Her room was not much bigger than jail or prison cell and locked inside just like a common criminal Denied the right for days to understand why she was taken the startling revelation one kidnapper claimed was that her mother stole money from them and they wanted 300 million rubles within 2 weeks or she would be sent back in pieces Even trying to see outside looking through the black glass window was impossible so sunlight or nighttime she had no idea While she suffered at the hands of these strangers ignoring her physical needs her spirit did not wane and her will to survive became stronger in between the feelings of helplessness.

I liked the book and am in awe of her fortitude but I don t like the way it ended Abrupt No telling about what happened after etc Could have been so much better Maybe she s going to write a follow up Unless there s already one out there I didn t see Girl TakenA True Story of Abduction Captivity and Survival WowI can t even imagine enduring this What courage she had to push through when it would ve been easy to end her life She was creative with figuring out how to stay clean and deal with her period while in captivity I would ve like to have seen an update on her life how she recovered and also how her mom is doing Girl TakenA True Story of Abduction Captivity and Survival A heart warming story of courage and survival I was on the edge of my seat the whole way through and could feel her pain and anxiety. Lena is a true survivor and stayed strong I would highly recommended this book to everyone it s an easy read and keeps you gripped Girl TakenA True Story of Abduction Captivity and Survival A true story of a Russian girl abducted by a Chechen gang in 1994 Elana was put in a basement then moved to a dungeon like room later on They tried to get her mother to give them lots of money in return for her but her mother could not get that amount of money anywhere. She describes her days and nights of her abduction What she dealt with and how she felt It ended up almost 8 months later when the Russian Chechen war broke out Then she took a chance on escaping Girl TakenA True Story of Abduction Captivity and Survival This is a pretty fast paced story of an 8 month abduction How she survived and how she battled emotional turmoil to stay alive Her battle of will to live come and goes ultimately helping her stay sane I read this really fast it s a great story of survival Girl TakenA True Story of Abduction Captivity and Survival Elena Nikitina was an ordinary twenty one year old woman who enjoyed partying spending time with her boyfriend and dreaming of the future Born in the former Soviet Union she was only peripherally aware of the conflicts that had enthralled the entire world That all unexpectedly changed one evening when she stormed out of a nightclub after a fight with her boyfriend The apartment she shared with her mother was right across the street but she vanished before reaching her destination Elena paints a vivid portrait of life in captivity illustrating the monotony that characterized her days and the clenching fear that was her constant companion A gripping inspirational tale of survival that will enthrall all Girl TakenA True Story of Abduction Captivity and Survival There are many prisons that are created for those that want to escape reality and live within their own minds in order to survive Living a nightmare sometimes the person does not want to survive or wake up thinking if they did what they would learn would horrify them causing that person to want to sleep forever How do you share a story about your abduction war and your will to overcome everyday that you are held captive live every second hoping to be rescued only to learn that the only person that you can count on is the one held within a small room drugged and kidnapped at the age of 21 the year 1994 by a group of Chechen gangsters thinking that they would get a huge ransom for this young girl Hoping her mother would pay it was their goal Elena is telling the story in the first person along with her mother who the author flashes back to in order to hear the fear strive and frustration she had to overcome not knowing where Elena was or if she would ever see her again Going to the police did not help they discounted it as a young girl staying out and thought she would return the next day A fight with her boyfriend led her to what happened as she was angry left the party and the next thing she knew she was at the mercy of these unknown people in a vehicle so locked up with no way to escape From the first time you hear Elena s voice you can tell she is afraid the fear is not hidden and even the task of having to go to the bathroom became a huge obstacle for her to overcome hoping she would be granted this one freedom or privilege when so many were denied Walking on the street she was taken and drugged to Grozny the capital of Chechnya Her captors did not speak a language she understood making it hard for her to communicate Not even given food and feeling dirty tired rung out and at times you could tell hard to process and function this tiny room filled with darkness was her entire world Sunlight was blocked as the window in the room the only was painted black Unable to tell day from night or even see where she was or able to identify her surroundings despair and tears Her one comfort was the robe she hugged tightly her own security blanket The story is told in the author s voice and one of a narrator that expresses the fear anger and frustration that her mother endured not knowing if her daughter was alive or dead yet never giving up hope Each militant or captor had a different demeanor and attitude yet one named Aslan seemed to be at least for a while her champion or her lifeline hoping to keep her sanity. Things changed rapidly as the war escaladed and she was moved numerous times and warned not to dare say anything or alert the police or authorities One person Elena living against all odds with only herself to count on with a group of killers villains and dangerous people looking for any excuse to take her out yet for some reason the original two weeks lingered on for eight months Moving to different locations and settling in one where she was placed in a dungeon like setting or cellar praying they would allow her to use the bathroom and possibly get some air Laila was the person that would prove to be her only asset or ally as the one person she counted on was gone. You can hear her voice as she rationalizes her plight what she needed to do and that was find a way to escape and freedom Two militants were always there if and when she was allowed out of the pit her home for now They were hiding in the mountains conducting their vicious and brutal guerilla war into the night This was their hideout But what happens when Laila befriends her and allows her to eat in her kitchen Yet in the back of her mind she thought that her boyfriend and her mother would never give up looking for her and her thoughts lingered deep into the dark and lonely nights as her captors were not concerned with her well being her existence or her health. When she hears the word that might set her free RUN RUN NOW Take the final flight to possible freedom with Elena and learn whether she is reunited with anyone Fear remembrance sudden flash and explosion from somewhere in the forest nearby and then back in her dungeon and hoping for a miracle How does she escape A tape cassette player with songs she repeatedly listened to in order to hear another voice and keep her sanity No way to communicate with the outside world No heat or electricity no light to see the world outside and yet her spirit soared and she never gave up In her own words The mighty Russian military invaded tiny Chechnya while I was there More than 100000 people were killed I saw and experienced horrible things wrecked war machines on the blood stained streets of Grozny the decapitated heads of young Russian soldiers decorating the trees like grotesque Christmas bulbs I wish that were all of it. In a world filled with hate fear violence and a group that took her for something they claim her mother did would she ever find the light of day again and hold on to her mother s arms to protect her When you read pages 129 132 you will learn just how much courage she had as the sky became lighter and the sun spread its rays to the group and she was able to discern or distinguish the sounds of the earth. Elena Nikitina s courage to share this story is a lesson of hope survival for everyone Some endings are true beginnings when the person that endured all that she did decides between despair loneliness or LIFE Fran Lewis Just reviews MJ magazine Girl TakenA True Story of Abduction Captivity and Survival Girl Taken by Elena Nikitina is an auto biographical account of her own true story of being kidnapped and held for ransom for many months Taken from her home in Russia she endures months of captivity in Chechnya and as war breaks out between the Chechnyans and Russia she is caught in the middle of it as her captors are playing two fronts It s a detailed account of her incarceration the pain she endures and the small triumphs she makes as she finds one man with enough humanity and empathy to help her survive the ordeal Her story reminds us how simple and wonderful are the things we take for granted in our daily lives especially the consummate freedom we have until it disappears and is replaced by a prison Girl TakenA True Story of Abduction Captivity and Survival My heartThis hurt to read but also left me with hope I cannot imagine living through what she did She is a true warrior Girl TakenA True Story of Abduction Captivity and Survival Wow What a memoir So many of us are insulated from the horrors that go on around the world Reading this harrowing story really makes you think about what you take for granted and how little we really live Amazing read Highly recommend 3 Girl TakenA True Story of Abduction Captivity and Survival

Girl, TakenA True Story of Abduction, Captivity, and Survival By Elena Nikitina

144

Kindle Edition

This book will astonish and inspire you One woman s shocking true story of abduction war and survival Brian Whitney author of SUBVERSIVE In the fall of 1994 21 year old Elena Nikitina disappeared Drugged and kidnapped by a group of Chechen gangsters she was driven through the night to Chechnya Kept prisoner in a tiny room she waited while the gang tried to ransom her back to her mother But a few weeks after the abduction war broke out between Russia and Chechnya Life became very cheap very quickly and tiny Chechnya became an apocalyptic killing zone All contact was cut off There was no electricity There was no telephone service There could be no negotiations for Elena s release Elena was one lost soul powerless and at the mercy of hardened criminals who now fancied themselves patriotic freedom fighters And she was their enemy the face of the Russian invader Through eight horrifying months of captivity trapped in a land where countless people were dying every day Elena fought desperately to stay alive stay sane and not lose the one thing that kept her going hope GIRL TAKEN is her powerful memoir of that time It is the harrowing yet stirring tale of a young woman whose courage determination and inner strength ultimately delivered her back to her life and her loved ones Girl TakenA True Story of Abduction Captivity and SurvivalElena Nikitina was born in the city of Astrakhan Russia during the time of the Soviet Union In 1994 she was abducted by a Chechen gang and taken to Grozny the capital city of Chechnya She survived the First Russian Chechen War eventually escaping an abandoned mountain village and walking into the middle of a Russian army encampment She immigrated to the USA received political asylum and became a citizen in January of 2019 She writes books and works as a real estate agent in Ohio where she lives with her teenage daughter Elena has written a memoir GIRL TAKEN A True Story of Abduction Captivity and Survival about her experiences and her book wins Gold literary award in 2019 at Global eBook Award competition Few weeks ago Ele Elena Nikitina was born in the city of Astrakhan Russia during the time of the Soviet Union In 1994 she was abducted by a Chechen gang and taken to Grozny the capital city of Chechnya She survived the First Russian Chechen War eventually escaping an abandoned mountain village and walking into the middle of a Russian army encampment She immigrated to the USA received political asylum and became a citizen in January of 2019 She writes books and works as a real estate agent in Ohio where she lives with her teenage daughter Elena has written a memoir GIRL TAKEN A True Story of Abduction Captivity and Survival about her experiences and her book wins Gold literary award in 2019 at Global eBook Award competition Few weeks ago Elena s story was the lead radio documentary on the BBC World Service Elena s book recognized in the local news on BBC worldwide and a talk show in London UK site_link.

, so glad despite all she went through that she survived and was able to share her experience Her poor mother must of gone through pure bell waiting for news: But they did not kill her like they said they just kept saying they would give her Mom time.very hard to put down.to get the money