Finding Me, By Michelle Knight

THE BLURB:
Michelle was a young single mother when she was kidnapped by a local school bus driver named Ariel Castro. For more than a decade afterward, she endured unimaginable torture at the hand of her abductor. In 2003 Amanda Berry joined her in captivity, followed by Gina DeJesus in 2004. Their escape on May 6, 2013, made headlines around the world.

Barely out of her own tumultuous childhood, Michelle was estranged from her family and fighting for custody of her young son when she disappeared. Local police believed she had run away, so they removed her from the missing persons lists fifteen months after she vanished. Castro tormented her with these facts, reminding her that no one was looking for her, that the outside world had forgotten her. But Michelle would not be broken.

In Finding Me, Michelle will reveal the heartbreaking details of her story, including the thoughts and prayers that helped her find courage to endure her unimaginable circumstances and now build a life worth living. By sharing both her past and her efforts to create a future, Michelle becomes a voice for the voiceless and a powerful symbol of hope for the thousands of children and young adults who go missing every year.

My thoughts at 25%:

I can't decide what's more heartbreaking about this book: the subject matter itself, or the fact that I relate so closely to much of it. Most of what's mentioned specifically didn't happen to me, but the feeling of invisibility and insignificance in early life resonates deeply. The desperation to survive, the sheer resilience and the will to keep going, the love of a mother for her child ... I've been in tears more than once already, reading this book.

My thoughts at 50%:

I don't even have words for this book. I have always known monsters were real and that true evil is something most people can't really comprehend ... but this woman's will to keep living in spite of everything that happened to her, her ability make the most of it and to even find joy in the small things is more inspiring than I can express.

My thoughts at 75%:

This book reads so matter of factly, it's almost easy to lose sight of the idea that it's true, that it's an accounting of a real woman's real life. It's hard to imagine how the author managed to handle everything emotionally, and still come out strong enough to have been willing to share her story in such a personal way.

My thoughts at 100%:

This is one of the most inspiring books I've read in a long time. To reach the end of the story and soak in the strength, courage, and positivity of Michelle Knight is a feeling I won't soon forget, and the lesson of forgiveness and resilience throughout her story is one that will stick with me for a long time. Four stars.

Buy this book, and see if you find it as inspiring as I did.

Buy It Here.