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Review Five star review by book blogger�Pallavi Sareen:Horrific. Scary. Heartbreaking. Real.The way the book began itself gave me shivers. As the author explains the personal experience of a near-abduction. This book reminded me a lot of Murakami's 'Underground' except for the clear distinction in narrative and writing style. The best part about this book? It made me resonate on a deeper level with all the pain and anguish. The worst part about this book? It is all so real and it depresses me so much. We hear about abductions, people go missing all the time, not to be found. Sometimes, even when they are found, they are not the same anymore.�This book contains ten such stories and I am so grateful to the author for writing about all of them so well. You could tell just from the way all the details were mentioned that how difficult it must have been, conducting those interviews, rehashing those memories and then writing about them so empathically. This book has tales of those moms who lost their child either for a while or forever. Some tales were so empowering, like the steps they took after the incident, just to make sure no mother has to go through such a phase again. But some things were just so heartbreaking.�She started to fear for both her life and the lives of her parents. And she will forever remember how her mother reacted when Alicia called to convey the message that the abductor was now living a short drive from her parents' homes.'My mother's scream will haunt me forever. I heard and felt her terror,' Alicia says.goodreads.com/review/show/2945065742Five star review by book blogger Namrata Ganti on GoodreadsAs clearly stated in the synopsis, this book deals with facts and investigates ten abduction cases. Through each case we are introduced to the kinds of abductions that exist and how they can happen. This is presented to us through interviews with family members who have had to deal with the loss of a child.Each experience shared is harrowing and scary, difficult for most of to understand, but necessary for us to be aware of. It is sometimes difficult to digest the kinds of cruelty out there in the world, but through this book, Steffen Hou and the affected people would like to bring about an awareness. Awareness is a must to be able to take preventive actions.The book is very well structure as explained by the author in the prologue. The reader is introduced to the type of abduction, followed by a description and the authorities or body(ies) to be alerted. This is then followed by a detailed account of an experience. What happened on the day of the abduction? The nature of the child in general and their relationship with their family. The heartbreak and trauma the family faces when the child is missing. The support or non-support of the authorities. A step forward and a few backwards everyday towards trying to find an answer. And then a conclusion, good or bad, but with a strong message.I would like to share that I respect those who have come forward to support this book and share their stories. It is definitely not easy to have your life taken apart and then to talk about it. The main message of the book is to keep up Hope and to contact the right people if a crime has already been committed and a child is missing. It is also about the prevention of such crimes and the steps we can take to educate ourselves, our peers and our children.Though this was a difficult book to read, my heart goes out to all the victims and their families. I strongly recommend this book to everyone as it brings about an awareness on a very important topic that could help any one of us in the world today.We are all in this together and we should learn to support one another. Also, please be aware and sensitive towards other people!Thank you Steffen for bringing your book to my notice!goodreads.com/review/show/2935575008?book_show_action=true&from_review_page=1Five star review by Readers Favorit.Reviewed by�Tiffany Ferrell�for Readers' FavoriteMoms of the Missing: Living the Nightmare by Steffen Hou is a collection of cases in which children (and adults) were abducted and in most cases never heard from again. Hou starts this non-fiction book with the case of Alicia Kozakiewicz, a thirteen-year-old who was fortunate to have survived her ordeal with an online predator who kidnapped and abused her, and would have eventually killed her had authorities not found her just in time. However, there are many that aren't as lucky. Some are found dead and many never found at all. Moms of the Missing goes in-depth with the various types of abductions. Hou covers stranger abductions, human trafficking, long-term abductions, as well as chapters in which he describes most likely victims, the impact of DNA in these missing cases and the origins of profiling abductors and serial killers.Moms of the Missing is a powerful book that gives a lasting effect and impression on a reader. Hou breaks down each case in a way that easily gets his message across to many. It can happen to anyone and anywhere. 'Be aware and educate yourself' is what I got from it. This book has literally given me nightmares the past three days that I've been reading it from start to finish. That's not a bad thing. Steffen Hou drives home an issue that so many people don't discuss more. For me, personally, there were cases that drove it really close to home, which explained the nightmares. The cases of Alicia Kozakiewicz and Christina Whittaker had the most impact on me on a very personal level.�Hou also focuses on the victims and not the criminals that committed the crimes. I feel this is something that the media often fails to do. You hear the victim's name but they are hidden behind the story which is so often about the guilty and the road that led them to kidnap and murder. I also like how he included the organizations that these mothers have created after what their children went through and the various ways to prevent an abduction, depending on the type. I think Moms of the Missing by Steffen Hou is a must-read for both parents and their adolescent children, and young adults alike. It might be a book that will haunt you but it teaches very valuable lessons that need to be learned.readersfavorite.com/book-review/moms-of-the-missingLorraine Cobcroft, Goodreads�It has to be every parent's worst nightmare! Your child is gone and you have no way of knowing where they are, if they are safe or even alive, or when or if you will ever see him or her again!Do you know how many children go missing every year and the statistical likelihood of them being found?�Steffen Hou tackles tough subjects in his writing. His books aren't written to entertain. They present information that is painful to accept and digest -- information that many of us would prefer not to know. But they address social issues of importance. They are comprehensively researched, and they present interviews with real people who have suffered real trauma. He reveals facts, but he also shows emotional responses and the courage and determination of victims. And he writes to educate readers in ways that empower them to work towards a healthier and safer society.Steffen Hou presents heart-wrenching stories in ways that put readers in the moment and give them a deep and lasting appreciation of the hurt his interviewees suffer, their strength and resilience, and their astounding ability to forgive and to invest their energies in helping others. In his latest work, 'Moms of the Missing: Living the Nightmare', he offers -- sometimes in the words of those he interviews -- valuable advice on how to protect children and important information about sources of help for parents whose children disappear.�Hou begins his book with an interview with Alicia Kozakiewicz, who survived kidnapping and abuse by an online predator. Alicia was lucky that authorities found her just in time to prevent the kidnapper killing her. Hou's interviews include interviews with mothers whose children were victims of abduction or human trafficking. He addresses parental abductions, telling the sad story of a father whose wife took his two children. He tells of infant abductions. He talks about how kids are lured by online predators. He offers information about the most likely victims, and how authorities profile abductors and serial killers. He discusses the use of DNA testing in identifying perpetrators. He describes the extraordinary strength of Marietta, who daughter was murdered and who not only forgave the killer, but had the courage to talk to him kindly on the phone in order to assist police to identify him and prevent him hurting another child. Marietta says '... you can love and you can be hopeful again.' She has devoted her life to helping other bereaved parents learn how.�'Moms of the Missing: Living the Nightmare' isn't an easy read. Reading it will leave you scarred, but it may equip you with knowledge that enables you to take steps to protect a child you love. It might empower you to help make your community safer for children. It might educate you about ways you can help parents who have endured, or are enduring, every parent's worst nightmare. It should be compulsory reading for everyone who cares about the welfare of children. Steffen Hou has performed a valuable service by writing it so expertly. Read more From the Author The man approached without making a sound, and I did not notice him until it was too late.�Quickly, he put me in a choke hold, grabbing my neck, and pressed the gun against my temple.'Walk,' he commanded in a menacing voice.As he forced me down the dirt road with a firm grip around my neck, I slowly realised what was happening. I was being taken by a stranger.The incident happened in Blok 70. A part of the Serbian capital of Belgrade where human traffickers forced illegal immigrants into involuntary labour before transporting them over the borders into the European Union. The year was 2001. The civil war in the Balkans had just ended, leaving the region in chaos, without law and order. The Serbian capital was a mecca for criminals; human traffickers took advantage of the lawless situation.I had been investigating human trafficking in the area for a while when the man forced me to go with him. The traffickers wanted to prevent me from contacting the illegal immigrants who worked in the mall where I was taken.�When I felt the cold steel of the gun against my skin, I also felt fear: the man immediately ordered that we start running, and as he continued to press the gun against my temple, I was afraid one of us might stumble and the gun would go off by mistake.�The farther we ran, the more alone I felt. Instinctively, I felt a need for someone to be there to comfort me. A friend or a total stranger, it didn't matter. I just didn't want to be alone with my fear of dying at the hands of a criminal.�When we were out of sight behind some work sheds, the man, who was in his mid-twenties, commanded me to stop. By which he meant not only that I should stop running but that I should also end my enquiries into human trafficking. Otherwise, he would be happy to end them for me, he said, pointing the gun to my head.�Being taken at gunpoint affected me deeply. In the incident's aftermath, I suffered symptoms resembling those of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). I was constantly scared, and I had flashbacks. I would walk down the peaceful streets of my hometown in Denmark--far from the brutality of Serbia--and suddenly have a quick vision of someone grabbing me from behind and holding me at gunpoint. The inner turmoil persisted for years. �When I was forced out of the mall several people had witnessed what happened. Yet none of them had done anything to help me. They were probably concerned with their own well-being and were too afraid to get involved. However, their inaction greatly affected me. I felt very disappointed in humanity. For a while I lost the trust I had in others.The incident in Serbia probably lasted fifteen minutes. In this frightening and stressful situation, I lost track of time. However, I know my experience cannot be compared to more heinous crimes where people are abducted and held hostage for days, weeks, years--or even decades. But five or ten or fifteen or twenty minutes is a long time when you are fearing for your life. I have experienced how scared you instinctively feel as a human being when someone physically grabs you and orders you to come with them. I know how alone you are.That is the reason I decided to write this book. I want to give the victims a voice.AN EPIDEMIC OF MISSING PEOPLEIn addition to the impetus provided by the lingering effects of my incident with the man in Blok 70, the idea for this book was nursed along after working on another project in America a few years ago. While investigating illegal immigration, I met numerous girls who were forced into prostitution at massage parlors in New York City, Los Angeles, and Miami. They were forced to pay off their debts to human traffickers by engaging in commercial sex acts.�However, as I discovered, not all girls working at brothels and massage parlors are illegal immigrants. Many are young ladies abducted from American streets or lured into sex trafficking by people they once trusted and believed to be a friend or a lover. Examining their stories also lead me to investigate the general problem of abduction in the United States, with a special focus on children and adolescents--a problem some describe as 'an epidemic of missing people'. Every year, almost 425,000 children are reported as missing to law enforcement agencies in the United States.In Moms of the Missing: Living the Nightmare I tell the stories of ten American parents whose children have been abducted--and in one 'worst case' scenario, killed--by a neighbour, a paedophile, or a serial killer. Through heartbreaking interviews the parents describe the uncertainty and pain of not knowing where their children are, or if they are even still alive.Many of the parents shared their story with me in the hopes of creating a safer tomorrow, one in which other parents can prevent their children from becoming victims. Other parents featured in this book told their stories because even though their happy life turned into a nightmare within a few seconds, they still believe miracles can happen in a heartbeat. Perhaps someone reading this book who knows something about a child's abduction will come forward with important information that will lead to the child's recovery....However, these sorts of miracles do not happen for everyone. Too many of the parents in this book have experienced the unbelievable cruelty of having a child murdered, and the unconsolable grief that accompanies the child's fate. Still, they have shared their stories to give parents who are searching for a missing child hope. These strong survivors also describe how a parent, after having been the victim of the worst possible crime, can still reclaim their life, although that life will forever be a different life.�To provide a comprehensive accounting of how kidnappings affect both the individual victim and the entire victim's family, I have also interviewed two people who survived their kidnapper's crimes. When Alicia Kozakiewicz was thirteen years old, she was one of the first children in the United States to be 'groomed' and abducted by an internet predator. Law enforcement told Alicia's parents that their chances of getting Alicia back alive were one in a million. But the miracle did happen: Alicia returned safely to her family. Today, Alicia is a young woman who advocates for child safety. In this book she describes the nightmare she lived while trapped in a dungeon. She sheds light on what goes through the heart and head of a kidnapped child. She also describes how a victim, after recovery, can restore both life and love.�Rhonda Stapley was also the victim of a kidnapper. Forty-five years ago she was abducted and raped by serial killer Ted Bundy. Her miracle happened when she seized her one chance to escape. For almost four decades she remained quiet about her abduction, but today she tells her story willingly, in the hopes of motivating present and future victims to report their crimes. She believes that doing so may prevent them from experiencing the same pain as she did. Had she only told the truth and asked for help when she escaped, she might not have suffered from decades of PTSD. She also describes how she harbors guilt for having escaped alive while other women became victims of Ted Bundy. If she had reported her abduction, perhaps law enforcement would have caught the notorious kidnapper and killer much earlier than they did.�Finally, a mother whose child was recovered provides a letter of hope for families still searching for their children. However, the letter is not only a message of hope; it is also an insightful offering describing how parents can move on with life once they have their loved ones back.� Read more From the Back Cover 'Oh my God, we found a dead body,' the man said in a frantic voice when he called 911. 'Please hurry. I'm so scared. It's a little kid.' The caller was reporting the horrifying discovery he made while hiking along a mountain trail in Cleveland National Forest.�When police officers arrived at the crime scene they were met by a horrific sight. The girl was naked and had been positioned in such a way that detectives believed the murderer had seen his kill as some kind of a trophy. As if he were showing off his 'work'.�The little kid was Samantha Runnion, a five-year-old girl who had been abducted while playing in her parents' garden the day before.�Samantha is just one of too many American kids who disappear. Almost half a million children are reported missing every year. And all across America parents are searching for their missing children or--if the worst case scenario has come to pass--the person who killed them.Moms of the Missing investigates ten abduction cases. Through personal and heartbreaking interviews with the victims the book describes how parents maintain their hopes of one day finding their children--some of whom were taken by a stranger, a family member, or human traffickers. And two survivors tell what it is like to be held captive.Moms of the Missing also describes the principal types of abductions, who the perpetrators are, and--not of least importance--who's most likely to become a victim of the epidemic of missing children.� Read more About the Author Steffen Hou is a Danish author and filmmaker. As a true crime author, he has covered topics such as innocent Americans on death row, human trafficking, and the white supremacy movement. Moms of the Missing: Living the Nightmare is his third book.In addition to writing and making documentary movies, Steffen also produces 'The Deprived Podcast', which looks into various American crime stories, always with the intent of giving the victims a voice.Read: www.steffenhou.comListen: www.deprivedpodcast.com Read more
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