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Summary: A true crime book of pure evil.
Review: Most crimes occur in minutes or hours. This is the story of a crime that continued for over seven years. The husband, Cameron, enjoys inflicting pain and terror on his wife Janice. After years of abuse, Janice reaches an agreement with Cameron. She can have a baby while he can have a slave woman. The slave will endure the pain and terror, but there is to be no sex with her. A trap is set which springs upon an innocent 20 year old woman, Colleen. As if directed by the hand of the devil, Colleen is subjected to series of steps that leaves her out of touch with reality and unable to escape. All of this occurs while Cameron and Janice maintain the appearance of an average family with two young children. The book presents the heartrending details of Colleen's captivity, her faith in God, and her eventual freedom. The book leaves the reader wondering how they would fair if in Colleen's situation, if Janice was in some ways a victim herself, and how one man, from a normal background, could be so evil. The book draws mostly from newspaper articles and court records and lacks direct input from the primary participants. Recommended to anyone interested in the academic subjects of brainwashing, Patty Hurst, Stockholm syndrome, sadomasochism, and victim survival.
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Summary: Creepy, but very intriguing
Review: It's been a few years since I read this book, but I can remember the story as if I had just finished it the other day. This is an amazing, true story of a victim held captive for seven intense years filled with physical and mental abuse. This book takes you there and you can almost feel what it was like to be kept in a box under the bed for days at a time. It's a twisted story, but if you like strange books, this one will be perfect for your reading enjoyment. I really enjoyed it and would read it again.
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Summary: VICTIM LIVES WILLINGLY IN BOX
Review: This is the most amazing True Crime book I have ever read. The main character actually kidnaps a young woman with his young wife and baby in the car. The victim, Colleen, is immediately put into a box, and lives there 24 hours a day for months. She is kept as a sex and torture slave. After she is totally brainwashed, she continues to stay with this deranged couple and is free to work and walk around the neighborhood.One would wonder how this could be possible, and yet from the months and months of constant deprivation, you come to depend on your captor for simple survival. This book was shocking beyond belief and a very good read. Thank you
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Summary: FOR THE MOST PART, THIS BOOK WAS A PAGE TURNER.
Review: FOR THE MOST PART, THIS BOOK WAS A PAGE TURNER. THERE WERE TIMES WHEN IT GOT ALITTLE BORING, BUT BECAUSE THE READER DEFINITELY WANTS TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS NEXT, SHE KEEPS READING.PARTS WERE ALITTLE HARD TO BELIEVE. AS IN A PERSON COULD BE SO SUPPOSEDLY BRAIN-WASHED. BUT THIS IS A STRANGE WORLD WE LIVE IN AND IF MOMS CAN KILL BABIES AND KIDS CAN KILL PARENTS, BEING BRAIN-WASHED IS NOT AS FAR FETCH AS IT SOUNDS. ALL IN ALL I ENJOYED READING THIS BOOK
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Summary: Graphic, Disturbing Story -- Read at your own risk!
Review: This book is a real page-turner; I could not put it down. The trouble is, I regretted having picked it up! The experience this victim went through is so horrifying that I was deeply affected as I read. Reading about such cruelty, imagining myself in the victim's place, I became quite depressed for the few days it took me to finish the book. At first, I thought perhaps I should just close the book and not finish it. But once you start, you really need to see this through to the conclusion. (So did the jurors, apparently. It is remarked in the book that 7 jurors attended the sentencing, although that is rare in most court cases.) So beware -- this is a very intense read.
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Summary: An amazing read
Review: One of the criticisms in reviews of this book is that it fails to answer the question, Why didn't Colleen Stan leave when she could?
I am simply amazed that readers of this book could come away from it not knowing the answer to that question. It may seem impossible that after enduring three years of isolation and extreme torture, that Colleen wouldn't run away the first chance she got. But on the other hand, who among us has gone through anything remotely like what she went through? How can anyone suggest that they know what pyschological impact being kept in a coffin for eight months after being kidnapped would be?
Colleen Stan didn't have the opportunity to "leave" until over three years of on-going control and abuse. To suggest that this might not put her in a mental state that would allow her to believe the lies she was being told is simply naive.
The author of this book does NOT fail in attempting to make clear why Colleen Stan didn't leave and also why some people might not believe her. It is a very balanced and well-written tale. It is in no way boring as one reviewer suggested. It is a horrifically fascinating story of a bizzare sadist, his compliant wife, and their victim.
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Summary: what can i say
Review: well, i read this book, and part of me felt sorry for the girl who lost 7 years of her life, but the other part says: she couldve left many times if she really wanted to. It's a good read, and you do get sucked into the story, and feel sorry for her for all that she was put through, but there was quite a few times when she had plenty of opportunity to save herself and she didnt. Its a story about a girl who was kidnapped, tortured , raped, and forced to live in a life of hell for 7 years. Its a sad but good story, and im thankful i have never had to suffer the way she did.
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Summary: Appalling and disturbing
Review: When I first began reading this book, I could not even fathom what was about to happen. 20 year old Colleen Stan was on her way to visit a friend when she decides to hitchhike from Oregon to California. A man and a woman with a baby stops and picks her up. Quickly they bound and blindfold her and take her to their home. Colleen is subjected to excruciating torture and confinement in the home of Cameron Hooker. By brainwashing Colleen, Cameron now has exactly what he wants.. a slave. For seven years Colleen lives with the Hooker's until one day Janice Hooker, Cameron's wife, informs Colleen of the truth.
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Summary: Husband and wife exchange glances...
Review: As a lover of true crime books, this book ranks as one of those "must-reads". It is well written, clear and horrifying yet not gratuitous. Hard to put down, you will find yourself pulled into Colleen Stan's desperate situation right until the end. You will question everything you think you know, and just how cruel people are willing to become. Not really for the faint of heart, this book is disturbing. I read it in one day and felt a little disillusioned with life afterwards. :) Colleen's story will definately help you reexamine what a bad day really is... and appreciate all the freedom most of take for granted. I would recommend this book.
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