The Little Prisoner

At the age of four, Jane Elliott falls into the hands of a man who is notorious for his cruelty and aggression. Everyone knows him, but her mother is crazy about the young man. Previously, she lived in a home and various foster families, because her mother could not take care of her. When she met a new man, she wanted her daughter back in the house. From that moment on, Jane is no longer left alone. Her stepfather locks her up and abuses her daily.

It doesn't stop at just the physical humiliation. He also sexually abuses her and terrorizes her mentally. When she is covered in bruises, she is allowed to stay home so that they don't notice it at school. Jane also has to do various chores from her parents, such as going to the supermarket. But she is also ordered to steal from her grandfather, because the family needs money.

The whole neighborhood knows that something is wrong, but they don't dare do anything. They are afraid. Even her own mother, who must see it too, does nothing to save her daughter from this creep. Jane has no say in her own life. If she has a boyfriend, her stepfather ruins it again. Then she has to break up with him. She realizes that things can't go on like this any longer when she is twenty-one. She flees the house and starts over with her daughter.

After reading I Was Nobody by David Pelzer, Jane decides to go to the police. She cannot become a silent victim. The man who held her captive for seventeen years must be dealt with. In the end, he is sentenced to seventeen years in prison. Her family takes his side.