Golda L Harvey

First, I want to be clear that I'm rating and reviewing the quality of this book. My opinions here are in no way a reflection of Golda Harvey or the ordeal she suffered through.

This book is difficult to read, but my problems didn't stem from any graphic content. The book simply is not written well. For instance, the Foreword jumps continually from third person to first person, sometimes within the same sentence. The sentence structure is awkward. Punctuation is missing or misplaced. And stray or wrong words make some sentences nonsensical. For these reasons, the story came off as childish and did not have the impact this kind of story should have had. I stumbled through, trying to follow the story in the midst of the chaos.

Also, there was, apparently, much left out. The ending left me wondering if the last part of the book had been cut before print. Golda Harvey's bio on the back of this book states that she is currently serving time in prison. Yet, in the book she never once states that she was even charged with any crime.

Finally, I found parts of the story difficult to believe. This might have stemmed from the quality of writing, as we skimmed over huge events with only a few sentences. As an example, her captor often took her out to diners and other public places, yet absolutely no one helped her to escape. Certain people knew she was being held against her will, or so I surmised from the writing, but not once did anyone step in. I would like to believe the people in this world are not all so willing to turn a blind eye to a young girl being kidnapped and abused.

I would have liked to better understand Golda Harvey's story. I would have liked to know how the experience left her, how she managed to move on, how her children deal with it all, and how she wound up in prison. In the end, this book left me with far more questions than answers.… (mehr)