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daja57's review
5.0
The true story of how, as a fourteen year old girl living in Nebraska, Harding was kidnapped at knifepoint from a church parking lot, raped and left to die in a cattle yard during a severe snowstorm. The book describes Harding's later battle with PTSD, a struggle which is exacerbated by the abusive behaviour of her mother.
And, in the end, the mother's psychological abuse and mental cruelty seem to be worse than the horrific ordeal Harding endured. The kidnap and rape was by a stranger and lasted for a few horrifying hours, the mother's abuse was repeated again and again for years.
A gripping true story, told in tiny snippets, with a backwards and forwards chronology, and the minute attention to detail characteristic of American reportage.
And, in the end, the mother's psychological abuse and mental cruelty seem to be worse than the horrific ordeal Harding endured. The kidnap and rape was by a stranger and lasted for a few horrifying hours, the mother's abuse was repeated again and again for years.
A gripping true story, told in tiny snippets, with a backwards and forwards chronology, and the minute attention to detail characteristic of American reportage.
spoko's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.75
rovwade's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
5.0
drmarti's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
theboldbookworm's review against another edition
4.0
This is a tragic story about Deborah Harding's kidnapping and rape at the age of 14 and the childhood abuse she suffered at the hands of her mother. I really liked this book. It's written in an almost journal-like fashion. The stories of her childhood are interspersed with what was happening in her adult life and I felt like that worked well. This is a sad book. Many tragic things happen and it's hard to tell if Deborah is happy now or not. I think she will be dealing with her trauma for the rest of her life. The stuff that happened between her and her dad was the saddest part for me. I think the book is well-written and she told the story of her life in a straightforward manner. I would recommend this to those who like memoirs about tragic events and the aftermath of dealing with them.
spacebras's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
I've done it! I've finally read the One Book One Nebraska, and oh boy what a story!
We can talk all day about the technical aspects of the book, narration, and literary influences. But I don't want to! :) Read the interview at the end if you want to know about that
I, like any person, love a spot of true crime. But it's often unethical. So the best spot is always from the victim themselves. It is quite a thing to take one of the worst experiences of your life and claim ownership to it in such a public and raw way. And I can't look down on anyone for doing so.
Harding and I have very similar ways of approaching people. The whole of the person and their background is vital to knowing who they are now. Especially ourselves. When re-discovering her trauma of being kidnapped and sexually assaulted at 14, Harding also allowed herself to re-examine her family situation, and how it shaped her. With a cruel, and vindictive mother, a loving but distant father, Harding had quite the time creating a sense of self. And through her raising, she learned to keep all that trauma hidden away until one day, it comes out. (I had a very similar situation, though not nearly as intense, but I appreciated seeing our similar reactions).
Every depiction of a person in Harding's life is intentional. She takes great pains in respecting the racial violence and prejudice that her kidnapper went through, while advocating for herself as a victim. She recognizes that her mother had a bad hand in life, but doesn't use that to excuse her abuse. It's intersectional but only so far in as it shapes a person, not dismissing their actions.
As the year goes on, I can't wait to hear what others have to say about this disarming book. And I hope that Harding does something for the celebration as well, though she seems to be pretty quiet online these days (which I totally understand). I wonder what it feels like to have the state in which your most violent past occurred to be honoring and reading your heart.
I wonder if writers, who are compared to other stories, like Glass Castle and Educated, take solace and community in the comparison?
We can talk all day about the technical aspects of the book, narration, and literary influences. But I don't want to! :) Read the interview at the end if you want to know about that
I, like any person, love a spot of true crime. But it's often unethical. So the best spot is always from the victim themselves. It is quite a thing to take one of the worst experiences of your life and claim ownership to it in such a public and raw way. And I can't look down on anyone for doing so.
Harding and I have very similar ways of approaching people. The whole of the person and their background is vital to knowing who they are now. Especially ourselves. When re-discovering her trauma of being kidnapped and sexually assaulted at 14, Harding also allowed herself to re-examine her family situation, and how it shaped her. With a cruel, and vindictive mother, a loving but distant father, Harding had quite the time creating a sense of self. And through her raising, she learned to keep all that trauma hidden away until one day, it comes out. (I had a very similar situation, though not nearly as intense, but I appreciated seeing our similar reactions).
Every depiction of a person in Harding's life is intentional. She takes great pains in respecting the racial violence and prejudice that her kidnapper went through, while advocating for herself as a victim. She recognizes that her mother had a bad hand in life, but doesn't use that to excuse her abuse. It's intersectional but only so far in as it shapes a person, not dismissing their actions.
As the year goes on, I can't wait to hear what others have to say about this disarming book. And I hope that Harding does something for the celebration as well, though she seems to be pretty quiet online these days (which I totally understand). I wonder what it feels like to have the state in which your most violent past occurred to be honoring and reading your heart.
I wonder if writers, who are compared to other stories, like Glass Castle and Educated, take solace and community in the comparison?
heidisreads's review against another edition
4.0
Written in a way you can't help but read one more section before setting it down... Debora Harding's memoir of her childhood before, during and after her abduction at the age of 14 is a true story of survival and resiliency. Perfect for readers/listeners of The Glass Castle or Educated or true crime podcasts like Serial and In the Dark.
rozlev's review against another edition
3.0
I found it very hard to read. I had a hard time with the non-linear timeline jumping all over the place. The story itself was sad and emotional, but I just couldn't become invested.
hskrkelle's review against another edition
4.0
This book has an interesting format; a few times I found it hard understanding the point of that particular detail of the account. Reading about commonly known places in Omaha was unsettling and undoubtedly added to my interest. The side story of family dysfunction was truly heart-breaking.