Stolen by Katariina Rosenblatt, PhD with Cecil Murphey

There is HOPE, even on the darkest of days…

A twelve year old girl—verbally, mentally, physically, and sexually abused—walks into a church in 1985, hears the word of God preached by Billy Graham, and gives her life to Christ during the invitation where Mr. Graham points his finger at her and says, “Remember this: God will never leave you or forsake you.” Little did this girl, or Billy Graham, know how special those words would become to her a year later when she was naively lured into sex trafficking.

Katariina Rosenblatt was a lonely and abused young girl, yearning to be loved, wanting attention. That made her the perfect target. On an ordinary day, she met a confident young woman—someone Kat wished she could be like—who pretended to be a friend while slowly luring her into a child trafficking ring. A cycle of false friendships, threats, drugs, and violence kept her trapped.

As Kat shares her harrowing experiences, her ultimate escape, and her passionate efforts to now free other victims, you’ll see that not only is sex trafficking happening frighteningly close to home—it’s also something that can be stopped. Stolen is a warning, a celebration of survival, and a beacon of hope that will inspire you.

Authors: Katariina Rosenblatt and Cecil Murphey

Publisher: Revell, 2014

Cover art: Design Source Creative Services

My Review

Tears fell from my eyes as I read Katariina’s story, both happy and sad. Joyous for her survival and amazement at how merciful God is. Grieved for everything she endured and how frighteningly real and more common sex trafficking is becoming. I rarely read anything that’s not fiction, and I write contemporary romance so why did I choose this book? I chose this book because I’m a Sunday school teacher to a group of pre-teen girls, many of whom live in abusive situations and ride the bus to church. I want to be aware of child predators so not only can I protect my own children, but so I can help protect other children as well. Human trafficking is on a steady rise and as much as I’d like to pretend it doesn’t happen, it does. Billy Graham had no way of knowing how his words to Katariina would pull her through the toughest times in her life. How his words would point her to Jesus, the Light in the darkness, the Hope in a hopeless situation. A situation most don’t survive. Our cause for Christ has a purpose.

I recommend this book to anyone with children, especially girls. I also recommend this book to anyone who works with children. Get to know the facts, know the signs. Are parts of this book difficult to read? Yes, but they’re vital to learning the truth. I appreciate Katariina for sharing her story with the world, which I’m sure wasn’t easy, and for her continuous effort in helping other victims.

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Katariina Rosenblatt, LLM, PhD, is living proof of the promise she heard long ago at a Billy Graham crusade that God would never forsake her. Katariina has a PhD in conflict analysis and resolution and an LLM graduate law degree in intercultural human rights, and she works closely with law enforcement agencies such as the FBI and Homeland Security to eliminate human slavery. She also founded Stolen Ones—There Is H.O.P.E. For Me, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to freeing other victims of human trafficking. For more information, visit www.StolenOnes.com. She lives in Florida.

Cecil Murphey has written or coauthored more than 130 books, including the bestselling 90 Minutes in Heaven with Don Piper and the autobiography of Franklin Graham, Rebel with a Cause. He was a collaborator on the bestseller Gifted Hands with Dr. Ben Carson. Cecil resides in Georgia.