Finding Me: A Decade of Darkness, a Life Reclaimed: A Memoir of the Cleveland Kidnappings

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Meyer, Tom (May 14, 2013). "Investigator: Castro loves daughter, will plead 'not guilty' ". WKYC. Archived from the original on June 15, 2013 . Retrieved May 14, 2013. Knight, Michelle; Burford, Michelle (2014). Finding Me: A Decade of Darkness, a Life Reclaimed: a Memoir of the Cleveland Kidnappings. New York: Weinstein Books. ISBN 978-1602862579. After entering a not guilty plea for Castro on June 12, one of his attorneys, Craig Weintraub, said that although some of the charges against Castro were indisputable, "it is our hope that we can continue to work toward a resolution to avoid having an unnecessary trial about aggravated murder and the death penalty". He noted, "We are very sensitive to the emotional strain and impact that a trial would have on the women, their families and this community". [111] Castro was found competent to stand trial on July 3. [112] Castro suicide report: Officers falsified reports". The Columbus Dispatch. Archived from the original on October 10, 2013 . Retrieved October 10, 2013. To say Michelle Knight's story impacted me significantly is an understatement.I have been intrigued with the Ariel Castro Kidnappings since their escape in 2013. When I heard that one of the victims had written a memoir I could not resist reading.

Printout: FBI releases sketch of Gina DeJesus' alleged kidnapper". WKYC. April 15, 2005 . Retrieved May 13, 2013. Starzyk, Edith (May 7, 2013). "Ariel Castro fired as Cleveland school bus driver for leaving bus and going home "to rest" ". The Plain Dealer. Archived from the original on May 10, 2013 . Retrieved May 13, 2013. 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. Welsh-Huggins, Andrew (December 3, 2013). "Consultants: Kidnapper Ariel Castro's death a suicide". USA Today. Associated Press. Archived from the original on December 6, 2013 . Retrieved October 3, 2013.Hudak, Stephen (November 18, 2004). "Amanda Berry is dead, psychic tells her mother on Montel Williams' show". The Plain Dealer. Archived from the original on May 10, 2013 . Retrieved May 13, 2013. Meyer, Tom (May 9, 2013). "Investigator: Amanda Berry delivered baby in plastic pool". WKYC. Archived from the original on June 15, 2013 . Retrieved May 14, 2013. I could write on and on about this memoir but I'm not going to. There is so much more that is said in this memoir that I couldn't even begin to write about. I thank Michelle on her absolute bravery in revealing her story to the public. In doing so I hope it only strengthens her resolve to continue on being free, living life for herself and knowing that she is a powerful and amazingly strong woman. I hope and pray that all your scars, mental and physical, heal.

To heal. I'd like you to get your stomach sorted. I'd like you to be healthy, physically and mentally. I hope you can fulfil your dream. I don't know whether it will be running a restaurant or singing, but I know you've got the confidence and discipline to do it. But it will be a lot of hard work." Jones, tough, polished and immaculate, starts to wobble. She dabs her eyes.Just about every day [Castro] reminded me that he did not see one single thing on TV or any fliers in the neighborhood about my disappearance." And Castro was right. I didn't dig into this story enough, so I still don't know how on earth nobody was looking for Michelle Knight. Where were the Cleveland Police? I am from Cleveland, and I know the media was referring to the finding of Knight, Berry, and DeJesus as the "The Miracle of Cleveland." But really, shouldn't it be referred to as "The Embarrassment?" Palmer, Kim (May 15, 2013). "Accused Cleveland kidnapper plans to plead not guilty: lawyer". Reuters. Archived from the original on May 15, 2013 . Retrieved May 15, 2013. Rating this memoir would be like grading birds for the technical proficiency of their songs. Michelle Knight shared her heart and soul with us. Her story is authentic yet imperfect in its delivery. I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. Kudos to her cowriter Michelle Burford for allowing Knight's voice to tell the story in her own way. I close the book with nothing but admiration for her personal courage and daily strength in the face of unspeakable evil. Ohio inmate Robert Wolford gets 4 years in false Amanda Berry search tip". newsnet5.com. Associated Press. January 16, 2013. Archived from the original on May 7, 2013 . Retrieved May 13, 2013. Michele was raised in a house where psychic ability was accepted and considered normal. As a three year old, Michele would attend healing circles that met in her family living room and soon displayed an extraordinary aptitude with the tarot cards that her mother used on a daily basis to read for the many friends and visitors that poured through the house. Despite their adoration of each other, Michele’s parents endured a tempestuous marriage, generating an atmosphere of constant tension and drama, but Michele was always comforted by the invisible presence of someone called Lucy who acted as her friend, confidant and guide during her most difficult hours.

The Abductions of Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus & Ashley Summers". Oprah.com. October 12, 2009. Archived from the original on May 9, 2013 . Retrieved May 13, 2013.

After a few months had passed, there was talk about the women writing a book about what they had gone through. Immediately I made a decision that I wouldn’t read any of their books. I just couldn’t bear to read –let alone imagine what had happened over the eleven-year period. However, while searching for my next read, I stumbled upon Michelle’s memoir. Something tugged at my heart, and I knew I had to read her story.

a b c Krouse, Peter (July 26, 2013). "Ariel Castro agrees to plea deal: Life in prison, no parole, plus 1,000 years for abduction, rapes of Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight". The Plain Dealer. Archived from the original on July 30, 2013 . Retrieved July 26, 2013. In May 2014, Knight wrote Finding Me: A Decade of Darkness, a Life Reclaimed: A Memoir of the Cleveland Kidnappings about her experience.

Sara Shookman. "Gina DeJesus speaks out as the five-year anniversary of her escape nears". wkyc.com. Glatt, John (2015). The Lost Girls: The True Story of the Cleveland Abductions and the Incredible Rescue of Michelle Knight, Amanda Berry, and Gina DeJesus. London: Macmillan. ISBN 978-1250036360. Loving and studying everything criminology, this memoir just blew my mind completely out of the water. In Life After Darkness , published on the fifth anniversary of her liberation, Lily describes how she managed to heal the wounds to her body, mind, and soul-wounds, she reveals, that were first inflicted even before her kidnapping. With the help of good friends and anchored by her own inner strength, she takes us with her step by step on her journey out of darkness into the light.