July 6, 2015
Berry was an average teenager working at Burger King when she was abducted by Ariel Castro in 2003. She and DeJesus, whom Castro kidnapped in 2004, were held captive (along with Michelle Knight) in Castro's barricaded home in Cleveland, Ohio, for many years. He subjected them to daily emotional and sexual abuse until they escaped with the aid of neighbors in 2013. Based on interviews with the women and Amanda's journals (written on everything from notebook paper to napkins and fast food takeout bags), Berry and DeJesus bravely recount that decade with the aid of Pulitzer-winning reporters Jordan and Sullivan. Shackled to their beds and forced to endure multiple daily rapes, the women developed a deep bond that eventually morphed into an odd family of sorts when Berry gave birth to a baby girl in December 2006. Jordan and Sullivan bring depth and tension to the narrative, recounting numerous frustrating dead ends and close calls in the police investigations before reaching the emotional peak of the book: the women's escape and Castro's capture. The bravery and resolve that Berry and DeJesus convey in this well-crafted memoir is both astonishing and inspiring.