Disappeared

by Al Cimino

A deep dive into the depths of human depravity that enables cruel acts of kidnapping, forced imprisonment, and rape—and a testament to the courage, fortitude, and tenacity of the survivors When the news broke in May 2013 that three women had been held captive for over 10 years in Cleveland, Ohio, the world was stunned. Not only had the women been imprisoned in an ordinary house a few blocks from where they had disappeared, but their captor, Ariel Castro, had never been a suspect in their kidnapping. The revelation sent shockwaves through the community and sparked widespread fear among the inhabitants of seemingly normal neighborhoods everywhere. This is not a standalone case. In 2008, 42-year-old Elisabeth Fritzl emerged from the cellar of her family home in Austria, having been imprisoned and raped by her father for 24 years. In the UK, the "British Fritzl" held his two daughters captive for 28 years—moving frequently enough not to raise suspicion—and fathered seven children by them. In this gripping book, Al Cimino explores the appalling truth behind these and several more cases of the disappeared. This is a tribute to those victims, and a testament to the strength of human spirit, as well as a forensic study of a particularly heinous crime.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction

288 pages, Paperback

First published May 8, 2014

Reviews

[Clued-in With A Book (Elvina Ulrich) · Rating 4 out of 5]

"While the perpetrators demonstrate the extreme depths of depravity to which human beings can sink, the survivors show the heights of courage attainable by the human spirit."

Missing persons and cold cases fascinate me. People do not just disappear like that and there is always an explanation behind their disappearances. Sadly, more often than not, years would go by before we uncover these reasons. And in this book, we read about some well-known and lesser-known missing persons cases and their disappearances.

I am going to be honest here. These cases are NOT EASY to read. They are replete with gore and disturbing details and for a moment there, you will hate people, not understanding why a human being could treat another human in such an inhumane way. But I am glad that this book focuses on the survivors - their willpower and courage to endure what they had to go through.

There are three parts in this book. The first part focuses on the Cleveland Kidnappings which was well done, with a lot of information. Ariel Castro kidnapped Michelle Knight, Amanda Berry and Georgina 'Gina' DeJesus between 2002 - 2004. Their escape was incredible and if not for neighbors, Cordero and Ramsey, Castro's crimes will go undetected.

The second part focuses on other missing persons and kidnapping cases in America - Jaycee Lee Dugard, Colleen Stan, and more. We learn about international cases such as Elisabeth Fritzl, Natascha Kampusch, Lena Simakina, Katya Martynova, and many more, in the third part of this book.

These cases are heartbreaking but the strength shown by the survivors are inspiring. I appreciate that the author handle them with care and sensitivity while delivering the information in a concise manner. The writing is engaging and albeit the many cases, I finished this book in no time.

In a nutshell, this is a great true crime book to read if you want to learn about missing person cases. I think it was well-written, easy to read with just enough information.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was a really interesting book and a must for a true crime fans

[Bookfan53 · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok but I found it kind of difficult to follow. Some of the descriptions of the abuse I could not read.
Some of the kidnap victims showed incredible bravery and resilience, given the awful things many of them suffered.
There was a message of hope at the end of the book for all the victims/survivors of these terrible ordeals.

[Autumn Chrunik]

Definitely cheat read this because it's really sad, and I've read the memoirs of some of the cases described in here as well.

I think this book sheds some light on what some people are capable of, but also the strength that people have in order to endure such terrors and to survive and prosper. It is, however, mostly an informative book, but you can still see the strength in the survivors to, well, survive their ordeals.

I'm also not giving this book a rating because it discusses true events and I don't think it's fair to rate a book based on content that talks about people's pain and abuses. It's just awful. I hope the survivors mentioned in this book live long and happy lives and I wish them all the best.

[Cerys · Rating 2 out of 5]

The cases were interesting, especially since reading Room by Emma Donoghue, but the prose was lacking. The order in which it explained events was strange and disjointed and it was just generally pretty badly written.

[Destiny Causby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad but there were some major inaccuracies on some of the cases