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Pieces of Me: Rescuing My Kidnapped Daughters
In 1994, Lizbeth Meredith said good-bye to her four- and six year-old daughters for a visit with their non-custodial father only to learn days later that they had been kidnapped and taken to their father's home country of Greece.
Twenty-nine and just on the verge of making her dreams of financial independence for her and her daughters come true, Lizbeth now faced a $100,000 problem on a $10 an hour budget. For the next two years fueled by memories of her own childhood kidnapping, Lizbeth traded in her small life for a life more public, traveling to the White House and Greece, and becoming a local media sensation in order to garner interest in her efforts. The generous community of Anchorage becomes Lizbeth's makeshift family?one that is replicated by a growing number of Greeks and expats overseas who help Lizbeth navigate the turbulent path leading back to her daughters.
Twenty-nine and just on the verge of making her dreams of financial independence for her and her daughters come true, Lizbeth now faced a $100,000 problem on a $10 an hour budget. For the next two years fueled by memories of her own childhood kidnapping, Lizbeth traded in her small life for a life more public, traveling to the White House and Greece, and becoming a local media sensation in order to garner interest in her efforts. The generous community of Anchorage becomes Lizbeth's makeshift family?one that is replicated by a growing number of Greeks and expats overseas who help Lizbeth navigate the turbulent path leading back to her daughters.
Audiobook
Published May 1, 2018
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About the author
Lizbeth Meredith
7 books47 followersLizbeth Meredith is a writer based in Tennessee with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a master’s degree in psychology. She teaches book marketing to new authors and is a speaker and podcaster.
Previously, Lizbeth has worked as a domestic violence advocate and a child abuse investigator, and finally 20 years with at-risk teens as a juvenile probation supervisor.
Her memoir, Pieces of Me: Rescuing My Kidnapped Daughters, was published by She Writes Press and is now a Lifetime television movie, Stolen By Their Father. More than another missing children’s story, Pieces of Me recounts Lizbeth’s struggle to bring home her internationally abducted daughters from Greece to Alaska. It’s the story of a 29 year-old woman whose own life was marked by family violence and childhood kidnapping who then faced her own $100,000 problem on a $10 an hour budget. It’s the story of the generous community in Anchorage, Alaska, and of a welcoming community in Greece who joined Lizbeth’s efforts to make the impossible a reality.
Previously, Lizbeth has worked as a domestic violence advocate and a child abuse investigator, and finally 20 years with at-risk teens as a juvenile probation supervisor.
Her memoir, Pieces of Me: Rescuing My Kidnapped Daughters, was published by She Writes Press and is now a Lifetime television movie, Stolen By Their Father. More than another missing children’s story, Pieces of Me recounts Lizbeth’s struggle to bring home her internationally abducted daughters from Greece to Alaska. It’s the story of a 29 year-old woman whose own life was marked by family violence and childhood kidnapping who then faced her own $100,000 problem on a $10 an hour budget. It’s the story of the generous community in Anchorage, Alaska, and of a welcoming community in Greece who joined Lizbeth’s efforts to make the impossible a reality.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 144 reviews
October 19, 2016
Holy. Cow. First of all, full disclosure, I work with the author and am embarrassed to never have realized how incredibly blessed I am, and the folks we work with are, to have her. Secondly, I think it'll speak to a limited group of readers, but I don't know how better to illustrate the ability this book had to grab me by the shoulders and scream "READ ME. Read me now!" than to point out that I read this book in less than a week while being a newly stay at home mom of three: 1mo, 1 1/2y, and 3y. And no one, husband included, starved.
November 17, 2016
Pieces of Me is an important, honest, and heart-rending story of a brave young mother's struggle to save her precious daughters no matter the toll it takes on her, as she through it all carries the double burden of reliving her own childhood trauma.
December 19, 2019
A spellbinding true account of a Mother's prolonged fight to get her children back after they were kidnapped by their Father, her abusive ex-husband, and taken from the U.S to Greece, his home country. A rollercoaster of hope, fear and frustration that made for an unputdownable read; Dealing with local and international lawyers, government agencies, corrupt police and costly private investigators, Lizbeth Meredith bravely soldiered on, with the most heartwarming help from colleagues, friends and even strangers.
July 23, 2018
This memoir is everything a memoir should be—utterly honest, probing, instructive and an gripping story well-told. I cared deeply about whether the author would succeed in locating and rescuing her kidnapped children, and was appalled by how difficult it was for her to navigate the various government systems in order for her to be reunited with her kids. I listened to this as an audiobook. The narrator is mostly terrific, and doesn't get five stars only because her Greek-accented male voices weren't quite up to snuff. Her voice for the author, however, and the story itself (which will grab you and not let go) easily compensated to make this a great listen. I won't soon forget this story.
February 5, 2017
Well written and easy to read memoir of the first case of child abduction in which the Hague Convention is used against the original plaintiff. It also highlights how agencies needs to cooperate with each other and not fight or withhold information. Lizbeth's ex-husband steals her children from her and flies them from Alaska to Greece. This is her story of how she got them back! A big thank you, as I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway. I'm to tag @ booksparks. Thanks again!
April 1, 2017
Plowed through this in two days, it is amazing how strong the author is and determined. It is also ad to see how vindictive people can be. Highly recommend it.
March 23, 2022
I can’t imagine the pain of being separated from your children.
How does a mother find the strength to fight to get her kidnapped children back from her ex-husband without losing her mind? Liz shows incredible willpower in her memoir. I couldn’t stop turning the pages. Liz found strength through the help of “Talk Therapy” and “EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing).” I’ve used EMDR, and it’ll help anyone in pain. Thank you, Liz, for sharing your heart-wrenching story with us. After you read the book, be sure to watch the incredible movie on Lifetime called Stolen by Their Father, based on the book. I hope it becomes a blockbuster.
How does a mother find the strength to fight to get her kidnapped children back from her ex-husband without losing her mind? Liz shows incredible willpower in her memoir. I couldn’t stop turning the pages. Liz found strength through the help of “Talk Therapy” and “EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing).” I’ve used EMDR, and it’ll help anyone in pain. Thank you, Liz, for sharing your heart-wrenching story with us. After you read the book, be sure to watch the incredible movie on Lifetime called Stolen by Their Father, based on the book. I hope it becomes a blockbuster.
September 10, 2017
You know how people say that can't put a book down? Well, this is a book that when you do have to put it down to run an errand, do chores, work in the garden, your mind keeps thinking about it until you must pick it back up again and continue reading. That is what I consider an excellent read. First of all, I love memoirs. And it is obvious from the subtitle that Lizbeth Meredith does rescue her kidnapped daughters (their biological dad takes them to Greece), but the writing is so good that you feel the author's pain, heartbreak, tension, anger (even her use of humor)--all the emotions anyone would go through if she lost her daughters and were trying to find them so she can bring them back home where they belong.
What amazed me most was the fact that governments do not help as much as one would think they would. Family abductions apparently occur quite regularly, but when it entails working in concert with another country, the custodial parent doesn't have that many options or rights—except to spend a lot of cash without any guaranteed results. This book was an eye-opener for me and I was intrigued from the start all the way to the last page.
What amazed me most was the fact that governments do not help as much as one would think they would. Family abductions apparently occur quite regularly, but when it entails working in concert with another country, the custodial parent doesn't have that many options or rights—except to spend a lot of cash without any guaranteed results. This book was an eye-opener for me and I was intrigued from the start all the way to the last page.
July 1, 2017
An emotional read, one meant for all mothers and daughters because you never know where predators lie who claim to love.
This is a book ALL women must read. It is the story of a woman in love who was fooled by her husband and her extremely young daughters, stolen in a ruse to Greece. It is a tale of trauma, love, danger, joy, and drama. Yes, a juxtaposition of emotions that the author weaves beautifully. This is sure to be a bestseller.
This is a book ALL women must read. It is the story of a woman in love who was fooled by her husband and her extremely young daughters, stolen in a ruse to Greece. It is a tale of trauma, love, danger, joy, and drama. Yes, a juxtaposition of emotions that the author weaves beautifully. This is sure to be a bestseller.
January 23, 2017
Lizbeth Meredith is an incredibly strong brave woman.When her ex husband a violent man kidnaps their two young girls,taking them from their home in Alaska where Lizbeth had custody to his home country of Greece.The girls disappear into his world.Lizbeth a very young woman goes on a journey to find them a journey with so many twists turns shocking moments.This is a true page turner.
June 1, 2024
Beautifully told story, heartbreaking throughout. I’ve never been so pissed off at government before (and I’ve been pretty pissed off at the government !!)
July 6, 2017
"I have my daughters. I have my passions. And, all things considered, I guess that makes me better off than lucky." For Lizbeth (Liz) Meredith to make such affirmative statements in 2016 is nothing short of a miracle compared to her perilous journey that began twenty-two years earlier.
It is Sunday, March 13, 1994—just four years out of her violent marriage—and another weekly visitation from Gregory, her ex. Liz kisses her girls Marianthi and Meredith, ages six and four respectively, as they leave with their father for two days. The routine is to use the daycare as the drop-off/pick-up location two days later. But when Tuesday afternoon comes and the girls are nowhere to be found at the daycare, Liz turns to the police.
A few phone calls later, a police officer dispatches Liz's worse nightmare: "There are allegations now that your husband flew out of Alaska two days ago with the girls. Your daughters are with him in Greece."
Two months pass. After the justice department's inaction including their supposed failure to enter the missing girls' information into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database, Liz takes the bull by its horns and contacts a local Anchorage newspaper. Publication of her perfectly timed story (on Mother's Day, no less!) snowballs, and overnight she finds herself surrounded by creative support with events following, such as fundraisers and letters from the girls' classmates to President Clinton.
While Liz is fortunate to procure a flurry of professional help, she is tired of the constant "tug and pull" with government agencies. Her latest issue is with a lawyer in Greece. Liz states, "...instead of having government officials and local law enforcement work together handily to resolve this crime and, at the very least, be an asset to me in bringing the girls back in one piece, I'm fighting the corruption and deficits of our criminal justice system while the Greek lawyers are on strike."
Amid ups and downs, it takes more than ten months after the girls' abduction on December 28, 1994, before "the Greek courts rule to recognize and enforce the American custody order." Although Liz considers this a breakthrough, she has no idea that it will take another two years of problems, a Plan B, and a load of miracles before bringing her daughters back home.
If Meredith's narrative were strictly focused on her daughters' kidnapping and return, that would make for a sufficient memoir. Aptly punctuated within her traumatic story, Meredith shares about the domestic violence that riddled her marriage, as well as her emotionally and physically tainted childhood.
Additionally, Meredith is no stranger to kidnappings, as she states, "I unwittingly [became] my mother's accomplice in her abduction of me."
Readers, beware of becoming overwhelmed! Meredith tells it as it is. Her straightforward text captures the blow-by-blow account of her horrendous ordeals—both with the girls' abduction and her past. Meredith's trials and tribulations are hard to read at times. They are not due to offensive language by any means. Instead, it is in trying to fathom Meredith's constant struggle to survive exacerbated by her daughters' kidnapping. One may think that Meredith's problems have a "happily ever after" closure once she finds Marianthi and Meredith. Quickly debunking that façade, Meredith presents an honest portrayal of the painful adjustments that come with the girls' return to Alaska.
Offering help for those who are undergoing similar situations, Meredith includes vital U.S. resources (websites and phone numbers), which provide valuable information.
by Anita Lock
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women
It is Sunday, March 13, 1994—just four years out of her violent marriage—and another weekly visitation from Gregory, her ex. Liz kisses her girls Marianthi and Meredith, ages six and four respectively, as they leave with their father for two days. The routine is to use the daycare as the drop-off/pick-up location two days later. But when Tuesday afternoon comes and the girls are nowhere to be found at the daycare, Liz turns to the police.
A few phone calls later, a police officer dispatches Liz's worse nightmare: "There are allegations now that your husband flew out of Alaska two days ago with the girls. Your daughters are with him in Greece."
Two months pass. After the justice department's inaction including their supposed failure to enter the missing girls' information into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database, Liz takes the bull by its horns and contacts a local Anchorage newspaper. Publication of her perfectly timed story (on Mother's Day, no less!) snowballs, and overnight she finds herself surrounded by creative support with events following, such as fundraisers and letters from the girls' classmates to President Clinton.
While Liz is fortunate to procure a flurry of professional help, she is tired of the constant "tug and pull" with government agencies. Her latest issue is with a lawyer in Greece. Liz states, "...instead of having government officials and local law enforcement work together handily to resolve this crime and, at the very least, be an asset to me in bringing the girls back in one piece, I'm fighting the corruption and deficits of our criminal justice system while the Greek lawyers are on strike."
Amid ups and downs, it takes more than ten months after the girls' abduction on December 28, 1994, before "the Greek courts rule to recognize and enforce the American custody order." Although Liz considers this a breakthrough, she has no idea that it will take another two years of problems, a Plan B, and a load of miracles before bringing her daughters back home.
If Meredith's narrative were strictly focused on her daughters' kidnapping and return, that would make for a sufficient memoir. Aptly punctuated within her traumatic story, Meredith shares about the domestic violence that riddled her marriage, as well as her emotionally and physically tainted childhood.
Additionally, Meredith is no stranger to kidnappings, as she states, "I unwittingly [became] my mother's accomplice in her abduction of me."
Readers, beware of becoming overwhelmed! Meredith tells it as it is. Her straightforward text captures the blow-by-blow account of her horrendous ordeals—both with the girls' abduction and her past. Meredith's trials and tribulations are hard to read at times. They are not due to offensive language by any means. Instead, it is in trying to fathom Meredith's constant struggle to survive exacerbated by her daughters' kidnapping. One may think that Meredith's problems have a "happily ever after" closure once she finds Marianthi and Meredith. Quickly debunking that façade, Meredith presents an honest portrayal of the painful adjustments that come with the girls' return to Alaska.
Offering help for those who are undergoing similar situations, Meredith includes vital U.S. resources (websites and phone numbers), which provide valuable information.
by Anita Lock
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women
July 23, 2018
I have had this book for some time and it took me awhile to read as I knew it was going to be hard for me to read. It was in one sense but in another it was a gripping page turner.
The author manages to escape a physically and verbally abusive marriage with her two daughters only to have her ex-husband kidnapp them and flee to his birthplace of Greece where his family lives.
The bureaucratic nightmare between the US and Greece that Ms. Meredith has to juggle over the course of two years is mind boggling.
Through the two years of going between US and Greek lawyers and trips to Greece, her mind keeps replaying her own tumultuos and abusive childhood.
While Ms. Meredith has a great support system of friends and co-workers she mainly treads the waters of this nightmare on her own while seeking support through therapy.
I can only hope that things have become somewhat better since the 90's for the parents of international kidnapped children, although I suspect it hasn't.
All in all this is a very well written memoir and I highly recommend.
The author manages to escape a physically and verbally abusive marriage with her two daughters only to have her ex-husband kidnapp them and flee to his birthplace of Greece where his family lives.
The bureaucratic nightmare between the US and Greece that Ms. Meredith has to juggle over the course of two years is mind boggling.
Through the two years of going between US and Greek lawyers and trips to Greece, her mind keeps replaying her own tumultuos and abusive childhood.
While Ms. Meredith has a great support system of friends and co-workers she mainly treads the waters of this nightmare on her own while seeking support through therapy.
I can only hope that things have become somewhat better since the 90's for the parents of international kidnapped children, although I suspect it hasn't.
All in all this is a very well written memoir and I highly recommend.
November 12, 2019
It's odd to read a book and hear described places and people you see daily. Even without that connection, this book is fascinating. As a society I knew we failed people in abusive relationships. I knew international custody issues were an issue (I've seen headlines fly by), but this story illustrated it all, all the complexity, all the heartbreak.
My children are currently 3 and 5, very close to the 4 and 6 of her daughters at the time of the kidnap. I can not imagine her heartbreak.
I also really appreciated the epilogue talking about the lasting effects of trauma. Because it would be easy to end on them walking out of court, having won custody. But that is never the end and pretending it is does a disservice to our societal understanding of trauma.
My children are currently 3 and 5, very close to the 4 and 6 of her daughters at the time of the kidnap. I can not imagine her heartbreak.
I also really appreciated the epilogue talking about the lasting effects of trauma. Because it would be easy to end on them walking out of court, having won custody. But that is never the end and pretending it is does a disservice to our societal understanding of trauma.
February 5, 2017
This is an inspiring book about a woman who has been given little in the world -- she was regularly abused and then abandoned by her mother at an early age – and so is cast out upon the sea of life unprepared. That what ensues is more of the same is not surprising, but when her implausibly (for me) mean, abusive husband abducts their young children and takes them to a foreign country, her deep, love-filled attachment for them propels her to acts that can only be described as heroic. Beautifully written, this is a heart-pounding thriller of a story that reads like a novel, but leaves you with insight and admiration for the astonishing capacity of the human spirit. Blue Ridge Lover
August 1, 2018
She never gave up
My heart raced through the pages of this memoir as Lizbeth Meredith withstood child abuse, marital abuse and later lost her children when her unbalanced ex-husband abducted them out of the country. The highs and lows she experienced as she continually fought to get them back to Alaska from faraway Greece was astounding. Her organized saga was well written and filled with raw emotion. I applaud her struggles before, during and afterward as I read how she did it alone, but with her wonderful support system both at home and abroad. She says she is not a quitter and she certainly meant it.
My heart raced through the pages of this memoir as Lizbeth Meredith withstood child abuse, marital abuse and later lost her children when her unbalanced ex-husband abducted them out of the country. The highs and lows she experienced as she continually fought to get them back to Alaska from faraway Greece was astounding. Her organized saga was well written and filled with raw emotion. I applaud her struggles before, during and afterward as I read how she did it alone, but with her wonderful support system both at home and abroad. She says she is not a quitter and she certainly meant it.
July 25, 2017
I remember reading the news articles as this story took place. The book filled in the behind-the-scenes of what happened. Absolutely fascinating; made me think about a lot of issues that hadn't occurred to me before. Lizbeth Meredith is so strong--each one of the things she has endured would have been enough to topple most people--but she pulled herself up and kept on going. It's also a tribute to the support system she built for herself. Can't wait for our book club discussion tonight and a chance to meet her in person.
January 13, 2019
I Can't Imagine!!!
Having had a wonderful childhood, surrounded with love, I can't imagine the suffering, loneliness, and anguish Liz just have borne! I'm amazed at her stamina, determination and honesty. Thank you for sharing your story! I pray for all of the abused, tormented parents, who are facng such horror in their lives as I speak. May God bless each of you with the same attributes as He did with Liz.
Having had a wonderful childhood, surrounded with love, I can't imagine the suffering, loneliness, and anguish Liz just have borne! I'm amazed at her stamina, determination and honesty. Thank you for sharing your story! I pray for all of the abused, tormented parents, who are facng such horror in their lives as I speak. May God bless each of you with the same attributes as He did with Liz.
August 10, 2017
Great read - true story - very moving - well written, I can't believe that this woman could maintain her sanity - no less a sense of humor throughout this ordeal. A page turner - I couldn't put it down.
May 20, 2020
I read this because I had met the author. Liz was a customer at a coffee shop I worked. This story brings a not uncommon story to light, and is the reason why I fell in love with the “memoir” genre.
May 2, 2025
I am a big fan of memoirs. Truth is stranger than fiction almost every time. Sometimes, a memoir is a great story written poorly; sometimes it’s about nothing, but written very well. Meredith’s Pieces of Me: Rescuing My Kidnapped Daughters suffers from neither of those problems. It’s the opposite: it might be the best memoir I have ever read – out of hundreds.
The title kinda spoils the book, but trust me, it really doesn’t. It’s – oh, how I hate this word – unputdownable, Meredith’s and her daughters’ story made even more striking and shocking because it’s true. An ex, obsessed with ruining the woman’s life after she dared to leave him, steals what is most precious for her – her children – and takes them to Greece. They’re four and six years old. Before their mother manages to finally find them again, practically bankrupting herself in the process and constantly bouncing from obstacles placed in her way often by those supposed to be helping, they barely remember her, their memories replaced by the father’s gaslighting. It’s not just a book about getting the children physically back home, but also about how the kidnapping has affected them and how difficult it is to get them home emotionally. How love can be withheld for so long (by the kidnapper, I hasten to add) that it’s difficult to believe, especially for children this small, that it has ever existed. How painful it is to have to teach them again who Mummy is… when they have practically forgotten English and speak only Greek, a language in which Mummy knows only a few phrases, one of them being ‘I love you’.
What shocked me the most was how hard the legal system worked against the author. The Hague Convention was used against her after the American and the Greek justice systems failed her in all ways imaginable. Meredith was left with a major case of PTSD and attended EMDR sessions – at this point I had to take a break, because despite our lives being as dissimilar as can be (except childhoods…) I know how that feels. I cried at the end. And at times I wished the book was shorter, because there were so many setbacks in one woman’s seemingly endless, brave battle. Not just against the kidnapper, but the lawyers and law enforcement officers who either sided with him for this or that reason, or simply did nothing that was required of her.
Normally I try to recommend a book to an audience. I am at loss here. If you love memoirs and aren’t easily triggered, you must read Pieces of Me. If you don’t know how much a mother can love her children and how far she will go for them, Pieces of Me will give you an idea. And if you forget (please don’t) that this is a memoir, you’ll find an incredible, fantastically written story with more plot twists than most novelists come up within their entire careers. Lizbeth Meredith’s story is an unforgettable rollercoaster ride that would be an impossible read if I didn’t know from the start that it was going to have a positive, if not necessarily ‘happy’, ending.
I’m not sure whether I’ll be able to re-read this book, because it made me so emotional, but I don’t regret the late dinners and late nights (two, because I swallowed this book in two days, taking occasional breaks for things that I couldn’t postpone). But Pieces of Me is a definite contender for the best book I have/will read in 2025.
The title kinda spoils the book, but trust me, it really doesn’t. It’s – oh, how I hate this word – unputdownable, Meredith’s and her daughters’ story made even more striking and shocking because it’s true. An ex, obsessed with ruining the woman’s life after she dared to leave him, steals what is most precious for her – her children – and takes them to Greece. They’re four and six years old. Before their mother manages to finally find them again, practically bankrupting herself in the process and constantly bouncing from obstacles placed in her way often by those supposed to be helping, they barely remember her, their memories replaced by the father’s gaslighting. It’s not just a book about getting the children physically back home, but also about how the kidnapping has affected them and how difficult it is to get them home emotionally. How love can be withheld for so long (by the kidnapper, I hasten to add) that it’s difficult to believe, especially for children this small, that it has ever existed. How painful it is to have to teach them again who Mummy is… when they have practically forgotten English and speak only Greek, a language in which Mummy knows only a few phrases, one of them being ‘I love you’.
What shocked me the most was how hard the legal system worked against the author. The Hague Convention was used against her after the American and the Greek justice systems failed her in all ways imaginable. Meredith was left with a major case of PTSD and attended EMDR sessions – at this point I had to take a break, because despite our lives being as dissimilar as can be (except childhoods…) I know how that feels. I cried at the end. And at times I wished the book was shorter, because there were so many setbacks in one woman’s seemingly endless, brave battle. Not just against the kidnapper, but the lawyers and law enforcement officers who either sided with him for this or that reason, or simply did nothing that was required of her.
Normally I try to recommend a book to an audience. I am at loss here. If you love memoirs and aren’t easily triggered, you must read Pieces of Me. If you don’t know how much a mother can love her children and how far she will go for them, Pieces of Me will give you an idea. And if you forget (please don’t) that this is a memoir, you’ll find an incredible, fantastically written story with more plot twists than most novelists come up within their entire careers. Lizbeth Meredith’s story is an unforgettable rollercoaster ride that would be an impossible read if I didn’t know from the start that it was going to have a positive, if not necessarily ‘happy’, ending.
I’m not sure whether I’ll be able to re-read this book, because it made me so emotional, but I don’t regret the late dinners and late nights (two, because I swallowed this book in two days, taking occasional breaks for things that I couldn’t postpone). But Pieces of Me is a definite contender for the best book I have/will read in 2025.
March 28, 2018
Pieces of Me by author Lizbeth Meredith is a galvanizing story centered on the abduction of her two daughters by her Greek ex-husband Gregory to his native Greece. I felt a link to this book because I have a Greek sister-in-law and have been to the country twice. On the other hand, my own personal crises lie in such different realms that the events in the book were disturbing and even shocking to me.
Of course, it did bring to mind the Sally Field movie Not without My Daughter but also shades of the movies/books Midnight Express (in reverse) and The Magus. I won’t cover all of the plot points here – you have to read the book for that – but I will touch on some themes.
The author was not dealt the best hand growing up for she was unfortunate in having an abusive, abandoning mother and an absent father. There is the theme of dysfunction passed through the generations as she was ill prepared to accurately read the character of her ex-husband during the dating phase and marriage proposal. Needless to say, he was the scum of the worst kind – a person who would threaten and then enact violence on both the author and their two daughters. In addition, he was a clever manipulator who knew how to work the systems in both the United States and Greece to his favor during the custody battles.
The daughters, Marianthi and Meredith, are adorable and one feels for them as they are subjected to a situation entirely of out of their control. In her attempts to get her daughters back, Ms. Meredith is confronted with an amazing number of roadblocks and obstacles that she has to surmount. Another major theme in the book is the unreliability of government institutions whose purpose is to assist in situations such as these or at least come down on the morally right side—this fails to happen. One bureaucrat in particular, Detective Rose, is loathsome in her questionable motives.
The book contains quite a cast of colorful characters including the group in Greece. The really important point in the book is that the author is a real fighter. She showed incredible grit, determination, and persistence in overcoming each stumbling block in the attempt to retrieve her daughters. This persistence includes her getting her college degrees, attaining higher levels of employment, developing interesting hobbies and self-help techniques, and staying fit.
My interest in the book grew as I read along and the situations confronting the author became more and more dire. You will want to read this book, not only for the heart-wrenching story, but also because it is a testament to the strength of the human will to persist, to always do what is right, and to never give up!
Of course, it did bring to mind the Sally Field movie Not without My Daughter but also shades of the movies/books Midnight Express (in reverse) and The Magus. I won’t cover all of the plot points here – you have to read the book for that – but I will touch on some themes.
The author was not dealt the best hand growing up for she was unfortunate in having an abusive, abandoning mother and an absent father. There is the theme of dysfunction passed through the generations as she was ill prepared to accurately read the character of her ex-husband during the dating phase and marriage proposal. Needless to say, he was the scum of the worst kind – a person who would threaten and then enact violence on both the author and their two daughters. In addition, he was a clever manipulator who knew how to work the systems in both the United States and Greece to his favor during the custody battles.
The daughters, Marianthi and Meredith, are adorable and one feels for them as they are subjected to a situation entirely of out of their control. In her attempts to get her daughters back, Ms. Meredith is confronted with an amazing number of roadblocks and obstacles that she has to surmount. Another major theme in the book is the unreliability of government institutions whose purpose is to assist in situations such as these or at least come down on the morally right side—this fails to happen. One bureaucrat in particular, Detective Rose, is loathsome in her questionable motives.
The book contains quite a cast of colorful characters including the group in Greece. The really important point in the book is that the author is a real fighter. She showed incredible grit, determination, and persistence in overcoming each stumbling block in the attempt to retrieve her daughters. This persistence includes her getting her college degrees, attaining higher levels of employment, developing interesting hobbies and self-help techniques, and staying fit.
My interest in the book grew as I read along and the situations confronting the author became more and more dire. You will want to read this book, not only for the heart-wrenching story, but also because it is a testament to the strength of the human will to persist, to always do what is right, and to never give up!
May 21, 2021
Even before her children’s abduction in 1994, Lizbeth Meredith was an authority on domestic abuse. A survivor herself, she was working at a shelter for battered women in Alaska when her ex-husband Gregory fled to Greece with their daughters, ages six and four.
“If someone had told me that I could either leave my violent husband and then have my daughters kidnapped or stay with my violent husband and be murdered,” she writes, “which choice would have been the least damning for my daughters?”
Instances of parental kidnapping are, unfortunately, commonplace. What makes Pieces of Me special is the author’s unflinching account of her own harrowing childhood. In Meredith’s mind, both kidnappings, her low self-esteem, and her family history are intertwined, making for a deeply personal and moving story.
Childhood prepared Meredith for her ordeal. Kidnapped from a father who never bothered to look for her, abused by a mother with multiple husbands, “[a]ll I knew as a youngster was that my mother had a house full of mismatched children in a trailer in Alaska.” She remembers her mother slapping and disparaging her as early as age eight. Thus, when her own daughters vanished, she was motivated. “Because there is nothing worse than being discarded by one’s mother. No one is shocked when a father opts out of a child’s life, but a mother is universally recognized as a necessity.”
Frustratingly, Meredith hardly knows who to trust as she bounces from one bureaucracy to another in an effort to recover her daughters. Betrayed by police, exploited by her own private detective, living in poverty and sinking deeper into debt, she depends on the kindness of coworkers, lawyers, volunteers and sympathetic foreigners to support her quest.
Meredith’s determination to make a better life for herself and her kids is remarkable. Even as the search for Gregory and the girls goes on, she looks to the future, working as a women’s counselor and pursing an academic degree.
One striking feature of this memoir is how well-written it is. Though this is apparently her narrative debut, Meredith skillfully blends flashbacks from her past into the present crisis. The result is a powerful bond between author and reader.
This is a rare instance in which I give five stars to a book despite several instances of offensive language. Pieces of Me is an inspirational story that reminds us that in a cold world, there are warm-hearted people willing to risk everything for a happy ending.
“If someone had told me that I could either leave my violent husband and then have my daughters kidnapped or stay with my violent husband and be murdered,” she writes, “which choice would have been the least damning for my daughters?”
Instances of parental kidnapping are, unfortunately, commonplace. What makes Pieces of Me special is the author’s unflinching account of her own harrowing childhood. In Meredith’s mind, both kidnappings, her low self-esteem, and her family history are intertwined, making for a deeply personal and moving story.
Childhood prepared Meredith for her ordeal. Kidnapped from a father who never bothered to look for her, abused by a mother with multiple husbands, “[a]ll I knew as a youngster was that my mother had a house full of mismatched children in a trailer in Alaska.” She remembers her mother slapping and disparaging her as early as age eight. Thus, when her own daughters vanished, she was motivated. “Because there is nothing worse than being discarded by one’s mother. No one is shocked when a father opts out of a child’s life, but a mother is universally recognized as a necessity.”
Frustratingly, Meredith hardly knows who to trust as she bounces from one bureaucracy to another in an effort to recover her daughters. Betrayed by police, exploited by her own private detective, living in poverty and sinking deeper into debt, she depends on the kindness of coworkers, lawyers, volunteers and sympathetic foreigners to support her quest.
Meredith’s determination to make a better life for herself and her kids is remarkable. Even as the search for Gregory and the girls goes on, she looks to the future, working as a women’s counselor and pursing an academic degree.
One striking feature of this memoir is how well-written it is. Though this is apparently her narrative debut, Meredith skillfully blends flashbacks from her past into the present crisis. The result is a powerful bond between author and reader.
This is a rare instance in which I give five stars to a book despite several instances of offensive language. Pieces of Me is an inspirational story that reminds us that in a cold world, there are warm-hearted people willing to risk everything for a happy ending.
March 8, 2019
Mostly well written memoir (I have a few quibbles) about the author's nightmare experience in trying to retrieve her 2 daughters after her ex-husband abducted them and took them to Greece. This book is a great illustration of the lengths a person will go to in order to protect her family. I particularly liked the beginning of the book, where the author lays out her own background and the backdrop of her marriage. Her trips to Greece were illuminating, but ultimately frustrating as they involved a lot of waiting and fretting and lack of control. The lessons from this section for me were that when involved in a quest, you need to be prepared for both success and failure. Although getting her daughters back was the point of the journeys to Greece, the author seemed to be surprised when she succeeded and didn't really have a plan for what to do with them once she got them back. And then when things went sideways (again), having a plan B seemed like an afterthought. Always have a plan B ready. I'm glad things ultimately worked out for the family. I also particularly liked the last part of the book which covered the aftermath of the trauma on the entire family. Happy endings are always a work in progress.
March 19, 2019
What a truly incredible story and all the more so as it’s not fiction but Lizbeth Meredith’s real life experience. She endured a traumatic and abusive childhood only to marry a cruel, controlling and abusive husband. She suffered for a number of years but eventually she took her two daughters and left him. However her husband, who was Greek, continued to threaten and in the ultimate act of revenge he kidnapped the girls and fled to Greece.
Drawing on deep reserves of courage Lizbeth determines to get her daughters back. She finds a wonderful support network in her home town of Anchorage and also discovers people in Greece who give unstintingly of their time and talents to assist her. I was astounded at how manipulative her husband could be and how difficult it was to fight bureaucracy both in the US and in Greece. It’s a story of triumph but the experiences obviously leave emotional scars. It’s a very honest memoir and one which I read quickly desperate to know how events would turn out. What a determined lady! . I wish her and her daughters every best wish for the future. May they have happy and peaceful lives.
Drawing on deep reserves of courage Lizbeth determines to get her daughters back. She finds a wonderful support network in her home town of Anchorage and also discovers people in Greece who give unstintingly of their time and talents to assist her. I was astounded at how manipulative her husband could be and how difficult it was to fight bureaucracy both in the US and in Greece. It’s a story of triumph but the experiences obviously leave emotional scars. It’s a very honest memoir and one which I read quickly desperate to know how events would turn out. What a determined lady! . I wish her and her daughters every best wish for the future. May they have happy and peaceful lives.
May 17, 2019
Captivating story of a woman who endured a harsh childhood, absentee parents and loss of sibling relationships, yet told her story so vividly of the horror of having your children kidnapped by a relative. The book highlights underlying challenges of domestic abuse, young marriage, international differences between cultures and bitter truths of the incompetences of most government agencies, from local police to politicians to foreign embassies. I never doubted for a minute what she experienced and her story kept my sincere interest to the end. The sadness she was willing to truthfully write about, even after her daughters grew into their 20's, provides emphasis on the need for long-term counseling and healing when something traumatic occurs to young children. PTSD can occur at any age, even in the privacy of our own homes. As other reviewers have said: this book should be read by all women. This type of story has happened more often in today's world than we can ever imagine....and the mothers are the real fighters and heroes.
January 26, 2022
The story was amazing, uplifting and inspiring and leaves me in total admiration of the writer. However the writing itself was tedious. Needed a really good edit.
I sympathized with her anger but was left surprised that she didn't sue some of the more egregious characters even though I recognize that she was advised by her lawyer friends not to bother. I just don't agree with that and hope that the names she used for the culprits are their real names and that they suffered the consequences of their negligent and in some cases cruel behavior. I am thinking of that local detective here. And the Greek Judge who denied her rights despite her obvious legitimate claim. And the ex-husband who seems to have recovered, suffered no bad consequences except of course being estranged from his 2 daughters with the writer and even had another kid! So unfair, he should have been in jail on multiple grounds. But glad the author seems to have succeeded in life, kudos to her.
I sympathized with her anger but was left surprised that she didn't sue some of the more egregious characters even though I recognize that she was advised by her lawyer friends not to bother. I just don't agree with that and hope that the names she used for the culprits are their real names and that they suffered the consequences of their negligent and in some cases cruel behavior. I am thinking of that local detective here. And the Greek Judge who denied her rights despite her obvious legitimate claim. And the ex-husband who seems to have recovered, suffered no bad consequences except of course being estranged from his 2 daughters with the writer and even had another kid! So unfair, he should have been in jail on multiple grounds. But glad the author seems to have succeeded in life, kudos to her.
March 12, 2019
A very straightforward read, that starts of a little slowly and then picks up speed. The author is a mother put into a terrible situation. She really did overcome serious hardships in her life - and then, just as her life looks to be on track, her life is turned upside down (again, and with more totality) by her abusive ex husband. Her dogged determination to find her children and bring them home is impressive - it seems likely that many people, when faced with the bureaucratic nightmare and financial impossibility she ran up against, would have given up.
The story is not terribly nuanced, and there are times when reading about someone caught up in endless bureaucracy isn't all that compelling. But I cared deeply about the outcome, and the part of her story set in Greece moves pretty quickly, and was hard to put down.
The story is not terribly nuanced, and there are times when reading about someone caught up in endless bureaucracy isn't all that compelling. But I cared deeply about the outcome, and the part of her story set in Greece moves pretty quickly, and was hard to put down.
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March 11, 2021I was bowled over by Lizbeth Meredith’s riveting memoir, Pieces of Me, about rescuing her young, kidnapped daughters from an abusive ex-husband and neglectful father. My emotions, much like hers, bounced between hope, elation, and despair then back again as the young mother battles governments, naysayers, and her own demons. I’m continually amazed at her mental toughness, born of the love for her children. The generosity of the Alaskan and Grecian communities who helped her renewed my faith in humanity. The final chapters are particularly valuable in explaining how trauma, especially in childhood, lodges not only in the mind but in the body. My humble review is only one of Meredith’s over 500 to date. I haven’t read any of them yet, but I’m certain they are all positive. Evelyn Kohl LaTorre, Author of Between Inca Walls and Love in Any Language.
January 31, 2025
The courage of a mother!
This was a shocking, heartbreaking, and inspiring memoir that held my attention from start to finish. I truly admire the strength, love and commitment of Lizbeth and all she went through to save her daughters. It's truly inspiring. She literally went to all ends of the earth to make sure they were brought home safely. I also admire how she continued to educate herself, heal from her childhood and adult traumas and use her experiences to help others. At the end of the book she talks about how not every story has a perfectly happy ending and the story of her and the girls was no exception. I loved her honest account of the ongoing response to trauma that they experienced and the ways in which she has continued to support her daughters, though not unnecessarily as perfect mom, but as a truly loving one. Love and blessings to her and her girls!
This was a shocking, heartbreaking, and inspiring memoir that held my attention from start to finish. I truly admire the strength, love and commitment of Lizbeth and all she went through to save her daughters. It's truly inspiring. She literally went to all ends of the earth to make sure they were brought home safely. I also admire how she continued to educate herself, heal from her childhood and adult traumas and use her experiences to help others. At the end of the book she talks about how not every story has a perfectly happy ending and the story of her and the girls was no exception. I loved her honest account of the ongoing response to trauma that they experienced and the ways in which she has continued to support her daughters, though not unnecessarily as perfect mom, but as a truly loving one. Love and blessings to her and her girls!
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