Michelle Knight

From Michelle Knight-Cleveland kidnapping survivor and #1 New York Times bestselling author of Finding Me comes an inspirational book about healing and resilience, on the five-year anniversary of her escape. Michelle Knight -- now known as Lily Rose Lee -- captured the world's attention in May 2013, when she and two fellow kidnapping victims were found and freed after being held for more than a decade by notorious Cleveland kidnapper Ariel Castro. But many people are still asking: What happened after her escape? How do you re-enter society after years of abuse and isolation? How do you get past the trauma and live a happy and joy filled life? How do you learn to trust again? In Life After Darkness, published on the fifth anniversary of her liberation, Lily describes how she managed to heal the wounds to her body, mind, and soul-wounds, she reveals, that were first inflicted even before her kidnapping. With the help of good friends and anchored by her own inner strength, she takes us with her step by step on her journey out of darkness into the light. An inspiring story -- and for anyone who has dared to hope after suffering, a guidebook to finding new purpose for a meaningful life.

Det är en skrämmande, smärtsam historia, men det finns också ett ljus där någonstans och den ger hopp till alla människor som råkat ut för något hemskt. [ ] Den är väldigt driven och den är stark. - Magnus Utvik, Gomorron Sverige, SVT I nästan 11 år var Michelle Knight i Ariel Castros våld, inlåst i hans hus i Cleveland, Ohio. Michelle Knight är en av de tre kvinnor som hölls fången av Ariel Castro i hans hus i Cleveland och hon var hans första offer. Michelle lockades till Castros hem i augusti 2002. Hon var då 21 år. I april 2003 tog Castro sitt andra offer - den knappt 17-åriga Amanda Berry - och ett år senare kidnappade han Gina DeJesus, 14 år. Den 6 maj 2013 lyckades de tre kvinnorna rymma ur huset. Amanda Berry och Gina DeJesus återförenades snabbt med sina familjer, men Michelle Knight vägrade att träffa sin mamma. De fyra första månaderna i frihet bodde hon i ett boende som hon tilldelats av sociala myndigheter. Sen hon befriades har hon också avstått från att söka upp sin son, i dag 15 år, som adopterades bort av hennes familj under tiden hon var bortrövad. Berättelsen om de 3 911 dagar som Michelle Knight var inlåst i Ariel Castros hem är en skakande skildring, men historien om hennes liv före bortrövandet är också, minst sagt, gripande. Hennes uppväxt var långt ifrån idyllisk. Om den misshandel hon fick utstå i Castros hus har hon sagt: 'You can't break what is already broken, you can only make it stronger.'

Michelle was a young single mother when she was kidnapped by a local school bus driver named Ariel Castro. For more than a decade afterward, she endured unimaginable torture at the hand of her abductor. In 2003 Amanda Berry joined her in captivity, followed by Gina DeJesus in 2004. Their escape on May 6, 2013, made headlines around the world. Barely out of her own tumultuous childhood, Michelle was estranged from her family and fighting for custody of her young son when she disappeared. Local police believed she had run away, so they removed her from the missing persons lists fifteen months after she vanished. Castro tormented her with these facts, reminding her that no one was looking for her, that the outside world had forgotten her. But Michelle would not be broken. In Finding Me, Michelle will reveal the heartbreaking details of her story, including the thoughts and prayers that helped her find courage to endure her unimaginable circumstances and now build a life worth living. By sharing both her past and her efforts to create a future, Michelle becomes a voice for the voiceless and a powerful symbol of hope for the thousands of children and young adults who go missing every year.