Barbara R. (Crop4Fun) reviewed on 9/11/2006 + 1217 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 2

Falling into the category of true crime, this is the story of young Steven Stayner, who was kidnapped at the age of seven in 1972, while walking home from school. His abductor, a pedophile named Kenneth Parnell, told him, "I've gone to court and gotten custody of you. I've changed your name to Dennis Parnell, and you're to call me 'Dad'." Steven was only a child and naive. He accepted Parnell's story and lived with him for seven years, going to school and acting like a normal child...except his "father" raped him every night.

It's a really sad story, to make a massive understatement. When Steven reached his teens and became too old to satisfy his "father", Parnell kidnapped a five-year-old. Steven had had enough by them. He took the child and went to the police station and told the officers that he had been missing since 1972. But when he returned home, things were not the same. Steven never got any counseling for his traumatic experiences. His kidnapper served all of three years in prison for his crimes. Steven flunked out of high school, drank and used drugs, and was promiscuous. Just when he finally seemed to settle down, he got killed in a motorcycle accident.

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