1 out of 4 stars
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Kidnapped for a Lifetime is the first instalment of Robert Castro`s autobiography, a true story that covers the years from 1951 to 1966. One day in October 1951 Robert Castro was kidnapped by some unknown criminals and then he had been sold to the people who he calls “the host family”. In this book he describes the abuse he was suffering during the years of his captivity. He was denied food, he was badly beaten, he was admitted to hospitals against his wish, etc. etc. But he survived and, now in his eighties, he tells us his story. This is how I would begin the review of Kidnapped for a Lifetime if it was a true story. But it is not.
Fairly soon after I started reading the book I realised that I was presented with some literary scam. The book is not just a fraud; it seems to me that Robert Castro (or whatever is his name) deliberately cheats on us and enjoys his efforts. The book is a pack of lies. To begin with, Robert Castro states that he is the son of the late Doris Duke, a famous heiresses and philanthropist - the fact which could be easily checked and proved to be a lie or truth - but Robert Castro doesn`t care. Without permission, he takes the real facts from the life of real people (very famous people) and then presents them to his own advantage. He puts himself at the centre of the major political and social events in America and beyond. Before he was kidnapped, he claims, he was a great expert in spying and he had set up the Radio Free Europe. He gave $20,000 to Federico Fellini, so the great director could make his La Strada. Without Robert Castro Jimi Hendrix would not meet his fame. Bob Dylan must thank him for his name. Proudly, he states that he has many degrees in almost every possible subject - from archaeology to medical degrees, from music to architecture. It was he who had found the tomb of Tutankhamun, for instance. But there were always other people who had claimed his success and his wealth. That`s why he was kidnapped and tortured, he says. Oh, I almost forgot to mention: when Robert Castro was kidnapped, he had polio; he was so small he was sleeping in a baby crib; he had no teeth; he couldn`t talk. And, when he was kidnapped, he was carried in a bag.
To sum up, Robert Castro wants us to believe that he is a kind of superhero, to whom the universe should be grateful for its existence. At the same time, he wants us to believe that he is a troubled personality with the fractured mental state. But his attitude towards himself and towards the other people, his language and writing style show that he is not a victim, neither is he someone who suffers from some mental disadvantage. When I was reading a book, I had a feeling that Robert Castro was a narcissist who decided that it is not enough to talk to his own reflection in the mirror. The whole world must know what a fantastic person Robert Castro is and how much he is suffering from other, very brutal, people. As a result, we`ve got Kidnapped for a lifetime, the greatest fraud in non-fiction genre.
I said “the greatest fraud” in the previous paragraph. I must correct myself. The book is not great at all. There is no structure; no direction. There is no theme, apart from narrator`s profound narcissism and unexplained violence. The writing style is indescribable. In one scene Robert Castro witnesses a particularly brutal murder and then in the next sentence he writes: “I began studying the building foundations in my neighbourhood, I was wondering how old they were” (p.41). I had to stop reading and take a deep breath – I was so shocked with the transition between the scenes.
Kidnapped for a Lifetime is littered with so many grammatical mistakes and awkward sentences, it makes it almost unreadable. I cannot recommend this book to anyone. I fear that some emotionally sensitive people will believe in this highly unethical narration and that might do them harm. Sadly, I can only give the book 1 out of 4 stars.
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Kidnapped for a Lifetime
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