Wednesday, October 25, 2017

Almost Gone by John Baldwin & Mackenzie Baldwin (Book Review)

*Disclosure of material connection- I received a copy of the book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own.

About the book-

This is the never-before-told, riveting true story about a teenage Christian girl who was seduced online by a charming young Muslim man from Kosovo, and her father who ultimately worked with the FBI to save her from disappearing forever.

Told from the viewpoint of both father and daughter, Almost Gone follows Mackenzie’s network of lies and deceit and her parents’ escalating bewilderment and alarm. More than a cautionary tale, this is the incredible story of unconditional parental love, unwavering faith, and how God helped a family save their daughter from a relationship that jeopardized not only her happiness, but also her safety.

My thoughts-


This was one intense book. I wanted to read Almost Gone because this happened right in my backyard. I live 20 minutes away from Plano, TX where Mackenzie Baldwin grew up and this situation went down. I commiserated with and felt deep empathy for her parents as I read from her father John's perspective and as these events unfolded for him and he and his wife figured out what was going on and had very little time to put a plan into place that would ultimately save their daughter from what could have been a very bad situation. I commend Mackenzie for being strong enough to share her story in hopes that it might help other girls her age from making the same mistakes. What I took away was to never assume your kids won't do something no matter how far fetched it is, no matter how many times you have told them not to or talked to them about the danger of things, even a smart kid at 17 or 18 years old can fall victim to the pitfalls of internet relationships. I was happy this story had a happy ending and the Baldwin's shared the whole thing, painful as it must be, to help others. I recommend this book to anyone who reads non-fiction.

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