Tag Archives: safety

Book Review: Mom’s of the Missing by Steffen Hou

Posted in Book Reviews by

I was provided with an ARC of the book in exchange for my honest review. I normally do not read a lot of non-fiction, but I am truly glad to have read Mom’s of the Missing.

I would like to express my gratitude to Steffen Hou for reaching out to me.

 

About the Book:

 

Release Date: 10-15-2019

Paperback: 262 pages

Genre: True Crime

ISBN: 978-1-54397-972-5 (print)

ISBN: 978-1-54397-973-2 (ebook)

Publisher: BookBaby

 

 

“Oh my God, we found a dead body.” The man’s voice, calling from a mountain trail in Cleveland National Forest, was frantic. “Please hurry. I’m so scared. It’s a little kid.” When police arrived, they were met by a horrific sight. The girl was naked and had been positioned in such a way that detectives believed the murderer had seen his kill as some kind of a trophy. As if he were showing off his “work”. The little kid was Samantha Runnion, a five-year-old girl who had been abducted while playing in her parents’ garden the day before.

Samantha is just one of too many American kids who disappear. Almost half a million children are reported missing every year. And all across America parents are searching for their missing children or—if the worst case scenario has come to pass—the person who killed them.

Moms of the Missing investigates ten abduction cases. Through personal and heartbreaking interviews with the victims, it describes how parents maintain their hopes of one day finding their children—some of whom were taken by a stranger, a family member, or human traffickers. And two survivors tell what it is like to be held captive.

Moms of the Missing explores the principal types of abductions, and—not of least importance—who’s most likely to become a victim of the epidemic of missing children.

About the Author:

Steffen Hou (born 1975) is a Danish author and filmmaker. As a true crime author he
has written about topics such as innocent Americans on death row, human trafficking,
and the white supremacy movement. Moms of the Missing: Living the Nightmare is his
third book.

Contact the author: steffen.hou@houmedia.dk

Website: steffenhou.com

Facebook: facebook.com/steffen.hou

Twitter: @steffenhou

My Thoughts:

As clearly stated in the synopsis, this book deals with facts and investigates ten abduction cases. Through each case we are introduced to the kinds of abductions that exist and how they can happen. This is presented to us through interviews with family members who have had to deal with the loss of a child.

Each experience shared is harrowing and scary, difficult for most of to understand, but necessary for us to be aware of. It is sometimes difficult to digest the kinds of cruelty out there in the world, but through this book, Steffen Hou and the affected people would like to bring about an awareness. Awareness is a must to be able to take preventive actions.

The book is very well structure as explained by the author in the prologue. The reader is introduced to the type of abduction, followed by a description and the authorities or body(ies) to be alerted. This is then followed by a detailed account of an experience. What happened on the day of the abduction? The nature of the child in general and their relationship with their family. The heartbreak and trauma the family faces when the child is missing. The support or non-support of the authorities. A step forward and a few backwards everyday towards trying to find an answer. And then a conclusion, good or bad, but with a strong message.

I would like to share that I respect those who have come forward to support this book and share their stories. It is definitely not easy to have your life taken apart and then to talk about it. The main message of the book is to keep up Hope and to contact the right people if a crime has already been committed and a child is missing. It is also about the prevention of such crimes and the steps we can take to educate ourselves, our peers and our children.

Though this was a difficult book to read, my heart goes out to all the victims and their families. I strongly recommend this book to everyone as it brings about an awareness on a very important topic that could help any one of us in the world today.

We are all in this together and we should learn to support one another. Also, please be aware and sensitive towards other people!

Thank you Steffen for bringing your book to my notice!

Take a short and fun trip in the Yellow Bus with Giggly Bear!

Posted in Book Reviews by

About the Book:

Giggly Bear's Fun Trip in the Yellow Bus

A Fun Safety Rhyme for Young Readers

Did you know that children are safer riding the yellow school bus than in their parent’s vehicle?

Climb aboard and hear Giggly Bear and his friends teach kids valuable lessons on how to ride the school bus safely.

Giggly Bear’s Fun Trip in the Yellow Bus is the third book in the series Let’s Learn while Playing.

Children 2-6 year old will rhyme away to safety while learning new concepts and building vocabulary in this fun yellow ride.

Fans of Pete the Cat and The Pout-Pout Fish series don’t want to miss this adventure.

My Thoughts:

This is a simple enough read and a rather quick one. The author focusses on the importance of wearing seat-belts in the bus and being safe.

However, though the various parts rhyme, there is one part which keeps repeating throughout. Also, there is not a lot of detail about the circumstances of the trip or what happens when they reach their destination. We are only introduced to two main characters and one of them, Giggly Bear is the main character. There is no indication as to why that is his name and I assume it is not really important to know that! The author touches upon the topic of safety at a surface level but gives enough information and stress on the topic

Overall, this book is decent and the illustrations are captivating enough, though very less in number. The story is easy to read and understand and children will definitely enjoy this book and learn something from it, in spite of the lack of detail or a longer plot!

A Miracle! – A Poem

Posted in Poetry by

Once again this is something I had written a long time ago and I thought that it was time to share it on the blog. Hope you all like it! 🙂

x———————————————————x

Pain coursed through his body,
Like the aftershocks of an earthquake,
He lost all hope,
And the will to fight.
Death, he welcomed with open arms,
An air of calm acceptance,
Death was inevitable he thought,
The alternatives not considered.
Her frustration grew,
As she searched for flaws,
In life’s plan for him.
She knew there was hope,
She believed and trusted,
But the wait killed something inside her,
Letting lose her tears,
Which soothed his pain like a balm,
And brought him back from limbo.
She’d saved him!
With her love came trust
And his will to live….
A miracle!