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Trafficked Girl
When Zoe was taken into care at the age of 13, she thought she was finally going to escape from the cruel abuse she had suffered throughout her childhood. Then social services placed her in a residential unit known to be 'a target for prostitution', and suddenly Zoe's life was worse than it had ever been before.
Abused and ostracized by her mother, humiliated by her father’s sexual innuendos, physically assaulted and bullied by her eldest brother, even as a young child Zoe thought she deserved the desperately unhappy life she was living.
‘I’ve sharpened a knife for you,’ her mother told her the first time she noticed angry red wounds on her daughter’s arms. And when Zoe didn’t kill herself, her mother gave her whisky, which she drank in the hope that it would dull the miserable, aching loneliness of her life.
One day at school Zoe showed her teacher the livid bruises that were the result of her mother’s latest physical assault and within days she was taken into care.
Zoe had been at Denver House for just three weeks when an older girl asked if she’d like to go to a party, then took her to a house where there were just three men. Zoe was a virgin until that night, when two of the men raped her. Having returned to the residential unit in the early hours of the morning, when she told a member of staff what had happened to her, her social worker made a joke about it, then took her to get the morning-after pill.
For Zoe, the indifference of the staff at the residential unit seemed like further confirmation of what her mother had always told her – she was worthless. Before long, she realised that the only way to survive in the unit was to go to the ‘parties’ the older girls were paid to take her to, drink the drinks, smoke the cannabis and try to blank out what was done to her when she was abused, controlled and trafficked around the country.
No action was taken by the unit's staff or social workers when Zoe asked for their help, and without anyone to support or protect her, the horrific abuse continued for the next few years, even after she left the unit. But in her heart Zoe was always a fighter. This is the harrowing, yet uplifting story, of how she finally broke free of the abuse and neglect that destroyed her childhood and obtained justice for her years of suffering.
Abused and ostracized by her mother, humiliated by her father’s sexual innuendos, physically assaulted and bullied by her eldest brother, even as a young child Zoe thought she deserved the desperately unhappy life she was living.
‘I’ve sharpened a knife for you,’ her mother told her the first time she noticed angry red wounds on her daughter’s arms. And when Zoe didn’t kill herself, her mother gave her whisky, which she drank in the hope that it would dull the miserable, aching loneliness of her life.
One day at school Zoe showed her teacher the livid bruises that were the result of her mother’s latest physical assault and within days she was taken into care.
Zoe had been at Denver House for just three weeks when an older girl asked if she’d like to go to a party, then took her to a house where there were just three men. Zoe was a virgin until that night, when two of the men raped her. Having returned to the residential unit in the early hours of the morning, when she told a member of staff what had happened to her, her social worker made a joke about it, then took her to get the morning-after pill.
For Zoe, the indifference of the staff at the residential unit seemed like further confirmation of what her mother had always told her – she was worthless. Before long, she realised that the only way to survive in the unit was to go to the ‘parties’ the older girls were paid to take her to, drink the drinks, smoke the cannabis and try to blank out what was done to her when she was abused, controlled and trafficked around the country.
No action was taken by the unit's staff or social workers when Zoe asked for their help, and without anyone to support or protect her, the horrific abuse continued for the next few years, even after she left the unit. But in her heart Zoe was always a fighter. This is the harrowing, yet uplifting story, of how she finally broke free of the abuse and neglect that destroyed her childhood and obtained justice for her years of suffering.
305 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 22, 2018
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589 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 106 reviews
December 24, 2018
Given the topic, I feel guilty for not rating Trafficked Girl higher, but there was just something about it that didn't sit well with me. Zoe is aggressively abused by her mother, both physically and verbally for her whole life and in her early teens she is removed from her home and placed in care. While in care, she suffers even more abuse, being raped, trafficked and exploited.
However, I didn't feel the story was overly well-written and was a bit surprised to see Zoe had assistance writing her memoir. I also was torn about its truthfulness the whole time reading it. If all the situations detailed in Trafficked Girl really happened as described, then Zoe deserves our compassion and understanding, but I find it very hard to believe that person after person was cruel and abusive and exploited her. There are an awful lot of good people in the world and we are supposed to believe that Zoe found none of them? I'll be honest, I find that hard to believe. I also found her attitude a bit disconcerting. She rarely took responsibility for her role in situations and continuously shifted blame. Such as stating that it was ridiculous that she'd been arrested for "break and enter with intent to steal" when caught after breaking in to an empty pub and partying there, simply because in her opinion there was nothing there to steal. Stating that people overreacted when she did something wrong (but under-reacted when something wrong was done to her) became such a theme throughout her story, it was tiresome.
I can see I am alone in this opinion of Trafficked Girl , however. Perhaps I missed something? Or perhaps I am harder to snow?
My negative opinion aside, I still need to say that if all the bad things included really did happen to her, I'm sorry; I'm sorry she never received the help she needed and deserved and I'm sorry she suffered like she did.
However, I didn't feel the story was overly well-written and was a bit surprised to see Zoe had assistance writing her memoir. I also was torn about its truthfulness the whole time reading it. If all the situations detailed in Trafficked Girl really happened as described, then Zoe deserves our compassion and understanding, but I find it very hard to believe that person after person was cruel and abusive and exploited her. There are an awful lot of good people in the world and we are supposed to believe that Zoe found none of them? I'll be honest, I find that hard to believe. I also found her attitude a bit disconcerting. She rarely took responsibility for her role in situations and continuously shifted blame. Such as stating that it was ridiculous that she'd been arrested for "break and enter with intent to steal" when caught after breaking in to an empty pub and partying there, simply because in her opinion there was nothing there to steal. Stating that people overreacted when she did something wrong (but under-reacted when something wrong was done to her) became such a theme throughout her story, it was tiresome.
I can see I am alone in this opinion of Trafficked Girl , however. Perhaps I missed something? Or perhaps I am harder to snow?
My negative opinion aside, I still need to say that if all the bad things included really did happen to her, I'm sorry; I'm sorry she never received the help she needed and deserved and I'm sorry she suffered like she did.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 29, 2018
Once in a while, you come across a book that you know will be hard to read even before you've turned the first page. When it came to Trafficked Girl this couldn't be any more obvious, the premise its self is one that a lot of people wouldn't care to know anything about. For me, I tend to tackle these kinds of books sparingly mostly due to them taking a lot out of the reader. They are however some of the most important kinds of books for me. They give human faces to story's we see on the news and in the papers. In showing some of the cruelest of human nature they can also serve to enlighten us on the will to survive and make it out the other side.
In the last few years, the British people have been bombarded with stories of girls up and down the country being trafficked and abused. It is sad to say that I think it got to the point where people where mentally switching off when the next story came across there path. How much outrage and anger can pour out of people before they run dry. Apparently, I have more left in me than I thought. Through the course of this book, Zoe takes us from her earliest memories up until the present. For most people thoughts of childhood bring back warm sunny days and adventures with their parents. This sadly is not the case for Zoe. These sections are hard enough to read, but things only go downhill from here.
The phrase systematic failure in the system for some reason is one that always makes me cringe slightly when I hear it on the news. A saying used by politicians as a way of covering themselves in some sort of fake apology on a thing they know little about. Here, however, I think it fit's Zoe story alarmingly well. Every person who should have been looking out for her well being seems to have looked the other way or worse simply not cared in the slightest as to what happened to her. This indifference is something that boggles my mind. How could someone go into this profession without an ounce of human compassion? At times these people don't seem to be the odd lone wolf but a description of our care system as a whole. The few good people appear to drown under a sea of the bad and corrupt.
For Zoe's part, she tells her story in an unflinching an uncompromising style. At times this can be a struggle to read. As she recounts the horrific abuse she suffers at the hands of these disgusting men, she puts us in the room with her. I cannot begin to wrap my head around what this does to someone both mentally and physically. In the cases of the author, she shows us the correlation between her own suffering and her the different thing she did to try and cope with it. Form massive amounts of alcohol abuse to self-harm. None of this comes as such a great surprise but it still does not make it any less easy to read.
When it came to the end of this book I had to take a minute to breathe. The temptation is it rant to anyone who will listen about the utter injustice that has taken place in Zoe's life. Her bravery in telling her story is one that you have to applaud. When you read this book it feels like you hold the most brittle of eggs in your hands and that it could break at any moments. But Zoe comes across by the end to be much stronger than you would think. It seems like she will end up spending the rest of her life holding on to all the peace as tight as she can in the hopes of having something the may one day reassemble a normal life. These are not the sort of things I would imagine you can ever get over, But may the best you can hope for is to learn to live with them. Sadly Zoe's story is one that is not unique in so far as to say that far too many faces it as there every day lives.
This is a book that will more than likely break your heart the longer you spend with it. With its first-person narrative and it's stark look into the heart of a system that is failing to do what it was set up to do, this is a book worthy of your time.
In the last few years, the British people have been bombarded with stories of girls up and down the country being trafficked and abused. It is sad to say that I think it got to the point where people where mentally switching off when the next story came across there path. How much outrage and anger can pour out of people before they run dry. Apparently, I have more left in me than I thought. Through the course of this book, Zoe takes us from her earliest memories up until the present. For most people thoughts of childhood bring back warm sunny days and adventures with their parents. This sadly is not the case for Zoe. These sections are hard enough to read, but things only go downhill from here.
The phrase systematic failure in the system for some reason is one that always makes me cringe slightly when I hear it on the news. A saying used by politicians as a way of covering themselves in some sort of fake apology on a thing they know little about. Here, however, I think it fit's Zoe story alarmingly well. Every person who should have been looking out for her well being seems to have looked the other way or worse simply not cared in the slightest as to what happened to her. This indifference is something that boggles my mind. How could someone go into this profession without an ounce of human compassion? At times these people don't seem to be the odd lone wolf but a description of our care system as a whole. The few good people appear to drown under a sea of the bad and corrupt.
For Zoe's part, she tells her story in an unflinching an uncompromising style. At times this can be a struggle to read. As she recounts the horrific abuse she suffers at the hands of these disgusting men, she puts us in the room with her. I cannot begin to wrap my head around what this does to someone both mentally and physically. In the cases of the author, she shows us the correlation between her own suffering and her the different thing she did to try and cope with it. Form massive amounts of alcohol abuse to self-harm. None of this comes as such a great surprise but it still does not make it any less easy to read.
When it came to the end of this book I had to take a minute to breathe. The temptation is it rant to anyone who will listen about the utter injustice that has taken place in Zoe's life. Her bravery in telling her story is one that you have to applaud. When you read this book it feels like you hold the most brittle of eggs in your hands and that it could break at any moments. But Zoe comes across by the end to be much stronger than you would think. It seems like she will end up spending the rest of her life holding on to all the peace as tight as she can in the hopes of having something the may one day reassemble a normal life. These are not the sort of things I would imagine you can ever get over, But may the best you can hope for is to learn to live with them. Sadly Zoe's story is one that is not unique in so far as to say that far too many faces it as there every day lives.
This is a book that will more than likely break your heart the longer you spend with it. With its first-person narrative and it's stark look into the heart of a system that is failing to do what it was set up to do, this is a book worthy of your time.
May 17, 2018
Trafficked Girl comes with quite a lengthy blurb; usually, I don’t like when a blurb details so much about what’s in the book, but here, I think it’s extremely important. The blurb acts as a trigger warning and you need to be aware of the content you will be reading about and decide for yourself if you still want to read this book.
I’ve watched a few documentaries and docudramas about child trafficking rings in the Midlands, but this is the first time I’ve read a first-person account about it, and I majorly underestimated the affect it would have on me. I’ve read some harrowing nonfiction in the past, stories of the wrongfully convicted, people escaping conflicts, etc, but none have ever haunted me the way this subject matter did. I couldn’t sleep after reading this book; I just couldn’t comprehend the failings of staff and services that allowed these things to happen. For me, I’ve learned this is a subject matter, I likely won’t read about again because the feelings of upset and anger I felt were so intense – above my emotional threshold, if you like. I’m not advocating against reading this book, but because of the impact it had on me, I think it’s important to mention the lasting affect this book may have, if you read it. And it’s equally as important to mention, this book does have it’s uplifting moments too.
As for the delivery, Zoe [with the aid of ghostwriter, Jane Smith] takes you through her earliest memories to the present day, it’s personal, emotional and raw. At no point did it feel like anything was being dramaticised; this was a powerfully honest account of Zoe’s experience, living through horrors I can’t even begin to imagine. When I read harrowing books such as this, there is always a point when the pain transcends so viscerally off the page, I have to pause reading and take a minute to reflect on what I’ve read because I know it will stay with me long after finishing the book. The moment in this book was:
“But as the man forced me to my knees, I found myself praying silently, ‘I need you now, Mum. Please, just love me enough to come and rescue me.’”
When you read about Zoe’s life before being taken into care, and then read that above line – I think that shows how truly horrific Zoe’s life became.
Throughout this book, I was appalled, outraged, disappointed and upset at all the professionals involved in Zoe’s care, and it’s truly shocking the failings Zoe experienced and some of the remarks these professionals made, their blatant disregard for Zoe’s welfare – it’s painful to read. Honestly, it makes you weep for humanity – the police, social services, the care home staff, the school system, foster carers, how could everyone get it so wrong!?
I read this book it one sitting because I was adamant I would not stop reading until Zoe was in a better, safer place. Her strength, an inner strength that at times she didn’t even know she possessed, was incredible; consciously, and unconsciously, her will to survive was her saving grace; and years later, when she meet Pam, she could finally begin to heal. I’m not going to minimise what happened to Zoe, she recognises, as will the reader, that what she experienced has far reaching consequences and will impact the rest of her life. But, in order to move forward, you have to, somehow, find a way to live with all that you’ve experienced and build a future for yourself, and to see Zoe doing that brought tears to my eyes because if anyone deserves a chance at “normality”, it’s Zoe. Yes, there’s no denying this is a harrowing read, but Zoe also talks about overcoming alcohol dependency, obtaining justice from the system that failed her so miserably, gaining employment, living independently and pursuing her dreams – fighting back!
*My thanks to the publisher (HarperCollins UK) for granting me access to a digital copy of this title via Netgalley*
I’ve watched a few documentaries and docudramas about child trafficking rings in the Midlands, but this is the first time I’ve read a first-person account about it, and I majorly underestimated the affect it would have on me. I’ve read some harrowing nonfiction in the past, stories of the wrongfully convicted, people escaping conflicts, etc, but none have ever haunted me the way this subject matter did. I couldn’t sleep after reading this book; I just couldn’t comprehend the failings of staff and services that allowed these things to happen. For me, I’ve learned this is a subject matter, I likely won’t read about again because the feelings of upset and anger I felt were so intense – above my emotional threshold, if you like. I’m not advocating against reading this book, but because of the impact it had on me, I think it’s important to mention the lasting affect this book may have, if you read it. And it’s equally as important to mention, this book does have it’s uplifting moments too.
As for the delivery, Zoe [with the aid of ghostwriter, Jane Smith] takes you through her earliest memories to the present day, it’s personal, emotional and raw. At no point did it feel like anything was being dramaticised; this was a powerfully honest account of Zoe’s experience, living through horrors I can’t even begin to imagine. When I read harrowing books such as this, there is always a point when the pain transcends so viscerally off the page, I have to pause reading and take a minute to reflect on what I’ve read because I know it will stay with me long after finishing the book. The moment in this book was:
“But as the man forced me to my knees, I found myself praying silently, ‘I need you now, Mum. Please, just love me enough to come and rescue me.’”
When you read about Zoe’s life before being taken into care, and then read that above line – I think that shows how truly horrific Zoe’s life became.
Throughout this book, I was appalled, outraged, disappointed and upset at all the professionals involved in Zoe’s care, and it’s truly shocking the failings Zoe experienced and some of the remarks these professionals made, their blatant disregard for Zoe’s welfare – it’s painful to read. Honestly, it makes you weep for humanity – the police, social services, the care home staff, the school system, foster carers, how could everyone get it so wrong!?
I read this book it one sitting because I was adamant I would not stop reading until Zoe was in a better, safer place. Her strength, an inner strength that at times she didn’t even know she possessed, was incredible; consciously, and unconsciously, her will to survive was her saving grace; and years later, when she meet Pam, she could finally begin to heal. I’m not going to minimise what happened to Zoe, she recognises, as will the reader, that what she experienced has far reaching consequences and will impact the rest of her life. But, in order to move forward, you have to, somehow, find a way to live with all that you’ve experienced and build a future for yourself, and to see Zoe doing that brought tears to my eyes because if anyone deserves a chance at “normality”, it’s Zoe. Yes, there’s no denying this is a harrowing read, but Zoe also talks about overcoming alcohol dependency, obtaining justice from the system that failed her so miserably, gaining employment, living independently and pursuing her dreams – fighting back!
*My thanks to the publisher (HarperCollins UK) for granting me access to a digital copy of this title via Netgalley*
March 20, 2018
With the recent prevalence in the news of sex trafficking and grooming of underage girls for sex, I felt it was important that I read Zoe's story to maybe help me understand how on earth this kind of thing can happen and yet still go unchallenged by the authorities.
Right from the first chapter, this book pulled no punches, and rightly so. It can often be difficult to be confronted by the bare facts of abuse cases such as Zoe's. She unflinchingly takes us right back to being 4 years old and the sheer tirade of abuse, both physical and mental that she suffered at the hands of her mother. The person who is supposed to love you unconditionally and do everything in their power to keep you safe.
What do you do when this person becomes your tormentor, your abuser and your every waking nightmare? Zoe does not shy away from the details of the abuse. Forced to sit for hours on end in the middle of her bedroom floor, alone and with no entertainment. Forbidden to even move or touch any of her toys. Being purposefully denied access to a potty or toilet in order that she soil herself and be punished for it. The agonising wait for the next brutal, unprovoked physical attack, where her mother would fly into rages and beat her head against the floor. The helplessness and loneliness when her own father and brothers refused to defend her or intervene.
Why did her mother love her brothers and not her? What had she done wrong to deserve such vile treatment.
We then hear about Zoe's life within the care system after life at home became just to unbearable and at the age of 13 she was taken into a local care home for vulnerable children. Zoe, hoping to be free of her nightmare life at home unwittingly entered a whole new world of abuse and pain.
Sold and trafficked to men in the surrounding area for sex against her will, Zoe found herself even more alone and lost. Let down dramatically by the adults in the care system who were there to support and look after her and also shockingly the police who ultimately let what was happening to her go unchallenged. I really was stunned at the multitude of missed opportunities that the adults in the care system had to help Zoe and rescue her from such a terrible life. She reached out so many times, even leaving notes in her room at the home detailing the car reg or the address of the man she had been taken to just incase she didn't return. How awful is that? Incomprehensible.
Through pain, torment, abuse, loneliness, alcoholism and self harm we follow Zoe's story up to her early twenties where she ultimately fights back and takes control of her own life and her future.
This book is heartbreaking stuff and I read it with a building knot of anxiety in my stomach and a sense of utter disbelief that these kinds of horrific events could happen to a young girl and not be dealt with. That people were not held accountable for their mistakes in Zoe's care and brought to justice.
Not an easy read by any means but a very important and compelling one and I'm glad Zoe was given a voice to tell her horrific story.
Gritty and raw but concluding with such an empowering and positive message, Zoe's story most definitely needs to be heard.
Thank you to Rosie Margesson and HarperCollins for the advanced proof copy.
Right from the first chapter, this book pulled no punches, and rightly so. It can often be difficult to be confronted by the bare facts of abuse cases such as Zoe's. She unflinchingly takes us right back to being 4 years old and the sheer tirade of abuse, both physical and mental that she suffered at the hands of her mother. The person who is supposed to love you unconditionally and do everything in their power to keep you safe.
What do you do when this person becomes your tormentor, your abuser and your every waking nightmare? Zoe does not shy away from the details of the abuse. Forced to sit for hours on end in the middle of her bedroom floor, alone and with no entertainment. Forbidden to even move or touch any of her toys. Being purposefully denied access to a potty or toilet in order that she soil herself and be punished for it. The agonising wait for the next brutal, unprovoked physical attack, where her mother would fly into rages and beat her head against the floor. The helplessness and loneliness when her own father and brothers refused to defend her or intervene.
Why did her mother love her brothers and not her? What had she done wrong to deserve such vile treatment.
We then hear about Zoe's life within the care system after life at home became just to unbearable and at the age of 13 she was taken into a local care home for vulnerable children. Zoe, hoping to be free of her nightmare life at home unwittingly entered a whole new world of abuse and pain.
Sold and trafficked to men in the surrounding area for sex against her will, Zoe found herself even more alone and lost. Let down dramatically by the adults in the care system who were there to support and look after her and also shockingly the police who ultimately let what was happening to her go unchallenged. I really was stunned at the multitude of missed opportunities that the adults in the care system had to help Zoe and rescue her from such a terrible life. She reached out so many times, even leaving notes in her room at the home detailing the car reg or the address of the man she had been taken to just incase she didn't return. How awful is that? Incomprehensible.
Through pain, torment, abuse, loneliness, alcoholism and self harm we follow Zoe's story up to her early twenties where she ultimately fights back and takes control of her own life and her future.
This book is heartbreaking stuff and I read it with a building knot of anxiety in my stomach and a sense of utter disbelief that these kinds of horrific events could happen to a young girl and not be dealt with. That people were not held accountable for their mistakes in Zoe's care and brought to justice.
Not an easy read by any means but a very important and compelling one and I'm glad Zoe was given a voice to tell her horrific story.
Gritty and raw but concluding with such an empowering and positive message, Zoe's story most definitely needs to be heard.
Thank you to Rosie Margesson and HarperCollins for the advanced proof copy.
March 22, 2018
WARNING: This book contains child abuse, sexual abuse, rape, suicide, drugs, alcohol and self harm.
There are times you just know that a book needs to be read, and Trafficked Girl by Zoe Patterson was just one of those books. Don't get me wrong, this isn't a easy read at all, I had to make sure to take breaks so I didn't get too emotionally drained. However, Zoe never had a break, the abuse just kept coming. So after years of being silenced and overlooked, the least I could do is read her story.
Zoe's story starts at a very young age. Whilst still living at her parent's house, she recounts the abuse she suffered at her mother's hands. She was treated worse than her brothers, constantly being humiliated and beaten up by her mother. The one person who should love her unconditionally and keep her safe made her home-life a living hell.
By the time she was 13 years old, Zoe's self-esteem was so bad that she started to believe she didn't deserve anything good in life. Feelings that only got worse when she finally was taken from home and put into care.
Thinking that she would finally be free from her mother's abuse, she showed her bruises to her teacher and with that she was taken into Denver House. However, the abuse just got worse, when she naively went to a 'party' with the 15 year old girl in her care house. Little did she know, that the girl had just sold her to two men, and that's when 13 year old virgin Zoe was first raped by two men. After that night, afraid of what could happen to her if she didn't obey the girl's demands, she kept being sold to have sex with men all over town and further afield.
When we think of girls being trafficked for sex, we usually assume they have been kidnapped in a foreign country and trafficked around the world in the worst possible conditions. In Zoe's case she was trafficked in her own English town. While she should be taken care of by Child Protection Services, instead she was being sold off for years on end and her pleas for help weren't taken seriously.
That just intensified in her head what her mother has always told her, that she was worth nothing and that no one cared.
Zoe doesn't shy away from telling us exactly how she suffered at the hands of her mum and later of all the men that abused her. She doesn't shy away from how she was feeling physically and emotionally during all of the abuse. She doesn't shy away from how all of this has led her to numb her pain with alcohol and self harm.
While reading the book, I found it hard to understand how could people in the care house do nothing for this girl. How could they know what was going on and let it keep happening? She begged for help and instead of understanding, she was laughed at and humiliated further.
My heart broke for Zoe, and her story. This isn't the kind of story you read expecting a magical happy ending. This is the kind of story you read to make sure it doesn't happen again.
One thing that I would like Zoe to know is that I see you, I hear you, and none of what has happened is your fault. You did all you could to save yourself, adults just failed you.
Thanks Harper Collins and Rosie Margesson for sending me a paperback copy of Trafficked Girl in exchange for my honest review.
*FangirlSince1988 xxx
There are times you just know that a book needs to be read, and Trafficked Girl by Zoe Patterson was just one of those books. Don't get me wrong, this isn't a easy read at all, I had to make sure to take breaks so I didn't get too emotionally drained. However, Zoe never had a break, the abuse just kept coming. So after years of being silenced and overlooked, the least I could do is read her story.
Zoe's story starts at a very young age. Whilst still living at her parent's house, she recounts the abuse she suffered at her mother's hands. She was treated worse than her brothers, constantly being humiliated and beaten up by her mother. The one person who should love her unconditionally and keep her safe made her home-life a living hell.
By the time she was 13 years old, Zoe's self-esteem was so bad that she started to believe she didn't deserve anything good in life. Feelings that only got worse when she finally was taken from home and put into care.
Thinking that she would finally be free from her mother's abuse, she showed her bruises to her teacher and with that she was taken into Denver House. However, the abuse just got worse, when she naively went to a 'party' with the 15 year old girl in her care house. Little did she know, that the girl had just sold her to two men, and that's when 13 year old virgin Zoe was first raped by two men. After that night, afraid of what could happen to her if she didn't obey the girl's demands, she kept being sold to have sex with men all over town and further afield.
When we think of girls being trafficked for sex, we usually assume they have been kidnapped in a foreign country and trafficked around the world in the worst possible conditions. In Zoe's case she was trafficked in her own English town. While she should be taken care of by Child Protection Services, instead she was being sold off for years on end and her pleas for help weren't taken seriously.
That just intensified in her head what her mother has always told her, that she was worth nothing and that no one cared.
Zoe doesn't shy away from telling us exactly how she suffered at the hands of her mum and later of all the men that abused her. She doesn't shy away from how she was feeling physically and emotionally during all of the abuse. She doesn't shy away from how all of this has led her to numb her pain with alcohol and self harm.
While reading the book, I found it hard to understand how could people in the care house do nothing for this girl. How could they know what was going on and let it keep happening? She begged for help and instead of understanding, she was laughed at and humiliated further.
My heart broke for Zoe, and her story. This isn't the kind of story you read expecting a magical happy ending. This is the kind of story you read to make sure it doesn't happen again.
One thing that I would like Zoe to know is that I see you, I hear you, and none of what has happened is your fault. You did all you could to save yourself, adults just failed you.
Thanks Harper Collins and Rosie Margesson for sending me a paperback copy of Trafficked Girl in exchange for my honest review.
*FangirlSince1988 xxx
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 21, 2018
When she was taken into care at the age of 13, Zoe hoped that her life was about to take a turn for the better. Abused at home from a very young age, Denver House was a fresh start, away from the physical and emotional violence she had experienced. Little did Zoe know that her life was about to go from bad to worse as she found herself being bullied by older girls who forced her into going to 'parties' which were actually further ways of abusing her. Soon, Zoe found herself being trafficked around the country with no one in authority willing to help put a stop to it. Trafficked Girl is the story of a girl who truly experienced rock bottom yet managed to fight back.
It is hard to read a book like this without asking the question, 'How was this allowed to happen?' The quote at the start of the book is actually a dictionary definition of the word 'care' and this is precisely what Zoe never managed to experience. From being physically and mentally abused by her mother and sexually abused by the older men she was forced to spend time with, Zoe really had no chance in life whatsoever. Perhaps what really sickened me the most, however, was the attitude of those who were tasked with her protection. How could the police turn a blind eye to what was going on? How could the staff of Denver House be so blasé about what their charges were doing? How could social services not put a stop to what was, seemingly, happening in several authorities at the time? The list of questions could go on.
In recent years, there have been countless stories that have emerged about the failings in the care system and while these are horrific to read, hearing the words of one of the children actually involved gives you a whole new understanding. My heart went out to Zoe as she moved from place to place, each time hoping that this would be where she would finally belong. It was also quite poignant to see how, despite her mother's abuse, she still tried to keep contact with her dysfunctional family only to find herself still the subject of ridicule.
Trafficked Girl shows how all it takes for someone to turn their life around is the trust and belief of another person, this person being Pam, who took Zoe under her wing and gave her the strength to fight back and take on the system that had failed her repeatedly. It was thanks to Pam that Zoe is now able to take steps towards moving on in her life and, although the memories of her past will probably remain with her for ever, she is now in a position to achieve the things she always wanted but was never able to.
It has been a long time since a book has made me so angry and I applaud Zoe Patterson for having the courage to tell her story. Trafficked Girl is a highly emotive read on a subject that should never be brushed under the carpet. These children, now adults, deserve their justice.
With thanks to Rosie Margesson and Harper Collins for my ARC
It is hard to read a book like this without asking the question, 'How was this allowed to happen?' The quote at the start of the book is actually a dictionary definition of the word 'care' and this is precisely what Zoe never managed to experience. From being physically and mentally abused by her mother and sexually abused by the older men she was forced to spend time with, Zoe really had no chance in life whatsoever. Perhaps what really sickened me the most, however, was the attitude of those who were tasked with her protection. How could the police turn a blind eye to what was going on? How could the staff of Denver House be so blasé about what their charges were doing? How could social services not put a stop to what was, seemingly, happening in several authorities at the time? The list of questions could go on.
In recent years, there have been countless stories that have emerged about the failings in the care system and while these are horrific to read, hearing the words of one of the children actually involved gives you a whole new understanding. My heart went out to Zoe as she moved from place to place, each time hoping that this would be where she would finally belong. It was also quite poignant to see how, despite her mother's abuse, she still tried to keep contact with her dysfunctional family only to find herself still the subject of ridicule.
Trafficked Girl shows how all it takes for someone to turn their life around is the trust and belief of another person, this person being Pam, who took Zoe under her wing and gave her the strength to fight back and take on the system that had failed her repeatedly. It was thanks to Pam that Zoe is now able to take steps towards moving on in her life and, although the memories of her past will probably remain with her for ever, she is now in a position to achieve the things she always wanted but was never able to.
It has been a long time since a book has made me so angry and I applaud Zoe Patterson for having the courage to tell her story. Trafficked Girl is a highly emotive read on a subject that should never be brushed under the carpet. These children, now adults, deserve their justice.
With thanks to Rosie Margesson and Harper Collins for my ARC
October 7, 2018
Human trafficking is something I've dealt with on a first-hand basis considering my field of study, though thankfully I was never involved in it in any way, shape or form. I've also watched many documentaries and films about this topic so naturally reading about it also comes with the territory.
Zoe has a very sad story to tell, but also one that gives all victims of child abuse, trafficking or not, hope at the end of the line. I'd be lying to you if I said that this book didn't trigger my PTSD on multiple occasions but I made it through from cover to cover fast enough. I am happy that Zoe broke free from her trauma and is on a successful journey of healing now. In terms of just the story I would give this book 4 stars.
My only criticism about the book was the ghostwriting. It wasn't the greatest. The book was often slow and repetitive and I ended up skipping large almost duplicate sections. Even if the author/ghostwriter wanted to keep these sections they could've arranged it differently so it wouldn't have this effect, like through flashbacks for example.
The ending was also very abrupt. There's so much focus on Zoe's child abuse and trafficking but extremely little on her life once she got out of it. That part is glossed over rather quickly and I do not like to be left hanging when I read any type of true story. Because of that I'm giving this book 3 stars. It wasn't a bad read, but definitely not the best on the subject. I ended up donating my copy.
Zoe has a very sad story to tell, but also one that gives all victims of child abuse, trafficking or not, hope at the end of the line. I'd be lying to you if I said that this book didn't trigger my PTSD on multiple occasions but I made it through from cover to cover fast enough. I am happy that Zoe broke free from her trauma and is on a successful journey of healing now. In terms of just the story I would give this book 4 stars.
My only criticism about the book was the ghostwriting. It wasn't the greatest. The book was often slow and repetitive and I ended up skipping large almost duplicate sections. Even if the author/ghostwriter wanted to keep these sections they could've arranged it differently so it wouldn't have this effect, like through flashbacks for example.
The ending was also very abrupt. There's so much focus on Zoe's child abuse and trafficking but extremely little on her life once she got out of it. That part is glossed over rather quickly and I do not like to be left hanging when I read any type of true story. Because of that I'm giving this book 3 stars. It wasn't a bad read, but definitely not the best on the subject. I ended up donating my copy.
July 16, 2018
This book may trigger some pretty strong and unpleasant feelings in readers, but that should be pretty obvious with a quick glance at the title and brief synopsis on the back cover.
I want to rate this at 3 stars instead of 4, largely due to the editing which I think has much room for improvement. The extra star is out of sheer respect for Zoe. She has gone through countless unimaginable tragedies, is a victim in every sense of the word, was let down by everyone who should have been a safe contact and every system that should have supported her, and had the guts to share her story. What I think of the writing is irrelevant at that point, because this woman is incredible.
I want to rate this at 3 stars instead of 4, largely due to the editing which I think has much room for improvement. The extra star is out of sheer respect for Zoe. She has gone through countless unimaginable tragedies, is a victim in every sense of the word, was let down by everyone who should have been a safe contact and every system that should have supported her, and had the guts to share her story. What I think of the writing is irrelevant at that point, because this woman is incredible.
April 6, 2018
Trafficked Girl is about a girl called Zoe who suffered horrific abuse by not only her mum but by men and lots of people in her care home, it was such an inspiring read, what she went through was just unimaginable and I just wanted to hug her and help her through her ordeal.
July 23, 2018
This was a heartbreaking story. A girls whose mother hated her and children services let her fall through the cracks. Exploited and abused.
December 29, 2023
This book was difficult to read. The trauma that this poor girl experienced was heart breaking. The fact that the adults - who were supposed to protect her from harm - did NOTHING is appalling and disgusting.
April 13, 2021
This book was just okay by me. Interesting story but felt like rambling. Timeline wasn’t always clear and felt like each paragraph was a different thought or memory. Still an alright story though
February 15, 2019
What an intensely sad story. To know that this really happened to someone and honestly, probably has happened to so many children and young women, is so depressing.
The fact that the system itself failed her so many times when she tried to reach out for help just makes me angry and in a constant state of shaking my head. She did mention this was a while ago, so I really hope it isn't this bad any more because this was really a hard book to read.
Great read but really intense and could be considered a trigger book if you have gone through anything even close to what Zoe did.
Sad Read!
The fact that the system itself failed her so many times when she tried to reach out for help just makes me angry and in a constant state of shaking my head. She did mention this was a while ago, so I really hope it isn't this bad any more because this was really a hard book to read.
Great read but really intense and could be considered a trigger book if you have gone through anything even close to what Zoe did.
Sad Read!
December 13, 2018
This is a heartbreaking story, I wanted to take her out of this situation, give her a big hug and tell her that this is not how it's supposed to be, no-one should ever have to go through what she went through and it will get better but my words would probably have no comfort and wouldn't be able to take any of her pain away.
Physically, mentally and sexually abused for her whole life by her parents, her brother, people she called friends, people who should've been protecting her and the men she was made to 'see', no-one helped her, not Social Services, not the staff in the residential unit where she was placed, no-one.
She was instead left to fend for herself and try to get out of each situation on her own, dealing with the multiple rapes by drinking and taking drugs to numb the pain and degradation, trying so desperately to leave but having nowhere to go.
She fought long and hard to get where she is today, to build herself up, to get the justice she deserved for all the horror and abuse she went through, to show she survived, she hadn't lost her fight or her spirit, she hadn't lost her ability to love.
She is a strong, capable, independent woman. She is a warrior.
*Huge thanks to Zoe Patterson, Jane Smith, HarperCollins UK, Nonfiction, HarperElement and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own*
Physically, mentally and sexually abused for her whole life by her parents, her brother, people she called friends, people who should've been protecting her and the men she was made to 'see', no-one helped her, not Social Services, not the staff in the residential unit where she was placed, no-one.
She was instead left to fend for herself and try to get out of each situation on her own, dealing with the multiple rapes by drinking and taking drugs to numb the pain and degradation, trying so desperately to leave but having nowhere to go.
She fought long and hard to get where she is today, to build herself up, to get the justice she deserved for all the horror and abuse she went through, to show she survived, she hadn't lost her fight or her spirit, she hadn't lost her ability to love.
She is a strong, capable, independent woman. She is a warrior.
*Huge thanks to Zoe Patterson, Jane Smith, HarperCollins UK, Nonfiction, HarperElement and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own*
June 10, 2021
This review won't really be regarding the story itself (because who on earth am I to judge someone's life story), but rather the quality of the book.
I found it to be quite poorly written. Lots of the same phrases were repeated over and over again in quite close proximity to each other throughout the whole thing; which made the writing appear sloppy and irritatingly repetitive. The timeline was not always clear either, and Zoe would sometimes drop in a random event/person/place that happened outside of the current timeline as though it were an afterthought that she forgot to include earlier (when it would have made sense), so was just thrown in at random instead. This made the story quite clunky at times and hard to follow exactly what/when she was talking about. Punctuation is also missing or used strangely sometimes, so I had to re-read things in order to try and place commas etc myself, and therefore understand what it was supposed to be saying. I also found it strange that until Pam, there was not a single nice person in her whole life; every organisation and stranger she met - professional or otherwise - seemed heartless and wholly uncaring. Perhaps I am overthinking this though.
All that aside, this story is truly inspirational and I can only admire the strength it would have taken Zoe to not only pull through it all, but also to publish this book.
3 stars.
I found it to be quite poorly written. Lots of the same phrases were repeated over and over again in quite close proximity to each other throughout the whole thing; which made the writing appear sloppy and irritatingly repetitive. The timeline was not always clear either, and Zoe would sometimes drop in a random event/person/place that happened outside of the current timeline as though it were an afterthought that she forgot to include earlier (when it would have made sense), so was just thrown in at random instead. This made the story quite clunky at times and hard to follow exactly what/when she was talking about. Punctuation is also missing or used strangely sometimes, so I had to re-read things in order to try and place commas etc myself, and therefore understand what it was supposed to be saying. I also found it strange that until Pam, there was not a single nice person in her whole life; every organisation and stranger she met - professional or otherwise - seemed heartless and wholly uncaring. Perhaps I am overthinking this though.
All that aside, this story is truly inspirational and I can only admire the strength it would have taken Zoe to not only pull through it all, but also to publish this book.
3 stars.
January 21, 2024
I wanted to rate this low due to the fact that I was disgusted at the state of our organisations that are
Meant to help! The book is excellently narrated and the story is awful. It highlights all the flaws in our systems and I can only hope that there are not stories like this going under the radar in 2024, and that “the system” has improved!
Meant to help! The book is excellently narrated and the story is awful. It highlights all the flaws in our systems and I can only hope that there are not stories like this going under the radar in 2024, and that “the system” has improved!
September 15, 2022
3.5⭐️ this is a book about a woman who had a horrific childhood. Every member of her family was all either cold, detached and unloving or horrifically abusive to her. Her mother beat her constantly, told her she didn’t love her, she didn’t want her, and she didn’t deserve anything but to be miserable. Her mother was an alcoholic and her father was abusive to her mother, beating and raping her mother when ever he was drunk in front of the children. She starts drinking around the age of 11 and is drinking daily by the time she’s 12, she also self harms and tries to commit suicide a few times. No one seems to care, not even her teachers. She eventually showed her bruises to a social worker who then placed her in a group home. While in the group home she met 2 other girls who were 15 and working as recruiters/pimps. They befriend her and take her to a party where she is raped and beaten by multiple men and told not to tell or she will be beaten again. This happens almost daily. She tells multiple people, care workers, workers in the group home, police, and no one ever does anything. In fact the police treat her as a prostitute even though she is only 13, not a victim and often proposition her for sex. She eventually leaves the group home but is still being trafficked by some of the men she was abused by because they bought her a cell phone so they can still communicate with her, threaten and harass her. Eventually she loses the phone when she’s about 15 and the trafficking stops but by that point she has been trafficked hundreds of times and is a wreck emotionally. She continues drinking daily to the point she often wakes up in alleys, strange rooms, abandoned buildings, the hospital or bar bathrooms with her pants down and having obviously been raped. The cycle continues and she ages out of the foster system at 18 and is given a counsel flat. She continues the drinking and black outs and eventually ends up pregnant from a rape at the age of 19. She is basically told to have an abortion and one is scheduled for her, she was never given options or support and says the abortion is something she still regrets today and can’t get over. She eventually read a self help book which talked about setting small goals daily to accomplish things and had eventually cleaned up her flat, bought new furniture, started exercising and got a job. She took up boxing, running and swimming and was doing really well until she started a relationship with a woman named Jess when she is 22 (having realized she was gay years before). Their relationship is toxic and they begin drinking together and fighting. This continues until she’s 25 and drinking daily again. She eventually gets her life back together but still relapses many times along the way. She sued the care system for the abuse and trafficking that was blatantly allowed to happen to her and for the extreme neglect she experienced while in care and wins a decent settlement amount. A pretty good book but not as much detail about the trafficking as you would expect given the title.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 27, 2023
Zoe Patterson’s personal story Trafficked Girl: Abused, Abandoned, Exploited discusses how she was physically, emotionally and sexually abused by her parents as a child, then when she hoped to be rescued by social services, instead she was subjected to in some cases even worse abuse. After a horrific childhood, she is then subjected to the brutalities of child molestation at the care home she is dumped in, a house known for prostitution. Zoe’s story details how she was exploited and let down numerous times by the professionals that should have been responsible for her care and welfare. Parents, social services, teachers, police, foster carers, although everyone knew Zoe and incredibly vulnerable others girls were suffering unimaginably being trafficked and raped, no one did anything to help. Mostly, they make things much worse and more dangerous for Zoe and the other victims. It is hard to imagine how this was allowed to happen, but sadly its unsurprising. Zoe is solely responsible for saving her own life and surviving these ordeals. Patterson’s story is harrowing and unflinching story of how she overcame her trauma, recovering from an alcohol dependency and gaining employment when her mental health issues were so severe as a result of her ordeal. I was pleased to read that she fought for and received some type of justice for not being safe from the serious and dangerous level of abuse she suffered as a teenager/young adult. The story was really strong and inspiring, but at times I found the writing repetitive and lacking creativity. The actual language wasn’t well charged and as emotive as it should have been for Patterson’s story. Besides that, this abuse memoir genre always makes me emotional – the stories are always brutal – but it is also very inspiring how people manage to put their experiences behind them and live good lives.
December 4, 2018
I've read a couple of books in the abuse memoir genre and every time I think this is worse than the last one I read or the worst anyone can experience. I felt that way not even half way in this book.
There is a part where she mentioned being raped by man after man after man....., she was just 13 at the time. I was so horrified it was such a hell without hope she had described , it made me feel very depressed for her. My heart was broken already for her and I was in the first quarter of the book.
Her " mother" if u can call her that was someone who did not love her and told her so over and over again .
Zoe is a very strong person, things that she experienced break people and make them mad.
I give this book 5 stars for the strength and courage of telling her story, for not leaving little shocking details out ( like her creepy father giving her creepy sexual looks and saying sexual things to her while watching tv or whatever ... eeewww)
I've found the writing good, book flowed with its horrific story , I recommend this book . But be warned , it will make u mad at the people who failed her, who abused, who neglected and who exploited her. The rapists who I'm sure were ' good working family men ' in their fake lives shall burn in hell .
Be warned you will need to take breaks readng this book and it depressed me. But I want to know the truth that other people might live in hell and the warning signs ... there are real monsters smiling at us every day it seems .
There is a part where she mentioned being raped by man after man after man....., she was just 13 at the time. I was so horrified it was such a hell without hope she had described , it made me feel very depressed for her. My heart was broken already for her and I was in the first quarter of the book.
Her " mother" if u can call her that was someone who did not love her and told her so over and over again .
Zoe is a very strong person, things that she experienced break people and make them mad.
I give this book 5 stars for the strength and courage of telling her story, for not leaving little shocking details out ( like her creepy father giving her creepy sexual looks and saying sexual things to her while watching tv or whatever ... eeewww)
I've found the writing good, book flowed with its horrific story , I recommend this book . But be warned , it will make u mad at the people who failed her, who abused, who neglected and who exploited her. The rapists who I'm sure were ' good working family men ' in their fake lives shall burn in hell .
Be warned you will need to take breaks readng this book and it depressed me. But I want to know the truth that other people might live in hell and the warning signs ... there are real monsters smiling at us every day it seems .
January 10, 2019
🌟BOOK REVIEW🌟
At times it is important for me to read a book that burst’s my convenient bubble and give me a harsh wake up call to the realities of the world that we live in today.
Issues of child abuse and sexual trafficking are unfortunately a very real issue yet sometimes we become oblivious to the suffering others have to endure. It isn’t because we are not compassionate but our own lives take over and we somehow ‘forget.’ Until a book like ‘Girl Trafficked’ is recommended to me and I lose sleep for a few nights whilst I read it.
An autobiography based on the true story of a young girl called Zoe who suffered the most horrific form of abuse first by a mother who should have loved her and then a system, which ultimately failed her. But despite the horrific ordeal she suffered she had the courage and the strength to break through the shackles of years of emotional and physical torment and make a better life for herself. ‘Girl Trafficked’ is a book of hope yet I felt anger whilst reading it.
I felt angry with her family and especially her mother. I felt anger at the professionals whose care she was under and who had a responsibility to respond to her pleas of help and finally I felt anger at the vile individuals who trafficked and abused her.
This book will open your eyes to some very harsh realities and I think it is important that we all educate ourselves on this matter and do what we can so another individual does not suffer.
Zubs💛💋
At times it is important for me to read a book that burst’s my convenient bubble and give me a harsh wake up call to the realities of the world that we live in today.
Issues of child abuse and sexual trafficking are unfortunately a very real issue yet sometimes we become oblivious to the suffering others have to endure. It isn’t because we are not compassionate but our own lives take over and we somehow ‘forget.’ Until a book like ‘Girl Trafficked’ is recommended to me and I lose sleep for a few nights whilst I read it.
An autobiography based on the true story of a young girl called Zoe who suffered the most horrific form of abuse first by a mother who should have loved her and then a system, which ultimately failed her. But despite the horrific ordeal she suffered she had the courage and the strength to break through the shackles of years of emotional and physical torment and make a better life for herself. ‘Girl Trafficked’ is a book of hope yet I felt anger whilst reading it.
I felt angry with her family and especially her mother. I felt anger at the professionals whose care she was under and who had a responsibility to respond to her pleas of help and finally I felt anger at the vile individuals who trafficked and abused her.
This book will open your eyes to some very harsh realities and I think it is important that we all educate ourselves on this matter and do what we can so another individual does not suffer.
Zubs💛💋
January 29, 2020
If you pick up this book, be prepared for a lot of shocking and dark moments. I think I was half way through the book when I found it just sickening and super upsetting that her family, society, teachers and friends all failed Zoe one way or another. Zoe had so many cries for help along the way, and there were so many opportunities for something to be done, something to improve her situation....but ultimately she was let down over and over again. So many people turned a blind eye, so many simply put her into the system to be forgotten, and so many cover ups!
Child and sex trafficking is not something someone can simply overcome, especially when they are as emotionally and mentally torn down as Zoe was at one point or another. Her whole life, she had to be weary of her own mother, who was not quite right in the head, and her family who chose not to stand behind her, instead they participated in the physical and verbal abuse. And when she spoke up, things only got worse in the homes she was placed in. Where she was bullied, tormented and basically sold into sex trafficking.
For the bulk of the book, it talked in quite a few details about Zoe's traumatic childhood and teenage years. The latter part talked about the time leading to the present. It is the latter part that felt a bit rushed. Although it does tell how Zoe faced her demons and has come a long way since her younger years.
Child and sex trafficking is not something someone can simply overcome, especially when they are as emotionally and mentally torn down as Zoe was at one point or another. Her whole life, she had to be weary of her own mother, who was not quite right in the head, and her family who chose not to stand behind her, instead they participated in the physical and verbal abuse. And when she spoke up, things only got worse in the homes she was placed in. Where she was bullied, tormented and basically sold into sex trafficking.
For the bulk of the book, it talked in quite a few details about Zoe's traumatic childhood and teenage years. The latter part talked about the time leading to the present. It is the latter part that felt a bit rushed. Although it does tell how Zoe faced her demons and has come a long way since her younger years.
September 13, 2020
this book was hard to read. It sucks that there still is people in the world that things like this happen to. Zoe didn't have a easy start to life with a mother who would treat her like shit and a father and brothers that would add or do nothing to help stop the abuse. Then at the age of 13 she is put into a home that is supposed to help stop the abuse and put her on a path to recovery, instead she is trafficked out and raped repeatedly for the next 5 years. The home that she was put in and the teachers that taught her at school were aware of the things that were happening to Zoe, but unfortunately nothing was done because the social workers that were supposed to be caring for these troubled children just couldn't be bothered to help. It opened my eyes to the horrible things that happen behind closed doors and I was happy to read that in the end Zoe did find happiness and the help she needed. The book also talks about suicide and the reason some people might want to take their own life and it shows that even when all around all you can see is darkness there always is a light at the end of the tunnel.
The thing that I think the author wanted the reader to take away from this book is that you never know what someone is going through and to be kind to those people because in different circumstances you might be in the same place.
The thing that I think the author wanted the reader to take away from this book is that you never know what someone is going through and to be kind to those people because in different circumstances you might be in the same place.
May 5, 2018
Thank you netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review. This was a fantastic book about the horrendous treatment and exploitation of a young girl by her family, social services, the police, the residential care home where she was living, school and health professionals all of whom should have been protecting her and instead let her down time and time again. It is sad that something like this has been going on as recently as the 90s however, I hasten to add the time frame does not matter as this should never have been allowed to happen. Unlike Zoe however, who believes that things perhaps have changed due to certain safeguards being put in place and care workers now being qualified and vetted, I am unfortunately not convinced. A harrowing, often hard to read sometimes given the circumstances but a book that I highly recommend not only to shed light on the subject matter but also to show others who have been treated in this way realise they are not alone and not worthless, it is the perpetrators that are at fault not them. Well done Zoe for having the courage to speak out and all the best for your future ventures.
May 1, 2018
Amazing woman
This poor child was unwanted by her parents. Her mother introduced her to the demon drink when she was a child and because of this, this young lady remained dependent on drink for many years to come. But worse was to come because of the hate and abuse her mother showed her the girl asked to be taken into care, thinking that she would be safe in foster care. But she was put in a children s home instead, where her life spiralled out of control in the worse possible way imaginable. The book continues to tell her life story which makes a terrible read that is to say her life was hell on earth. This is a remarkable young lady, who has fought against life and everything it's thrown at her..What is there left to say except I wish this young lady the very best of good wishes for the future. This is not a story but an account of someone's life and the horrors of what she endured..God Bless you Zoe, keep you courage up you deserve the best.
This poor child was unwanted by her parents. Her mother introduced her to the demon drink when she was a child and because of this, this young lady remained dependent on drink for many years to come. But worse was to come because of the hate and abuse her mother showed her the girl asked to be taken into care, thinking that she would be safe in foster care. But she was put in a children s home instead, where her life spiralled out of control in the worse possible way imaginable. The book continues to tell her life story which makes a terrible read that is to say her life was hell on earth. This is a remarkable young lady, who has fought against life and everything it's thrown at her..What is there left to say except I wish this young lady the very best of good wishes for the future. This is not a story but an account of someone's life and the horrors of what she endured..God Bless you Zoe, keep you courage up you deserve the best.
May 14, 2018
I would just like to thank the author, Zoe for sharing her story. I started this book this morning and finished it by the afternoon. At first I wasn’t sure if I should read the book at all. I generally try to stay away from the news and all the horrors that go on in the world, currently. But I’m so glad I decided to read your story.
It makes me so sad that Zoe never received the help she needed. And the fact that her teachers just turned a blind eye. The world is an awful place and sharing stories like this, I hope, will work to make people aware and maybe more conscious of themselves and how something so small can have such a big impact in someone’s life who is struggling. Often Zoe stating how the smallest comment from someone made her feel so loved, after years of never receiving love.
I always say you don’t know someone’s story so you should always be kind. Thank you again Zoe, for being so brave to share your story with the world.
It makes me so sad that Zoe never received the help she needed. And the fact that her teachers just turned a blind eye. The world is an awful place and sharing stories like this, I hope, will work to make people aware and maybe more conscious of themselves and how something so small can have such a big impact in someone’s life who is struggling. Often Zoe stating how the smallest comment from someone made her feel so loved, after years of never receiving love.
I always say you don’t know someone’s story so you should always be kind. Thank you again Zoe, for being so brave to share your story with the world.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 31, 2019
Zoe Patterson shares her story of growing up in an extremely abusive home and being in care in inappropriate group homes and inappropriate foster care in the UK . While reading this book I was shocked and had a hard time believing that there were so many incompetent caregivers and care workers involved with her situation. They made her situation worse not better. By the end of the book I was convinced she was telling it like it is, providing an accurate description. This all occurred approximately 10 to 15 years ago and standards, regulations, monitoring and training have improved significantly since then. At least I like to think that the system I worked in, in Alberta was never that bad and is always improving. The ending has some positive hope for her future but she will forever be managing the trauma she experienced growing up.
March 29, 2018
Thank you netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.
I’m not one to read biographies but I was interested in this as the disgusting history of what happened in England with care homes has been a main news point for some time. Zoe has had such a horrific upbringing and then to be placed in a care home that did nothing to support, rehabilitate and counsel her horrified me. As a parent my goal is to love and care for my child and provide him with the best life and Zoe’s family could not do this for her. She was failed by adults in power and betrayed to the point she antes to take her own life. This was a gritty, hard, painful read but I’m so happy for Zoe and how she turned her life round. That a big V to those who failed her
I’m not one to read biographies but I was interested in this as the disgusting history of what happened in England with care homes has been a main news point for some time. Zoe has had such a horrific upbringing and then to be placed in a care home that did nothing to support, rehabilitate and counsel her horrified me. As a parent my goal is to love and care for my child and provide him with the best life and Zoe’s family could not do this for her. She was failed by adults in power and betrayed to the point she antes to take her own life. This was a gritty, hard, painful read but I’m so happy for Zoe and how she turned her life round. That a big V to those who failed her
June 24, 2025
Details exceptionally well the societal, social worker and authorities callous indifference to the care and protection of children in abusive situations that predator's used to their advantage and the impact on the child and young adult. I was disappointed that the indifference was still apparent right up to the 1990's in the author's experience. A very well written book that keeps the reader engaged. Though an extremely harrowing and sobering subject, the author writes about her horrific experiences and responses in a way that is matter of fact without the self pity, her responses are easily understood and is often uplifting. She comes across as a very likeable person who dealt with her adversity with grace. Highly recommended reading.
December 31, 2019
My heart is broken for Zoe, it’s appalling that every single person she’s been “cared for” by has utterly destroyed her. The story is important for explaining HOW a girl gets sucked into sex trafficking. I never understood that but it is all very clear now.
The only reason for no 4-5 star review is the writing. It’s so abrupt, cold, and repetitive. I’m actually surprised a ghost writer could have written this. I feel like it’s a word for word copy of a journal rather than a novel.
I see there are insightful reasons and explanations behind some parts, however, it never tells the reader where the insight comes from and how she came to realize that “such and such was a result of-“
The only reason for no 4-5 star review is the writing. It’s so abrupt, cold, and repetitive. I’m actually surprised a ghost writer could have written this. I feel like it’s a word for word copy of a journal rather than a novel.
I see there are insightful reasons and explanations behind some parts, however, it never tells the reader where the insight comes from and how she came to realize that “such and such was a result of-“
April 6, 2024
My daughter brought home this book from a Little Free Library. When I first started reading it I wasn’t fully aware that I was reading someone’s actual story. I found the first few chapters sort of repetitive & started thinking it was rather boring. Then I clued in that these were actual events & was in disbelief that families can be this cruel. It was at this point that I wanted to keep reading but found I had to do it in spurts as there was sadness & helplessness for what this girl was going through. I recommend people read this to be aware of what is out there. You don’t always know what someone has been through or going through. Be kind ♥️
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