In July 1965, teenagers Sylvia and Jenny Likens were left in the temporary care of Gertrude Baniszewski, a middle-aged single mother and her seven children. The Baniszewski household was overrun with children. There were few rules and ample freedom. Sadly, the environment created a dangerous hierarchy of social Darwinism where the strong preyed on the weak. What transpired in the following three … the following three months was both riveting and chilling.
In October 1965, the body of Sylvia Likens was found in the basement of the Baniszewski home, where she had been imprisoned. She was starved, beaten, burned and had the words “I am a prostitute and proud of it” carved into her stomach.
Gertrude Baniszewski oversaw and facilitated the torture and eventual murder of Sylvia Likens. While she played an active role in Sylvia’s death, the majority of the abuse was carried out by her children and other neighbourhood youths.
The case shocked the entire nation and would later be described as “The single worst crime perpetuated against an individual in Indiana’s history”.
*CAUTION: This book contains descriptive accounts of abuse and violence. If you are especially sensitive to this material, it might be advisable not to read any further
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Profoundly disturbing…
In 1965 a sixteen-year-old girl in Indianapolis, Indiana, named Sylvia Likens was mercilessly tortured over the course of three months by the woman being paid to look after her. The torture resulted in an agonizing death for the girl and the woman responsible for the unconscionable misery was Gertrude Baniszewski. Shockingly, there were many participants in the abhorrent acts of cruelty and many witnesses to various signs of the abuse and neglect, yet no one championed for the welfare of the young girl and she was left to die alone in the dark basement in unspeakable condition. Ryan Green, the author, compiles the numerous witness accounts including observations on record from her school, her church, police, and welfare reports into a single organized smooth-flowing narrative that, while difficult to read given the nature of the subject, is an important and succinct accounting of one of the most horrific cases of child abuse uncovered in the twentieth century. The audio version of this book was narrated by Steve White who, as always, does a great job delivering this haunting and profoundly disturbing story.
I was provided with an audiobook copy of this story by the author and I am voluntarily offering my honest and unbiased review.
Not for the faint of heart. Nobody including social services,school,neighbors or other children involved in the horrible abuse which led to the death of this young girl reported it. Her parents left two young girls in the care of someone they didn’t know or even checked on.All involved got off much too easy.
Gertrude Baniszewski was not a nice woman. She was selfish, cruel, and twisted. Everything she did to Sylvia Likens was horrific, and it’s hard to believe that a person could all those things to another person, let alone a child. The fact that it was a group effort to torture that girl only made it all the more horrific.
This book has a lot of disturbing content against children so only listen if you have a strong stomach.
Narration paired well with the audiobook.
This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.
This book is about two sisters who slipped thru the ‘fingers’ of the child protection system. The home they were placed in and how the children in the home, the mother in the home and classmates bullied the girls. This book will bring you to the realization that bad things can happen to children who are not diligently followed and checked on while under the care of the Child Protection System. The book was researched well, very informative and well written.
Well researched and written
I liked the book but it was hard to believe the things that mother did to the children that she was watching
This is a sad but true story. It is outrageous the things that happen . If you like true crime this is a definite read.
I couldn’t read some of the book i was getting teary eyed! I skipped some chapters in the book.
I’m a true crime junkie and this just may be the most disturbing book I have ever read.
This is the true story of a teenager who was brutally tortured and humiliated for 3 months in what is possibly the most heinous crime I have ever read about. This author leaves nothing to the imagination and I had to pause reading many times as the true meaning of the words hit me. Tears came to my eyes often and my stomach clenched even more.
This book will stay with me for a very long time as I try to reconcile the world I know with the utter depravity that surrounded this girl.
With this being said you may ask why I would recommend it, it’s because I feel this girl deserves the world to know what happened to her.
This is a step by step account of a wicked deranged mother and the effects her behavior has on her children and others. Your heart goes out to the children and one wonders why, “No one stepped up to save the children.” If I had lived in that neighborhood my life would have been forever haunted. I hope it serves to make people more aware of their surroundings and what is really going on behind closed doors.
Stopped reading after a few chapters. Not something I wanted in my head.
It’s heart wrenching.
Don’t read this book if you are sensitive about abused children. This is a true crime story and it was so graphic that I had to keep setting it down to take breaks from it. Sisters are left with a classmate’s mother while their parents are off working with a carnival. What happens will make you feel sick that the abuse against the sisters was never called into the police. When the one sister could no longer go to school, the school never reported to the police that she had been truant. A child protection social worker visited the home once and was lied to by one of the sisters trying to keep the violence down. In this true story, the violent offenders never get the prison sentences they should have and it gave me the feeling that if the death sentence was reinstated…. It’s disturbing and quite frankly hard to read at times. Not for the faint of heart.