I’ve already read quite a few nonfiction books and novels about MPs, but here’s a list of missing persons books I’ve heard about and have yet to read, in alphabetical order by author. The MP or former MP who is the subject of the book is included in parentheses. Once I have read them I’ll probably review some or most of on this blog.
You’ll note that some of the subjects of these books aren’t on Charley. That’s because either they’ve already been located, or they are non-US cases.
Hands Through Stone: How Clarence Ray Allen Masterminded Murder from Behind Folsom’s Prison Walls by James A. Ardaiz (Mary Sue Kitts)
A Stolen Life: A Memoir by Jaycee Dugard (Jaycee Dugard)
A Case for Solomon: Bobby Dunbar and the Kidnapping That Haunted a Nation by Tal McThenia and Margaret Dunbar Cutright (Bobby Dunbar)
We Is Got Him: The Kidnapping that Changed America by Carrie Hagen (Charley Ross)
Memoir of a Milk Carton Kid by Tanya Nicole Kach and Lawrence Fisher (Tanya Kach)
3,096 Days in Captivity: The True Story of My Abduction, Eight Years of Enslavement, and Escape by Natascha Kampusch (Natascha Kampusch)
Finding Me: A Decade of Darkness, a Life Reclaimed: A Memoir of the Cleveland Kidnappings by Michelle Knight and Michelle Burford (Cleveland girls)
Shannon: Betrayed From Birth by Rose Martin (Shannon Matthews)
Finding Everett Ruess: The Life and Unsolved Disappearance of a Legendary Wilderness Explorer by David Roberts (Everett Ruess)
My Story by Elizabeth Smart and Chris Stewart (Elizabeth Smart)
Also, a movie:
Abducted: the Carlina White Story (Carlina White) This is a Lifetime movie you can watch for free if you have Amazon Prime.
If anyone has any suggestions about more books I should read or movies I should watch (nonfiction only) I’d be happy to consider them as well.
The Charley Project Blog 
Children in the Crossfire by Sally Abrams. Written before I was born but still one of the best books written about parental kidnapping.
Laura Ann Bradbury – A Father’s Search by Michael W. Bradbury
Ah, I was just going to suggest that :). Also, did not care for that Carlina White movie. At all. I mean, it is Lifetime. A bit sensational. That and the Delimar Vega (sp?) story. Just me though, obviously other people liked it and it was a big hit. The Amber Hagerman story wasn’t bad though. I think I need to stick to books overall.
I don’t expect to be wowed by the Carlina White film either — not a big Lifetime movie fan — but given the subject and the fact that it’s free, it seems like I should at least give it a try.
I remember that Amber Hagerman movie–so poorly acted and highly fictionalized. It reminded me of Death of a Cheerleader or that Laurie Show movie, just pure crap meant to entertain above anything else. Anyway, I picked up the People Magazine with Michelle “Lily” Knight recently. I don’t know if I’ll get her book or not; just from reading the snippets from it are super creepy.
Jaycee’s book is okay. Interesting, but just okay. Have you read A Case For Solomon: Bobby Dunbar and the Kidnapping that Haunted a Nation? I’m reading that currently.
No ; it’s on my list though.
Oh my goodness, how did I not see it there? Lol
Here are a few, but I don’t know if you’ve already read them:
Without A Trace – The Disappearance of Amy Billig
Dead Air (Jodi Huisentruit)
No Goodbyes – (McStay Family)
Deadly Secret (Kathie Durst)
Missing Beauty: A Story Of Murder and Obsession (Robin Benedict)
Searching For Sandra (Sandra Cantu)
A Beautiful Child (Sharon Marshall – kidnapped girl but true identity unknown)
The Mother, The Son, and the Socialite (Irene Silverman)
The Wife, The Maid, and The Mistress (Judge Crater)
Searching For Anna (Anna Christian Waters)
I hadn’t heard of the last two. Will have to see if my local library has them.
“The Wife, the Maid and the Mistress” is a novel. Someone needs to write the definitive nonfiction book on Judge Crater!
I have read both “Memoir of a Milk Carton Kid” (Tanya) and “My Story” (Elizabeth).
Tanya’s story is sad because it seems she was so lost as a teenager, which led her to fall into her kidnapper’s trap. She was held hostage in the man’s house that he shared with his mother and son – the mother never knew she was in the house and the son (about the same age as her) did nothing. By the end of the book, you feel people didn’t take her seriously or she make them out to be using her. From what I remember, I didn’t feel that justice was met in her case – I think her kidnapper got off easy. I feel alot of her outcome was probably based on her attitude and past.
Elizabeth, oh poor Elizabeth. They really failed her on the editing. Of course the story is the most important part – which isn’t the problem here. But she repeats herself quite often and still by Chapter 20 is repeating that Mitchell was telling her daily that he would kill her family, which is why she listened to him – it’s like she feels she has to explain herself because she is afraid nobody will believe her – I am really not sure why.
If you like overseas cases, “Searching for the Beaumont Children: Australia’s Most Famous Unsolved Mystery” by Alan Whiticker.
American cases: “My Sister is Missing” by Sherrie Gladden-Davis (Fran Smith)
“Judge Crater: The Missingest Person” by John W. Gibson
“101 Wisconsin Unsolved Mysteries” by Marv Balousek
I have read some of those books. Unfortunately my library has practically nothing regarding missing children at all. We have a new ILL librarian who is very good, so I might start throwing some books I want to read her way and see if she comes up with anything for me. The movie about Delimar Vera kind of ticked me off because I lived near Philadelphia and watched and read everything from day one, and the movie was a mess. The real life story was amazing enough, so if you’re going to mess with it, why make it?
To hook viewers, of course. Real life cases aren’t enough to hold attention, so they tinker with it till sometimes the whole case is unrecognizable. There is a very old Lifetime movie based on a case in my hometown and about the only thing that held was the basics of the case. Young girl, abusive bf, he killed her. The reality was much more stunning and long reaching. This goes way back but some time after the guy was jailed he was front page in a local paper that some nun was supporting him on how much he’d “changed”. Ok. He could be out now for all I know, I’d have to look it up, but I’ll tell you what, that case shook up a lot of us teens back then. There’s actually another homicide case that would make a great movie, you couldn’t make up the circumstances, same home town, and I’ve always wondered how they didn’t glom on to that. I still say I’d rather read a true case book. At least I’d know what I was looking at the next day, unlike some of the movies.
I understand what you’re saying about hooking viewers. If I see a movie before I realize there was a book and I read the book, I’m like, “Well, heck, that part was so sensationalized! Never happened. But at least now I know!” But as I said, with the Delimar Vera story, the facts were amazing enough – just like the story of the Cleveland 3, Michelle, Amanda, and Gina. If, God forbid, that were ever made into a movie, and somebody embellished that, what would be the point? Isn’t that reality horrific enough?
I found a few more that I was unaware of:
Where’s My Tiffany? (Tiffany Sessions)
BOLO: Be On The Lookout (Maura Murray)
Give Me Back My Daughter Audrey (Audrey Nerenberg)
Twilight of Innocence (Beverly Potts)
Till Murder Do Us Part (Rita Fioretti)
I’ve read the Audrey Nerenberg book — it’s actually kind of a family memoir really, not really about Audrey’s disappearance. And I’ve read the Beverly Potts book, which is excellent.
Yesterday I ordered the Jodi Huisentruit one, I’m looking forward to getting it.