After Etan: The Missing Child Case that Held America Captive
by Lisa R. Cohen
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Book Summary Information
Author: Lisa R. CohenEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2009-05-07
ISBN: 0446582514
Number of pages: 400
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Book Reviews of After Etan: The Missing Child Case that Held America Captive
Book Review: Truth is stranger than fiction
Summary: 5 Stars
AFTER ETAN, Lisa R. Cohen's mesmerizing account of the tragic and complex circumstances surrounding the Etan Patz abduction, is one of the most engrossing books I've read in a long time. I was only 5 years old when the Etan Patz case became a media event, but being from the NY area, it permeated my world for years to come and likely added a sense of paranoia to every parent from my generation. Periodically, the story of Etan Patz would come to mind, and I failed to believe that after so much time this was still an unsolved case. No longer is that true, thanks to this remarkable and multi-faceted triumph. Cohen weaves together incisive factual reporting on every twist and turn of this enigmatic case with the suspenseful, page-turning instincts of a seasoned mystery writer.
Cohen delves into the morass of this well documented case and sifts through some of the truly choice details that made it so nagging and painful. Cranks and crazies, psychic visions, hippie communities, jailhouse snitches and one pesky typewriter ribbon- they all coalesce to make AFTER ETAN a nerve jangling ride. Cohen seamlessly weaves together three concurrent and equally captivating stories throughout the book: the suffering of the Patz family and their ability to rise above their grief; the eerie and lurid life of Jose Ramos, the primary suspect in the case who eluded prosecution for years; and finally, Assistant U.S. District Attorney Stuart GraBois' valiant and dogged pursuit of justice. Cohen takes the reader from one unexpected event to the next, flouting the urge to sensationalize the story when it could have been so easy to succumb.
As a result, AFTER ETAN stands as a salient piece of non-fiction and a riveting human interest piece. To call it simply a crime story, suspense novel, courtroom drama or even public service would be reductive. It's all of those and much, much more. It also stands as the definitive resource on the Etan Patz story, humanizing this child in ways that his widely-circulated image cannot. This is an essential and rewarding read for anyone willing and able to delve into such an emotionally wrenching story.
Summary of After Etan: The Missing Child Case that Held America Captive
On the morning of May 25, 1979, six-year-old Etan Patz left his apartment to go to his school bus stop. It was the first time he walked the two short blocks on his own.But he never made it to school that day. He vanished somewhere between his home and the bus stop, and was never seen again.
The search for Etan quickly consumed the downtown Manhattan neighborhood where his family lived. Soon afterward, "Missing" posters with Etan's smiling face blanketed the city, followed by media coverage that turned Etan's disappearance into a national story-one that would change our cultural landscape forever.
Thirty years later, May 25 is recognized as National Missing Children's Day, in Etan's honor. But despite the overwhelming publicity his case received, the public knows only a fraction of what happened. That's because the story of Etan Patz is more than a heartbreaking mystery. It is also the story of the men, women, and children who were touched by his life in the months and years after he vanished. It's the story of the agonies and triumphs of the Patz family. It's the story of the extraordinary twists and turns of federal prosecutor Stuart GraBois's relentless pursuit of his prime suspect. From GraBois's creative "outside the box" tactics, to the veteran cop who made his first pedophile bust on a dark Times Square rooftop, to the FBI rookie who cut her teeth chasing the case through the dark recesses of a child molester's mind, this is the story of all the heroic investigators who to this day, thirty years later, continue to seek justice for Etan.
In AFTER ETAN, author Lisa Cohen draws on hundreds of interviews and nearly twenty years of research-including access to the personal files of the Patz family-to reveal for the first time the entire dramatic tale.
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