Mary Jordan Knihy

On May 6, 2013, Amanda Berry made headlines when she escaped from a Cleveland home and called 911, revealing she had been kidnapped for ten years. The chilling story emerged of Ariel Castro, a local school bus driver, who had separately lured Berry and two other young women, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight, to his home, where he imprisoned them. Over the next decade, the women endured frequent rape, psychological abuse, and threats of death if they tried to escape. During her captivity, Berry gave birth to a daughter, whom she raised under harrowing circumstances. Through their recollections and Amanda's secret diary, Berry and DeJesus recount the unimaginable suffering they faced and the resilience that helped them survive. Pulitzer Prize-winning reporters Mary Jordan and Kevin Sullivan weave together the events inside Castro's home with original reporting on the search for the missing girls. This narrative reveals details about Castro's life and motivations that have never been disclosed before, offering a harrowing yet uplifting account of two women whose bravery and ingenuity ultimately led them back to their families and freedom.