If I Am Missing or Dead

A couple weeks ago my mother-in-law loaned this book to me, and I managed to finish it in the span of a day and a half. To be honest, that's how quickly I read most books - ESPECIALLY the ones that drag me so far into them I simply can't put them down.

If I Am Missing or Dead (A Sister's Story of Love, Murder, & Liberation) is written by Janine Latus, and was released in paperback on April 15 of this year. Janine is the middle in a family of five children - one brother and four sisters. The book begs the question, "How did two seemingly well-adjusted, successful women end up in strings of physically or emotionally abusive relationships with men". But that's not the whole story...

From the website: "In April 2002, Janine Latus's youngest sister, Amy, wrote a note and taped it to the inside of her desk drawer. "Today Ron Ball and I are romantically involved," it read, "but I fear I have placed myself at risk in a variety of ways. Based on his criminal past, writing this out just seems like the smart thing to do. If I am missing or dead this obviously has not protected me..."

At the same time, Janine was struggling to gather the courage to leave her own marriage - a marriage to a successful, wealthy, handsome doctor. It was a marraige which appeared appeared perfect on the surface, a marriage which other emulated. For Janine, though, it was a nightmare. She was belittled, objectified, controlled, afraid, and trapped.

Janine finally leaves her marriage and is on a business trip, reveling in her freedom, when she gets a phone call from her sister, Jane: "Have you heard from Amy???" Immediately, Janine knows something is wrong...the above note is eventually discovered by Amy's coworkers, helicopters are sent up, search dogs sent out, and Amy's picture adorns posters that are plastered across the county. Her body is discovered more than two weeks later, wrapped in tarp and buried at a building site.

These women were victims. If I Am Missing or Dead takes you on a journey (mostly through Janine's life) - from childhood with a perverted father and subservient mother, to attempted rape, to marrying a man who does nothing but objectify and control her, to finally standing up and saying, "THIS IS NOT RIGHT. I CAN NOT, AND WILL NOT, LIVE LIKE THIS." She describes both hers and her sister's victimizations with unflinching candor. There were times while reading I would literally draw back, but I had to continue. This book is detailed. It is graphic. It is a TRUE story. It will grab you, pull you in, and not let go until the last page. And it will DEFINITELY leave a lasting impression on you.

"At once a confession, a call to break the cycle of abuse, and a deeply felt love letter to her baby sister, Amy Lynne Latus, If I Am Missing or Dead is an unforgettable read."

Visit the websites:

www.ifiammissingordead.com

www.janinelatus.com