If you’re planning to read Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland, set it aside until you have a handful of hours-probably five- so you can finish it in one sitting. Though it is an easy read, it is not an enjoyable one, and if you stop reading it, it may be difficult to return to it later. In contrast to Michelle Knight’s memoir, which was about her entire life, Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland is primarily a first-hand linear narrative by Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus about their lives in captivity, and only briefly describes life before they were taken. Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland puts the survivors narrative in perspective by occasionally diverting to summarize Castro’s life as seen by the outside world, the official investigation process and details life for Castro after the three women escaped.
Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland is chilling for several reasons. First, if Castro had been stopped for all his “minor” infractions such as brutally beating his common law wife, neglecting a child in his care as a school bus driver and blatant traffic violations, things may have been very different. Our society really needs to have zero tolerance for the very crimes that people write off or minimize.
Second, it is astonishing that the three were able to survive. Berry initially survived because she didn’t want him to get away with it, and she didn’t want him to be her daughter’s only parent. The nonstop public support of their family and friends fueled DeJesus and Berry’s survival.
Third, if this tragedy continued, DeJesus was beginning to give up psychologically, and Berry was so desperate for a normal life for her daughter, she began to feel what Castro wanted her to feel-that they were a family. Berry recognizes that Stockholm syndrome had set in, but still feels guilty about it.
Fourth, Knight was definitely treated the worst physically and may be more distant from the other two survivors because of Castro’s efforts to psychologically gas light the survivors into believing that they actively betrayed each other thus Berry felt distant from and hostile to Knight. Unlike the other two, because Knight was older, already had a hard life, a strong self-image and immediate awareness that Berry and DeJesus were victims, not collaborators, Castro could not manipulate Knight. Knight resisted his attempts at playing house with serious physical consequences. As things progressed, DeJesus was able to externally withstand his psychological games while mollifying Castro, but it certainly took a toll.
Even though Knight did not want to participate in the book, it is weird how minimal her presence is in the actual content of the book since she was only one of three to four people that the authors lived with for many years in captivity. When they talk about events when Knight was present, including after they regained their freedom, Berry and DeJesus do not mention Knight unless Knight plays a direct role in the story. It is the only flaw in Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland, which is otherwise a pretty comprehensive story. Knight does not have to be an active participant in the writing process to be part of the story.
Fifth and finally, the survivors were very aware of media, the tales of similar survivors and that once released, their experiences would need to be relayed to the public. Berry even discussed the possibility of writing a book with Castro after they read Jaycee Dugard’s book. Now I have to read Elizabeth Smart’s memoir because Knight and Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland reference Smart repeatedly.
Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland is a rigorous work of reflection by survivors and a comprehensive journalistic account of the events surrounding this horrifying crime. I would highly recommend Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland, but don’t spend too much time with it.
Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland is chilling for several reasons. First, if Castro had been stopped for all his “minor” infractions such as brutally beating his common law wife, neglecting a child in his care as a school bus driver and blatant traffic violations, things may have been very different. Our society really needs to have zero tolerance for the very crimes that people write off or minimize.
Second, it is astonishing that the three were able to survive. Berry initially survived because she didn’t want him to get away with it, and she didn’t want him to be her daughter’s only parent. The nonstop public support of their family and friends fueled DeJesus and Berry’s survival.
Third, if this tragedy continued, DeJesus was beginning to give up psychologically, and Berry was so desperate for a normal life for her daughter, she began to feel what Castro wanted her to feel-that they were a family. Berry recognizes that Stockholm syndrome had set in, but still feels guilty about it.
Fourth, Knight was definitely treated the worst physically and may be more distant from the other two survivors because of Castro’s efforts to psychologically gas light the survivors into believing that they actively betrayed each other thus Berry felt distant from and hostile to Knight. Unlike the other two, because Knight was older, already had a hard life, a strong self-image and immediate awareness that Berry and DeJesus were victims, not collaborators, Castro could not manipulate Knight. Knight resisted his attempts at playing house with serious physical consequences. As things progressed, DeJesus was able to externally withstand his psychological games while mollifying Castro, but it certainly took a toll.
Even though Knight did not want to participate in the book, it is weird how minimal her presence is in the actual content of the book since she was only one of three to four people that the authors lived with for many years in captivity. When they talk about events when Knight was present, including after they regained their freedom, Berry and DeJesus do not mention Knight unless Knight plays a direct role in the story. It is the only flaw in Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland, which is otherwise a pretty comprehensive story. Knight does not have to be an active participant in the writing process to be part of the story.
Fifth and finally, the survivors were very aware of media, the tales of similar survivors and that once released, their experiences would need to be relayed to the public. Berry even discussed the possibility of writing a book with Castro after they read Jaycee Dugard’s book. Now I have to read Elizabeth Smart’s memoir because Knight and Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland reference Smart repeatedly.
Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland is a rigorous work of reflection by survivors and a comprehensive journalistic account of the events surrounding this horrifying crime. I would highly recommend Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland, but don’t spend too much time with it.
