is Stolen: The True Story of a Sex Trafficking Survivor by Katariina Rosenblatt PhD, Cecil Murphey good if i want to understand sex trafficking in the US

It's a strong entry point for understanding the human reality of domestic sex trafficking, particularly because the book explicitly challenges the assumption that this is a problem exclusive to other countries or communities. The review notes it draws on figures like the estimate that up to 90 percent of victims are never rescued to frame why Rosenblatt's survival is statistically exceptional — though readers wanting deep policy or legislative analysis should treat it as a complement to, not a replacement for, that kind of resource.

BOOKS

Katariina Rosenblatt PhD

About This Author

Cecil Murphey

About This Author

Published

March 22, 2026

Read Time

3 min read

$17.81 on Amazon

Featured In

5 Books Experiencing a Cultural Resurgence Worth Rediscovering

Curated & edited by

LuvemBooks Editorial

How we create our reviews →

Share This Review

Stolen: The True Story of a Sex Trafficking Survivor by Katariina Rosenblatt PhD & Cecil Murphey Review: A Harrowing, Hope-Filled Survivor Memoir

Stolen is a memoir co-authored by Katariina Rosenblatt, PhD, and Cecil Murphey that recounts Rosenblatt's firsthand experience of being recruited into sex trafficking as a child — and escaping more than once. Published by Revell in 2014, it functions simultaneously as a personal testimony, a sobering look at a widespread domestic crisis, and a message of survival and faith. Rosenblatt's subsequent work with the FBI, Homeland Security, and her own nonprofit organization, There Is Hope For Me, Inc., gives the account a dimension that extends well beyond the page.

LuvemBooks Verdict

Best for

Readers motivated by both personal empathy and practical concern — survivors, anti-trafficking advocates, faith community members, educators, and professionals working with law enforcement or nonprofits — who want a survivor-authored testimony grounded in lived experience and active advocacy.

Worth it if

The faith framework central to Rosenblatt's testimony resonates with you, or you are looking for a first-person account that bridges survivor experience, credentialed scholarship, and real-world anti-trafficking work.

Skip if

You are seeking a secular, policy-focused, or clinically comprehensive survey of sex trafficking — this memoir is personal testimony first, and should be paired with other resources for a fuller analytical picture.

What readers & critics say

At Christianbook.com, Stolen holds a 4.5-out-of-5-star rating across reader reviews, reflecting strong reception within its core readership. Book blogger Beverly Lynn T. (beverlylynnt.wordpress.com) describes it as "a warning, a celebration of survival, and a beacon of hope that will inspire," noting the book's three distinct sections moving from personal story through to advocacy.

Sources: Christianbook.com, Beverly Lynn T. (beverlylynnt.wordpress.com)

4.2from 699 Amazon ratings— reader ratings, not a LuvemBooks score

Trending Now

Cultural Resurgence

Stolen: The True Story of a Sex Trafficking Survivor by Katariina Rosenblatt PhD, Cecil Murphey is Trending

True Crime and Kidnapping Stories Are Having a Moment — and This Memoir Fits Right In

With several true-story kidnapping and abduction dramas landing on Netflix and Disney+ in recent weeks, readers are seeking out first-person accounts that go deeper than what a TV movie can cover. Katariina Rosenblatt's memoir is exactly that kind of book.

A cluster of true-crime kidnapping stories has hit streaming platforms recently — 'Hoax: The Kidnapping of Sherri Papini' arrived on Netflix about a month ago, 'Stolen Baby: The Murder of Heidi Broussard' was added to Netflix in 2026, and 'The Stolen Girl,' a British crime drama on Disney+, dropped just days ago. That's a lot of abduction-focused content in a short window, and it's putting readers in the headspace to look for real accounts that dig into these issues on a more personal level.

That's where Katariina Rosenblatt's memoir comes back into the conversation. Unlike a dramatized TV movie, 'Stolen' is a firsthand account from a survivor who was recruited into sex trafficking as a child — and who went on to work with the FBI and Homeland Security and found her own nonprofit. It's the kind of book that answers the questions a 90-minute film can't, and it carries real weight because Rosenblatt lived it.

If you've been watching any of these recent true-crime dramas and want something with more depth, this is a natural next read. It's not an easy book, but it's an important one — and it holds up well over a decade after its original publication.

Updated Jun 17, 2026

In This Review

What Works & What Doesn't
What the Book Is and What It Recounts
The Scope of the Crisis It Contextualizes
The Credibility Rosenblatt and Murphey Bring
The Faith Dimension and Its Implications for Audience
Reception and Who the Book Is Genuinely For

What Works & What Doesn't

What Works

Rosenblatt's dual standing as both a survivor and a credentialed PhD in conflict analysis and resolution lends the memoir exceptional authority and depth
Co-author Cecil Murphey brings a track record of more than 130 books, including major bestsellers, ensuring the narrative is shaped with craft and accessibility in mind
The book situates one personal story within the documented scale of the domestic sex trafficking crisis, giving individual testimony broader social weight
Rosenblatt's ongoing work with the FBI, Homeland Security, and her own nonprofit organization gives the account a practical, advocacy-driven dimension that extends beyond memoir
Publisher Revell frames the book as a message of genuine hope, making it relevant to faith communities, advocates, and professionals alongside general readers

What Doesn't

The memoir's faith framework — rooted in Rosenblatt's Christian testimony and published by a Christian imprint — is central to its message, which may not align with all readers' expectations or perspectives
Readers seeking a policy-focused or clinically comprehensive treatment of sex trafficking will find this memoir is a personal testimony first, and should pair it with other resources for a fuller picture

A memoir of survival grounded in documented, lived experience, Stolen positions itself not merely as a cautionary account but, in the publisher's own framing, as "a celebration of survival that will inspire."

What the Book Is and What It Recounts

Back cover with synopsis, author biography, and publisher information about a sex trafficking survival memoir.

Stolen: The True Story of a Sex Trafficking Survivor is a memoir co-authored by Katariina Rosenblatt, PhD, and veteran collaborator Cecil Murphey, published by Revell on October 7, 2014. It is not a novel or a journalistic investigation but a first-person true account drawn from Rosenblatt's own life. The narrative begins with a specific, documented entry point: Rosenblatt, already a lonely and abused young girl yearning to be loved, was first recruited into the sex trade while staying with her family at a hotel in Miami Beach. From that initial act of misplaced trust, the book traces her path through a cycle of exploitation — and, crucially, her escapes. The publishers describe the account as the story of one survivor who escaped more than once, a detail that structures the memoir's arc around persistence and survival rather than victimhood alone.

The Scope of the Crisis It Contextualizes

One of the memoir's defining qualities is that it situates Rosenblatt's individual story within the documented scale of a domestic crisis. The book draws attention to estimates that approximately 300,000 American children are at risk of being lured into the sex trade each year — some as young as eight years old — and that up to 90 percent of victims are never rescued. These are not abstractions invented for dramatic effect but figures the book uses to frame why Rosenblatt's survival is statistically exceptional and why her willingness to tell her story carries urgency. Sex trafficking is not, as the book explicitly acknowledges, a problem exclusive to other countries or other communities. This framing makes Stolen relevant to readers across a wide range of contexts: advocates, educators, parents, policymakers, and faith communities.

The Credibility Rosenblatt and Murphey Bring

The authorial partnership is a genuine asset to the book's authority. Rosenblatt holds a PhD in conflict analysis and resolution, and she works directly with law enforcement agencies including the FBI and Homeland Security on efforts to combat human slavery. She is also the founder of There Is Hope For Me, Inc. (ThereIsHopeForMe.org), a nonprofit organization dedicated to freeing other victims of human trafficking. This combination — survivor, credentialed scholar, active practitioner — means the memoir operates on multiple registers at once: visceral personal testimony and informed advocacy. Cecil Murphey, her co-author, brings extensive experience to the collaboration, having written or co-authored more than 130 books, including the bestselling 90 Minutes in Heaven with Don Piper and the autobiography of Franklin Graham, Rebel with a Cause. Murphey's background in shaping survivor and faith-based narratives for a broad readership is directly relevant here.

The Faith Dimension and Its Implications for Audience

Stolen carries a clearly expressed faith dimension that is central rather than incidental to its message. Rosenblatt is described by the publisher as "living proof of the promise she heard long ago at a Billy Graham crusade that God would never forsake her," and the book's sense of hope is explicitly rooted in that spiritual framework. Published by Revell — an imprint known for Christian nonfiction — the memoir is designed to resonate with faith-motivated readers, and that context informs both its tone and its conclusion. Readers approaching the book from a secular perspective will encounter a theological through-line that is woven throughout the narrative; for some, that will deepen the emotional resonance, while others may wish for a more secular framing of the advocacy and recovery dimensions. This is not a flaw in the book's construction so much as a clarity about its intended community.

Reception and Who the Book Is Genuinely For

At Christianbook.com, Stolen holds a 4.5-out-of-5-star rating, reflecting strong reception within its core readership. The publisher describes it as "more than a warning" — positioning it as a work of inspiration alongside its function as testimony and public awareness tool. That dual purpose makes the book well suited to readers motivated by both personal empathy and practical concern: survivors seeking to see their experiences reflected, advocates and professionals working in anti-trafficking contexts, and faith community members looking for substantive engagement with a serious social issue. It is not a clinical or policy-focused text, and readers seeking a comprehensive statistical or legislative survey of human trafficking will find this memoir complements rather than replaces that kind of resource. What Stolen offers that few policy documents can is the irreducible weight of a specific, documented human life — and the fact that its author went on to spend that life working to spare others the same fate.

Sources & Further Reading

The key facts and claims in this review are grounded in the retrieved, verified sources listed below.

Cited in this review
1
Stolen: The True Story of a Sex Trafficking Survivor: Katariina Rosenblatt, Cecil Murphey: 9780800723453 - Christianbook.com
christianbook.com
2
Stolen: The True Story of a Sex Trafficking Survivor
everand.com
3
Stolen: The True Story of a Sex Trafficking Survivor - Katariina Rosenblatt PhD; Murphey, Cecil: 9780800723453 - AbeBooks
abebooks.com
Further reading
4
Stolen: The True Story of a Sex Trafficking Survivor by Katariina Rosenblatt, Cecil Murphey, Paperback | Barnes & Noble®
barnesandnoble.com
5
Stolen: The True Story of a Sex Trafficking Survivor - Katariina Rosenblatt, PhD, Cecil Murphey - Google Books
books.google.com

Related Reviews

Reviews of books we picked for readers who enjoyed Stolen.

In our catalogue

In Order to Live: A North Korean Girl's Journey to Freedom

Yeonmi Park, Maryanne Vollers

Survivor-authored escape memoir where a young woman's trafficking ordeal fuels a lifelong human-rights mission — same testimony-plus-advocacy arc as Stolen.