From Publishers WeeklyThe charts are full of stories of childhood abuse now, Elliott writes, and speculates that fans of childhood abuse literature want to be shocked at the start of the book, crying in the middle and exultant at the end. Her account (Jane Elliott is a pseudonym) adds little that is fresh to the genre beyond that her [s]eventeen years was an astonishingly long time to have been systematically abused. A good part of this true story of a four-year-old girl who fell into the power of a man for whom evil was a relentless daily activity is devoted to the shockgraphic detail of her stepfather's physical, emotional and sexual abuse. Some readers will feel for Elliott as she continues to be victimized by a thoroughly amoral lunatic head of an incredibly dysfunctional family; others may find that the explicit detail teeters perilously close to the pornography of violence and of sexual degradation. While Elliott's stepfather is eventually sentenced to 15 years, little exultancy follows until Elliott decides to tell her story and achieves British bestsellerdom. Elliott's account, written with Crofts, makes fascinating reading as one wonders, in page-turner fashion, whether anyone will stop this man from terrorizing his stepdaughter, her mother, her siblings and the entire neighborhood. The vagueness of time and place, however, raise disquieting questions about reality. (Aug.) Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. 'An inspirational page-turner.' Heat'The devastating and moving true life story of Jane's life. A powerful read.' Best'A tragic tale, yet filled with hope.' Woman`This true story of an escape from a miserable childhood makes inspiring reading.' Woman HomeAbout the AuthorJane Elliott is a psuedonym. She first decided to tell her story to the police after taking inspiration from Dave Pelzer's powerful memoir, A Child Called It. She become convinced she should not remain a silent victim but act against the evil stepfather who had kept her a virtual prisoner for so many years. what books can i download for free The Little Prisoner: How a Childhood Was Stolen and a Trust Betrayed. Jane Elliott with Andrew Crofts
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Hated it.By Becky P.Hated this book. SPOILER ALERT: Not only for what he did to her, but also for how long it took her to report it. A grown adult, 21 years old, with a child of her own, not living at home anymore, and she still allowed him to bully, control, and rape her. Thank goodness for the other people in her life. She got lucky with Paul and Steve. So understanding and patient.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Amazing.By ShyanI went through the same situation actually, almost exactly. The same as far as the sexual abuse and this book has helped me realize a lot. I found it almost impossible to put down. Best book I've ever read!!! I truly wish I had a signed hard copy. My absolute favourite. It has boosted my courage and opened my eyes to a lot. I'm just absolutely in love with this and will continue to follow the author who has become my new life idol.43 of 45 people found the following review helpful. A Brutal Look into Child AbuseBy Shine_3013First off I need to say that this book was amazing, but not at all for very emotional people. I say that only because it tells such a brutally horrifying story that I kept having to put the book down. I always read books, particularly memoirs, of similar topics, and I can honestly say that there is not another book that has affected me this way.I was only onto the 30th page or so, and disgusted, yet I also wanted to get to the end and see what happened, so I didn't want to put it down. And the end of the book I was truly crying and I couldn't really say if it was happy tears or not.I don't know how anybody could have lived through the years of abuse that are discussed in "The Little Prison," yet I can sort of understand "Jane's" explanation that when you are a young kid, what you see at home is really all you see, so it's hard to clarify what is normal and what is not. It is also truly disturbing how a person could be so evil to treat other people the way her step-father treated her. And eventually the whole family started treating her the same way, it's just horrifying.I think that "Jane" is an amazing woman for being able to live through this terrifying childhood, bring the scumbag to court, deal with the results of the case and her family's hatred towards her from it, write a book about her experience, and raise a family. I am just amazed and I sincerely hope the rest of her life is positive.I'd highly recommend this book be read. Although it is sickening to read the things Jane lived through, it's also reality, and the only way we as a society as a whole can help to stop these sorts of things is to be educated about them.