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Trapped: A Mother's Quest to Reclaim Her Daughters
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Trapped: A Mother's Quest to Reclaim Her Daughters

"MiroLand" series

by Alexandra Karb
  • english-from-canada
  • legal
  • memoir
  • parenting

Imagine that the charming, seemingly Westernized immigrant man that you fell in love with turns out to be self-centred, controlling, and cruelly manipulative -- but only when no one is around to witness this behaviour.

To stop you from divorcing him, he kidnaps your infant children and leaves them in his primitive Middle Eastern village. You find that in Arab cultures children belong to the father's family, and women have few rights. Imagine actually going to live with his village clan, and later, at great risk, smuggling your children out of the country -- only to be convinced that the authorities can do nothing to prevent your husband from kidnapping them again. The author copes by dissociating herself from the ongoing emotional abuse.

With perceptive and sympathetic eyes, Alexandra Karb recounts her twenty-year struggle to protect her children and survive in this nightmare. She takes us from Canada to Germany, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, while recording the peculiar, often disturbing, and always fascinating cultures she inhabits.

Contributors

Alexandra Karb, author

Born in Germany, Alexandra Karb grew up in Montreal. She studied science and pursued a rewarding career in medical research, but lived a personal life of trauma. Trapped is a memoir of her twenty-year odyssey in several countries to protect her young daughters and herself from tyranny in their own home.

Reviews

  • This book is worth reading to understand the female side of Islamic culture and the inner workings of a woman who suffered outrageous indignities and pain because she chose the smooth talker and ended up with a cowardly loser. This book is so informative and heartbreaking at the same time. - Cave Book Reviews Link to review
  • "Trapped" is a harrowing yet enlightening true story not just of abuse, but of the consequences of fear... One is aware in advance that Karb manages to escape from this situation after over two decades of conflict and stress. And it is giving away nothing to reveal that she is diagnosed afterward with PTSD—post-traumatic stress disorder. The sad lesson is, of course, that the horrific damage domestic abuse inflicts on a person can endure long after the abuse has ended. Domestic abuse is a stain on our society. "Trapped" is an important contribution toward a better understanding of the true depth of this issue. - Timothy Niedermann, Ottawa Review of Books Link to review
  • This is a book worth reading. It provides a painful reminder that sexism is alive and well, not just in primitive Jordanian villages but also right here in Canada. And it provides valuable insights into the psychology of captivity and the difficulty of escape — insights that will resonate for women readers and for men who take seriously the challenges posed by gender injustice and misogyny. - Tom Sandborn, Vancouver Sun Link to review

Rights Holder

Rights Holder: Guernica Editions

email: annavanvalkenburg@guernicaeditions.com

website: https://www.guernicaeditions.com/title/9781771833486

rights available: World

Additional Information

age range: Adult

number of pages: 330

publication date: 04/01/2019

Original language of pub: English

Materials Available: finished book