Blurb; On January 14, 2018, a seventeen-year-old girl climbed out of the window of her Perris, California home and dialed 911 with shaking fingers. Struggling to stay calm, she told the operator that she and her 12 siblings–ranging in age from 2 to 29–were being abused by their parents. When the dispatcher asked for her address, the girl hesitated. “I’ve never been out,” she stammered.
To their family, neighbors, and online friends, Louise and David Turpin presented a picture of domestic bliss: dressing their thirteen children in matching outfits and buying them expensive gifts. But what police discovered when they entered the Turpin family home would eclipse the most shocking child abuse cases in history. For years, David and Louise had kept their children in increasing isolation, trapping them in a sinister world of torture, abuse, and near starvation.
In the first major account of the case, investigative journalist and author John Glatt delves into the disturbing details and recounts the bravery of the thirteen siblings in the face of unimaginable horror.
My Review; Now I must admit this book took me a while to read because I kept putting it down and reminding myself this is real, this happened and recently too. It made me tear up several times to read what happened to those thirteen children is unimaginable. Abusive. Dark. Horror. Twisted. Sick. Disturbing. The stuff of nightmares. It makes me so angry and feel sick. Not an easy read at all.
The whole family was nocturnal which leads to how they got away with it for so long. One bath a year for each child. Starved with only one meal a day. Chained up as punishment and beaten daily. It’s just awful. Cannot make this up. The parents portrayed two different lives their online bragging, happy family home and lifestyle then the offline darkest family life. Non of the children had access to education.
There was a history of family abuse (sexual) but that did not give them the right to do what they did the poor children. A heartbreaking read. John has not missed anything out of this book it has been throughally researched and presented to us. It feels wrong to give this story stars but I would give it all the stars not for the enjoyment cause its not a book to enjoy at all. But for the research, the time and indepth look into this case.
I wish all the thirteen children well, 2 years later. There story can never be forgotton and I hope they have all found peace and are enjoying their new lives.
Between The Pages Book Club 