Hope: A Memoir of Survival

As someone who struggles to keep interest and read books to the end.. I finished this one surprisingly quickly It was very moving and powerful and gave such deep insight into the nightmares these girls endured but also highlighted their strength and drive during their captivity and after their escape. So many true crime books focus on the perpetrators however the accounts of the victims is much more powerful to understand the true nature of these monsters. Would definitely recommend to anyone to read this.

This book held my attention on every page. A amazing story of reality where, at any time, life could be lost forever.

Couldn't put it down once I started reading it.. so powerful and emotional. Just wow. Very strong ladies and so brave

I read this book in a few days. It’s easily written and uses Amanda’s notes and diaries to anchor events. Gina contributes from memory which must have been harder to do but helped by the diaries. Naturally Michelle does not feature in this book apart from references like “we were all made to put on disguises and go in the garage”. I read this book because I am fascinated by survival and not necessarily the bear grylls kind. I find it incredible that the human being can endure such extremes but also “be” such an extreme. This man didn’t endure the level of abuse to create a monster, he just was a monster. I feel the girls capture this in the book but also they have been able to show that it does not define them and they have a good life ahead of them. Well done ladies.

Reading about the girls experience at the hands of that monster was hard to read. The information relating the the investigations and outside the house stories, all the close calls and how if the smallest of things were different, whole ordeal could have ended their imprisonment earlier almost made it harder to read. But how the girls coped throughout, survived and come out the other side with their faith intact is nothing short of inspirational.

Could not put this book down. I would recommend.

It's really well written and, because it is based around many of Amanda's journal extracts, it describes events in great detail. It is mainly written from Amanda's perspective. This might be because Amanda had written down a lot of her thoughts and feelings in the house, and that Amanda experienced two big events in the house: the death of her mother and having a child with Castro. I think that it is a shame that all three girls didn't write a book together. Although Michelle's book is as excellent as this one. It also features chapters about life outside the house which adds to the readers understanding of Castro's double life and how he got away with it for so long. For example, neighbours and friends of Castro describe him as a bit odd but just an ordinary guy...scary. Excellent read.

I couldn’t put this book down, it’s absolutely astounding how he managed to get away with it for so long, and with 3 women, the utter terror they went through. I think all three are so brave, they missed out on so much in their lives locked up in there, it was a terrible shame he never got to spend much time in prison, but it was a something he had planned all along

È arrivato in ottime condizioni. Come nuovo. Bellissimo!

Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland is a memoir written by Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus; it chronicles the story of how they were both at young ages kidnapped by Ariel Castro who would keep them locked in his house for the next ten years. He routinely raped the girls and only fed them when he felt like it. Both girls showed miraculous courage in the way they responded to the abuse they suffered on a daily basis. They were being raped, starved and beaten by Castro and yet they found it within themselves to not react harshly to the things he did to them. They chose to as much as they could make him think that they cared about him and that he could trust them. Although they were all at different times chained for years this plan did eventually work and because Amanda Berry was for once in her captivity left in an unlocked room without being chained she was able to get out of the house and call police to set the other two girls free. I remember seeing this story on the news as it was happening and the girls were being rescued; I have to say that I was very curios about each girls story and how they had made it for a decade plus in such a hell hole. Reading this memoir/book really answered a lot of the questions I had and I really liked that it was in the girls own words and that even though I'm sure that yes they did have help from writers, and editors and such I think the gist of the book and the spirit of it comes directly from Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus who in my opinion were very brave to share such a personal story with the world. The writing and pace of the book flowed very well in my opinion; you don't have to worry if the research is correct since the victims (aka survivors) wrote it themselves and of course they would know what happened and when etc... I read this book in one and a half days because I simply could not put it down, It draws you in and as a reader you want to see what happens next and you start to yearn for the day when they are rescued because of all that Ariel Castro is putting them through; he played so many mind games and would even chop off large chunks of their hair and leave bald spots as a punishment if they weren't doing exactly what he wanted or even sometimes just for imaginary crimes that they DID NOT DO. There was a third girl Castro kidnapped who was in the same situation as Amanda and Gina; but they have not remained close since their escape from Castro and the girl (Michelle) has written her own book/memoir which I plan on reading soon. She was invited to participate in this book but declined and has not kept in contact with Amanda and Gina. (Amanda and Gina remain close today both working on school, getting jobs, and just being happy being reunited with their families and they both seem to just want to live normal lives. This book was fast paced and I liked the font it was written in. It made it very easy to read and get hooked on. While I won't say I enjoyed the horrors these poor girls had to go through I will say that the style in which they chose to share it with the world and the language, font, and everything about how the book was formatted made it very easy to relate to and to want to keep reading until you had finished the whole story. As a reviewer and reader I heartily recommend this book to anyone really because I think its a story that can inspire courage and really let the reader know that there is never such a thing as no hope. We may not always get the answers we want in life but hope is something we can cling to even in the most horrific of situations. These two young ladies did just that and they escaped from hell back into heaven in their families waiting; loving arms. (I would add that this memoir/book should only be read by mature audiences who can handle some of the graphic details that are present in the story.)

Très bon livre

I read Michelle Knights Book and wondered about the other two girls. This book filled in all the things I was missing. I can see how and why Amanda created a relationship with Castro. She had just had the baby and he was the father. Also she had to create a way for her daughter to be as happy as she could. Both girls were well aware of his true character. It's beyond cruel, to treat those girls that way. I'm happy to see news of the girls moving on. It's amazing to come out of that and create new lives.

A great tale of bravery and survival. A must read for all the bookworms.