn't a book about a kidnapping in my opinion. Just a really unfortunate situation. It's an interesting story but maybe an update on Wikipedia would be better spent than reading this book.
But the writing is very bleh.
Tanya has suffered by manipulation and people not helping her her entire life, I get it and am sympathetic towards her. But having a crush on an older man and then just deciding to live there for 10 years isn't being kidnapped like Jaycee Duggard. Did he commit a crime by sexual assault of a 14 year old? Absolutely. She was a stupid kid and he used her as a pawn.
But this isn't a book about a kidnapping in my opinion. Just a really unfortunate situation. It's an interesting story but maybe an update on Wikipedia would be better spent than reading this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 21, 2012
What an interesting story. How sad that no one came to her rescue and that her childhood was taken away. Makes me mad.
October 12, 2011
‘Tom,’ I said, bracing myself for the threat that was sure to follow. ‘I need to talk to you about something. About leaving here, I mean.’
He didn’t hit me. Didn’t threaten. Instead, he looked at me with great sadness.
‘Who saved your life?’
‘You,’ I replied, ‘but…’
‘Who takes care of you?’
‘I know that,’ I told him. ‘I just can’t live like this.’
‘You can’t live? What about me? You would destroy my life if you left. I am the only person to ever show you love, and you would leave me? Don’t be stupid.‘
–Excerpt from Memoir of a Milk Carton Kid
Among the heroic stories of Elizabeth Smart and Jaycee Dugard, Tanya Kach tells her story in Memoir of a Milk Carton Kid (Tate Publishing, 2011).
Written with her attorney Lawrence Fisher, Tanya speaks of her harrowing ordeal as the hostage of her school’s crossing guard, Thomas Hose, for over 10 years Last seen February 10, 1996, at the age of 14, she was found alive at 24 in a residence in McKeesport, PA where Hose lived with his elderly parents.
Literally hidden in plain sight just two miles from her father’s home, she seemed to have fallen through the system’s cracks. Tanya was left to live in a second floor bedroom (and occasionally the closet), eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and drinking Faygo soda, or whatever he smuggled to her from his dinner. A bucket was used to relieve herself.
At first, Tanya thought she was in love with her captor, brainwashed into believing her family no longer wanted or needed her. When asked by anyone who approached them, both kidnaper and hostage would say Tanya met him when Hose was 18 and working as a security guard at a mall.
Her decade as House’s prisoner is a haunting story, Memoir of a Milk Carton Kid is a story of a true test of faith, never losing hope, surviving a chaotic childhood and then a decade as an abduction victim, before rising from the ashes on her road to recovery. It’s a book that reminds us that though at time we have it rough, there are others who do – and had – it so much worse.
Memoir of a Milk Carton Kid is intense reading, and Tanya’s words draw readers into her story and keep them there right up until her rescue and her present day as an adult reaching out to others with her amazing bravery.
Memoir of a Milk Carton Kid is scheduled to hit book shelves on October 11, 2011, and it is one memoir that shouldn’t be missed.
He didn’t hit me. Didn’t threaten. Instead, he looked at me with great sadness.
‘Who saved your life?’
‘You,’ I replied, ‘but…’
‘Who takes care of you?’
‘I know that,’ I told him. ‘I just can’t live like this.’
‘You can’t live? What about me? You would destroy my life if you left. I am the only person to ever show you love, and you would leave me? Don’t be stupid.‘
–Excerpt from Memoir of a Milk Carton Kid
Among the heroic stories of Elizabeth Smart and Jaycee Dugard, Tanya Kach tells her story in Memoir of a Milk Carton Kid (Tate Publishing, 2011).
Written with her attorney Lawrence Fisher, Tanya speaks of her harrowing ordeal as the hostage of her school’s crossing guard, Thomas Hose, for over 10 years Last seen February 10, 1996, at the age of 14, she was found alive at 24 in a residence in McKeesport, PA where Hose lived with his elderly parents.
Literally hidden in plain sight just two miles from her father’s home, she seemed to have fallen through the system’s cracks. Tanya was left to live in a second floor bedroom (and occasionally the closet), eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and drinking Faygo soda, or whatever he smuggled to her from his dinner. A bucket was used to relieve herself.
At first, Tanya thought she was in love with her captor, brainwashed into believing her family no longer wanted or needed her. When asked by anyone who approached them, both kidnaper and hostage would say Tanya met him when Hose was 18 and working as a security guard at a mall.
Her decade as House’s prisoner is a haunting story, Memoir of a Milk Carton Kid is a story of a true test of faith, never losing hope, surviving a chaotic childhood and then a decade as an abduction victim, before rising from the ashes on her road to recovery. It’s a book that reminds us that though at time we have it rough, there are others who do – and had – it so much worse.
Memoir of a Milk Carton Kid is intense reading, and Tanya’s words draw readers into her story and keep them there right up until her rescue and her present day as an adult reaching out to others with her amazing bravery.
Memoir of a Milk Carton Kid is scheduled to hit book shelves on October 11, 2011, and it is one memoir that shouldn’t be missed.
December 9, 2013
I have mixed feelings about this book. It was a quick read- took me about 3 hours- and very engaging. However I really couldn't empathize with Tanya very much, sadly. Like many other reviewers have said, she comes across as a person who is fairly unlikable, not able to keep friendships, and perpetually playing the victim card. Her time in captivity is barely covered. She complains about being abused for 10+ years but besides having to keep quiet and not having AC in the summer, she does not cover what exactly happened. In fact she seems to have been treated fairly well. Most surprising was that she was she was locked in her room from the inside- so she could have come and gone whenever she wanted, and pretty much did for the second half of her captivity. I'm not really sure how this ends up being a kidnapping. Regardless, she was a young and confused teen who was victimized by an older pedophile, failed by her parents and the system. I wish I could have liked the book more. I see how it is so controversial.
July 21, 2012
First-person account of Tanya's abduction at age 14 by school security officer, and being held in his upstairs bedroom for 10 years while his parents living on first floor (apparently) knew nothing about it. The book is written by her attorney, using her words, but for someone whose education was stopped at age 14 she uses words and reasoning that (to me) seem to be more sophisticated. However, it is a harrowing tale of a young girl's disaffection from her own family and subsequent seduction by a pedophile.
January 18, 2015
An unfortunate attempt at a book, at best.
The story of Tanya Kach had great potential. Her captivity speaks volumes about the flaws in the criminal justice system, schools, and communities, however, the severity of society's failings is uncut by the horrendous prose and laughable POV.
A good lawyer would have helped her get a book deal. A great lawyer would have picked a famous ghost-writer. Her lawyer attempted to write the story himself.
The story of Tanya Kach had great potential. Her captivity speaks volumes about the flaws in the criminal justice system, schools, and communities, however, the severity of society's failings is uncut by the horrendous prose and laughable POV.
A good lawyer would have helped her get a book deal. A great lawyer would have picked a famous ghost-writer. Her lawyer attempted to write the story himself.
December 8, 2011
Terrible...i didn't even finish reading it. It filled with Tanya using alot of "psycho-babble" and after her rescue it is all lawyer talk..completely boring. This book had no depth when I'm sure it could have had lots seeing as this was such a terrible thing that happened to her. Google her name and you'll probably find the same as whats in this book an it will take you less time to read it.
July 8, 2012
I have plenty of sympathy for Tanya Kach's story, but the fact that she spent so much time praising her lawyer when a. everyone else in the book seemed to hate him and b. this lawyer was her co-author (complete with picture on the back cover and laudatory introduction addressed to him) well... that raised my hackles.
March 5, 2013
This is the first time I've read a book like this that made me dislike the victim. It's written by her creepy lawyer. It seems to me that she's still being manipulated by other people and that she has an unlikeable personality. A strange story full of blame for others and very little introspection.
April 17, 2012
Let this be a warning to parents! If you don't take the time to pay attention to your child, someone else will, and they may end up scarred for life because of it! Sadly I feel that Tanya will spend the rest of her life being used by those around her!
August 22, 2012
Read this book quickly. Makes you wonder how many other kids fall through the cracks and if others are even in this type of situation. Hate that those in authority like the police and school system got away with their neglect. Hope she's doing well.
June 12, 2015
Kach's story, in and of itself, is interesting. And it's an important story to tell. However, there is a lot of unnecessary repetition of content, and there are significant spelling and punctuation errors- suggesting less than stellar editing. Nonetheless, as I said, it's a story worth telling.
May 13, 2016
Holy cow. This was the most dramatic, back and forth book I've ever read. I've never heard of a family or life being as dramatic, crazy, or emotionally unstable as Tanya's. It felt like this book was never going to end. Thankfully it did.
October 17, 2011
After seeing this story on tv I wanted to know more. It's sole purpose is to deliver information about the case. I found it interesting but it was just okay otherwise.
January 1, 2013
Sad story, but inspiring to learn about her life. I feel more sorry for her because of her home life with her parents.
April 23, 2013
I read this book really fast which is not typical for me. Easy read.
February 10, 2016
This is a very powerful story, but it is told from the victims point of view but by her lawyer. It makes me skeptical of some of it. Also could have used some more editing.
May 21, 2022
As a lover of true crime, this book was one I definitely wanted to read. While it might not be the typical true crime that I normally read, kidnapping and holding a girl captive for 10 years is just as much true crime as the serial killer stories I enjoy reading.
Tanya Kach was 14 when she ran away from home for the umpteenth time, this time into the arms of her school security guard, Tom Hose in 1996. It was the last time she was ever seen until 10 years later when she finally gained the courage to escape. With the help of her attorney, she penned this book as a record of what she endured during that time.
As a mother this was a hard read. This girls' parents were horrible, there was no way around that. Her family all but abandoned her, her school ignored her inappropriate relationship with the security guard and the police just kept sending her back to her father and her stepmother who hated her. I cannot imagine treating my child the way these people treated Tanya. It's no wonder she ran into the arms of a man who initially made her feel loved and wanted. Unfortunately, this was not to last, and her torture started not long after she moved in with him.
He lived at home with his ailing parents and son who was the same age as Tanya. She was forced to remain perfectly quiet while she was up in his room even going so far as to hiding in the closet when the room was unlocked, using a bucket as a toilet and only showering a few times a week when he'd smuggle her down to the basement in the dead of night. Her diet was very poor and over the course of the 10 years she was there she suffered many long-lasting health issues which were not addressed because he was holding her captive. He had brainwashed her into believing that no one loved or wanted her but him and he was her savior and if she ever left him, he'd kill her.
When his father fell ill and needed a caretaker, Tom Hose had the idea that she could be the caretaker under an assumed name, and she was allowed to come out of the room. She started gaining more independence and eventually told a neighbor who she really was. Tom was then arrested, and she was free. However, even though she was free from her captor, she was still very much a prisoner, having been sent back to her father and stepmother's house. She started to live her life again, getting her GED and starting college but financial independence was far off for a while. I found myself yelling at her parents in my head. At one point, after the trial and Tom Hose was convicted, her father held a press conference at his house and told her that "she had had her time in the spotlight and now it was his". So many people around her took advantage of her after her escape, even blaming her for the whole thing.
This is a story of sadness, abandonment, faith, love and perseverance. Her faith in God not only got her through the time with Tom, but also the trial and tribulations that would come after she escaped. Tanya came out of this ordeal a much stronger person than she was before. It should not have taken the course that it did. There were those that knew she was being held by Tom Hose, his son and a friend of his Judy. The police had ample opportunity to check him out as did her parents. There was no reason for this to have happened the way that it did, and it makes you wonder just how many kids this happens to through the years. I personally am vigilant when it comes to who my kids have contact with, I cannot imagine not caring that your child is missing for 10 years. It's a great book and well worth the read.
Tanya Kach was 14 when she ran away from home for the umpteenth time, this time into the arms of her school security guard, Tom Hose in 1996. It was the last time she was ever seen until 10 years later when she finally gained the courage to escape. With the help of her attorney, she penned this book as a record of what she endured during that time.
As a mother this was a hard read. This girls' parents were horrible, there was no way around that. Her family all but abandoned her, her school ignored her inappropriate relationship with the security guard and the police just kept sending her back to her father and her stepmother who hated her. I cannot imagine treating my child the way these people treated Tanya. It's no wonder she ran into the arms of a man who initially made her feel loved and wanted. Unfortunately, this was not to last, and her torture started not long after she moved in with him.
He lived at home with his ailing parents and son who was the same age as Tanya. She was forced to remain perfectly quiet while she was up in his room even going so far as to hiding in the closet when the room was unlocked, using a bucket as a toilet and only showering a few times a week when he'd smuggle her down to the basement in the dead of night. Her diet was very poor and over the course of the 10 years she was there she suffered many long-lasting health issues which were not addressed because he was holding her captive. He had brainwashed her into believing that no one loved or wanted her but him and he was her savior and if she ever left him, he'd kill her.
When his father fell ill and needed a caretaker, Tom Hose had the idea that she could be the caretaker under an assumed name, and she was allowed to come out of the room. She started gaining more independence and eventually told a neighbor who she really was. Tom was then arrested, and she was free. However, even though she was free from her captor, she was still very much a prisoner, having been sent back to her father and stepmother's house. She started to live her life again, getting her GED and starting college but financial independence was far off for a while. I found myself yelling at her parents in my head. At one point, after the trial and Tom Hose was convicted, her father held a press conference at his house and told her that "she had had her time in the spotlight and now it was his". So many people around her took advantage of her after her escape, even blaming her for the whole thing.
This is a story of sadness, abandonment, faith, love and perseverance. Her faith in God not only got her through the time with Tom, but also the trial and tribulations that would come after she escaped. Tanya came out of this ordeal a much stronger person than she was before. It should not have taken the course that it did. There were those that knew she was being held by Tom Hose, his son and a friend of his Judy. The police had ample opportunity to check him out as did her parents. There was no reason for this to have happened the way that it did, and it makes you wonder just how many kids this happens to through the years. I personally am vigilant when it comes to who my kids have contact with, I cannot imagine not caring that your child is missing for 10 years. It's a great book and well worth the read.
April 9, 2026
I watched the Lifetime movie The Girl Locked Upstairs: The Tanya Kach Story from 2024 so I decided to read the book written by Tanya Kach herself. The story focuses on Tanya's real life captivity experience of 10 years starting in 1996 by her high school security guard Tom Hose.
Tanya was a young teenage girl living in the system and was looking for someone to love and accept her, and Tom took full advantage of Tanya's situation by grooming her and leading her to believe that no one will ever love her aside from him. I work with children in youth care residential housing and this story hits home for me. These youth are vulnerable and susceptible to predators and this is one thing I think about with these youth. It's disheartening to know that there are predators out there that take advantage of vulnerable people. So, this book had a personal effect on me
The book focused more on Tanya's childhood situation, the grooming process, and the struggles of returning to a normal life after escaping her captivity. The movie adaptation focuses on Tom's psychological manipulation and control over Tanya. The book and movie both have a unique take on Tanya's experience. The book focuses more on the entire experience. If you like true crime I would recommend reading the book and watching the movie.
I am so glad to see that Tanya was able to escape her captor and move on to a normal life and tell her story.
Tanya was a young teenage girl living in the system and was looking for someone to love and accept her, and Tom took full advantage of Tanya's situation by grooming her and leading her to believe that no one will ever love her aside from him. I work with children in youth care residential housing and this story hits home for me. These youth are vulnerable and susceptible to predators and this is one thing I think about with these youth. It's disheartening to know that there are predators out there that take advantage of vulnerable people. So, this book had a personal effect on me
The book focused more on Tanya's childhood situation, the grooming process, and the struggles of returning to a normal life after escaping her captivity. The movie adaptation focuses on Tom's psychological manipulation and control over Tanya. The book and movie both have a unique take on Tanya's experience. The book focuses more on the entire experience. If you like true crime I would recommend reading the book and watching the movie.
I am so glad to see that Tanya was able to escape her captor and move on to a normal life and tell her story.
February 10, 2025
This story of the horrible abduction of Tanya Nicole Kach was not the best written book but the story needs to be told. Ms. Kach is a victim of the system on small town America in a time when troubled youth didn’t have credibility nor was any support given by the school, police, and worst of all her broke parents ya. Tanya didn’t deserve this upbringing and mental control and imprisonment by her captor was real. When one is mentally broken and taught that no one on the world cares except this pedophile where is she to go and what is she to do? Disturbingly, the pedophile’s son grows up amidst this mess and doesn’t to a damn thing. The pedophile’s parents didn’t even know he harbored a girl in their house for 10 years. What is wrong with them? The legal system is a disturbing disgrace. Her attorney (the author) is the only constant in her life and true supporter but something is missing there too. Why did the lawsuit suing the police, school, and secure company lose. The excuses should have been nixed and appealed to victory. Sadly all the people around Tanya were using her for their own reasons and it was exposed. I do hope Tanya’s life is truly fulfilling and surrounded by friendship and love. She deserves on the best post this 10 year horrible trauma along with its aftermath. God Bless Tanya!
August 16, 2017
I like reading stories of ordinary people. In many ways, Ms Kach comes across as an ordinary person, but she had a particularly unpleasant set of things happen to her. And while she writes of them dispassionately, setting them out step by step, the sequence was harrowing. Especially as there is rarely foreshadowing, so sudden about-faces from friends come across as a slap in the face. The story was unpleasant, but the writing was gripping. Even still, I had to put it aside and do other things after every other chapter.
But this isn't the strength of the book. What came through most strongly was the story about a young woman holding on to her faith in her God, even when she had lost faith in herself and humanity. She didn't write about other peoples' relationships with God, nor was there any sense of preaching. There was just a profound sense of absolute belief, a foundation to her world that didn't need questioning, it just was, which I found very interesting.
This is quite a powerful book, despite the candy floss writing, but it is also quite distressing to read. While I can't in good faith recommend it, I don't regret reading it.
But this isn't the strength of the book. What came through most strongly was the story about a young woman holding on to her faith in her God, even when she had lost faith in herself and humanity. She didn't write about other peoples' relationships with God, nor was there any sense of preaching. There was just a profound sense of absolute belief, a foundation to her world that didn't need questioning, it just was, which I found very interesting.
This is quite a powerful book, despite the candy floss writing, but it is also quite distressing to read. While I can't in good faith recommend it, I don't regret reading it.
January 5, 2024
There are so many children who are abducted when they are children. Then they are there for years and people ask, "why did they just not leave"? Well as Jaycee Duggard, Tanya Nichole Kach, Amanda Berry, Michelle Knight, and Georgina DeJesus. Plus, so many more I can't even mention.
This story was of 14 year old Tanya abducted by a school monitor, back in the day they did not check out teachers, or school workers to see if they were pedophiles, or even do background checks.
Id like to have known more about her medical issues of a colostomy bag and other medical things she survived after being rescued as stated in the docuseries. I'm so shocked that the abductors son who was only a two-year difference in 10 years did not tell anyone about Tanya or try to help her as they lived in the same room for 10 long years.
This story was of 14 year old Tanya abducted by a school monitor, back in the day they did not check out teachers, or school workers to see if they were pedophiles, or even do background checks.
Id like to have known more about her medical issues of a colostomy bag and other medical things she survived after being rescued as stated in the docuseries. I'm so shocked that the abductors son who was only a two-year difference in 10 years did not tell anyone about Tanya or try to help her as they lived in the same room for 10 long years.
November 9, 2024
A podcast of her story inspired me to read her book. The writing of the book is not the best but her story is so sad. She was a child of abuse and neglect in her home. A lost child in the system and in need of help. Everything she reached out to either did not want to help or abuse her. Her abuser took advantage of this and held her captive controlling her. I was proud she grew to realize her freedom and escape. What saddened me was the people after she was free still treated her like dirt and just were in it for greed. Sadly she still tried with her awful parents and even Joelle. I hope in purchasing her book it helps her with her life now. A truly sad story but she keeps going for her life and focusing on the good. How we treat victims in our country and judicial system is appalling.
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