Normally I just like to read and keep my opinions to myself. Since cozy English mysteries are the go-to most of the time, nobody needs to have a book review. Occasionally, however, a book, usually of the nonfiction kind, will impress me enough that talking about it seems the thing to do. One such book is A Girl with No Name, by Marina Chapman, her daughter Vanessa, and the ghost-writer (in this case the actual writer), Lynne Barrett-Lee. It purports to be the true story of a woman who was kidnapped from her Columbian home around the age of 5, dumped in the jungle where she grew up with a troupe of monkeys for four or five years, and then found her way back to human civilization via some illegal trade wildlife hunters. From there she was basically sold into slavery and the rest of her childhood was a horror story of abuse until she was finally able to escape that life and reach safety. Her recollection of events are both gruesome and fascinating. And I'm having trouble believing it. Apparently others believe she may have false memories as well, so I'm not the only skeptic. Though I have serious doubts about the veracity of the story, it is an interesting read. And if even half of it is true, then Marina is one brave and amazing survivor.
