Captive Humans: True Crime Cases of People Held Captive

by David Phoebe

Ever wondered what leads someone to hold another human captive? Why would they do it? What urges drive a person to take another as a possession? What is the motivation to enact one of the most heinous crimes imaginable? Who commits these crimes? Every so often we are presented with another shocking case, all by their very nature are incredibly complex. Without following these cases closely it is easy to get lost in the speculation, confused within the detail, or left wondering as loose ends are never tied off as the media moves onto the next story. Some cases are well known, like that of Elisabeth Fritzl, Jaycee Dugard, and Natascha Kampusch. Josef Fritzl held his daughter in a basement dungeon for 24 years, creating an incestuous family, living two lives. But, there are many other cases that almost evade the public eye. While Elisabeth’s story is traumatic, she is far from alone. David Bisson spent his childhood locked in a cupboard, while his mother denied his existence. Under the ice covered grounds of Russia, a copycat kidnapper aimed to recreate another man’s vision of an underground city of slaves. James Jamelske got away with holding five women captive over 15 years, before anyone would believe their stories. Captive Humans explores true crime cases of people held captive, examining the stories in a chronological order. These cases present the facts; you can draw your own conclusions. Come into the dark, hard places and explore the secretive world of Captive Humans. www.captivehumans.com

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published July 10, 2013

Reviews

[Emma Sea · Rating 1 out of 5]

ETA #3: Please read comment #54

ETA: The author chimed in on the comments for this review. As LenaLena points out, "Good thing GR has all those rules in place to make sure we readers don't harass the poor author, who is obviously a much maligned victim of vicious, hyperbolic reviewers like you, Emma."


ETA #2: I definitely appreciate the support I would be happier if people didn't 1-star the book on my account. Unless you've read it and didn't like it, of course.

I think the author is brand new to social media, and it was one of those "Fuck, why did I say that?!" moments that we've all had. Or I have had, at least. *particularly sharp moment of regret for one night in 1996 made me close my eyes for a second, there* ETA: Ah, no. Apparently not.


Original review below:

Couldn't read it. So sad. Quite upsetting. Quit at page 53.

Very basic writing, and very poorly edited: "laundry mat"

I'll tell you what the final straw was: a slimeball who I will not name held multiple women captive in his basement (seriously don't read this spoiler, I'M SERIOUS YOU GUYS!)deafening them with a screwdriver so they couldn't hear him. He killed at least one woman. He fed them on dog food. One escaped in 1987 and called the cops, who freed the others. "The women made attempts to re-adjust to normal life . . . they were known as the "[asshole's name] girls," and people regularly called out "Alpo" after the brand of dog food they were fed." (p. 45)

When the society you live in is as demeaning to you as the asshole who kept you captive, I don't know where you find the strength to go on living. Had I continued to read this book, I would have struggled to find mine.

[Barbara ♥~Lindt Ninja~♥ (Careerist Gangster™) · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is terrible. I don't appreciate the language the author uses, and it made the book unpleasant for me. I read a lot of true crime and this is not one that I'll re-read.

The author freely uses the word "cunt" (I despise that word so much, I'm using it only because the author himself has used it and FOR NO OTHER REASON). http://allhailgrimlock.booklikes.com/...-

[TinaNicole ☠ Le Book Nikita ☠]

I will be not be reading this book based on other reviews. Just doesn't seem like my thing...

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Helena Sheibler · Rating 1 out of 5]

Horrible. Sensationalism with no actual information. Tragedy porn.

[Bettie]

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Sandra]

Based on existing reviews, this is not a book for me.

[Brandi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Captive Humans is a book with 28 short stories of people being held against their will. Most of these are little known cases that may have not been heard about much in the media and also ones in the media but reveal new information/facts that may have not been heard about before. Each story has not only information about each crime, the escape, the trial and conviction but also the back story of each captor and what lead up to the crime. The part I really enjoyed is at the end of each story tells about where the victims and captors are now and how they are doing.

I have always been interested in true crime stories but for me this book I found especially twisted by not only what the captor's did to their victims but also because in some of the stories neighbors or others were aware of what was going on and never reported the crime, in a few stories the crime was reported by the victim after they had escaped and the police never believed it and in one case when the victim escaped she came upon a house where she could see a lady in her kitchen window and asked her to call police and the lady asked her to wait on the sidewalk for police and not on her lawn. I am always flabbergasted at how we as humans can be so insensitive and inhumane towards others.

[Malaya Hoffmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some minor typos. But all in all it is well-researched. Very interesting read.

[❤Ninja Bunneh❤ · Rating 1 out of 5]

What the fuck is right.

[Donna Louise Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harrowing

This book demonstrates just how evil and manipulative mankind can be to one another. A harrowing read that details some of the most brutal and shocking captors. Trying to wrap your head around how some victims survived decades of confinement And mistreatment is impossible!

[Diane Simmonette · Rating 5 out of 5]

great read

Very interesting and quite fascinating how these individuals think.Was a good book to read as it didn’t drag on and was quite detailed