Tonawanda News

Lifestyle

July 13, 2009

BOOK REVIEW: Real-life missing child at center of ‘After Etan’

One minute. Maybe less. You can’t even say you turned your back. You only glanced at something there, admired something here, and in that breath of time when your eyes were elsewhere, your child disappeared.

You couldn’t think but your mind raced. You couldn’t speak, but you screamed his name. When your child is missing — even for 15 seconds — it’s not anywhere near your worst nightmare.

It goes way beyond that.

In the new book “After Etan” by Lisa R. Cohen, you’ll read the true account of a child’s disappearance 30 years ago, how it affects us even now and why you should still be concerned.

It was May 25, 1979, the school year was almost over and for months Etan Patz had begged his mother for more independence. Finally relenting, figuring that she could keep a long eye on him in the two-block distance between their apartment and the school bus stop, Julie Patz allowed Etan to walk himself to the corner.

She watched him for a few minutes then returned inside, confident that he’d be fine. But 6-year-old Etan never made it to school.

This being a time before Amber Alerts, missing child databases or even little faces on milk cartons, the Patzs’ friends and neighbors quickly mobilized and began a search. The police were contacted, and door-to-door canvassing was done. “Missing” posters were hung on every corner in Manhattan. Everyone even remotely connected to the Patz family was interviewed, but Etan had seemingly vanished without a trace.

But the trace was there.

Three years after Etan went missing, prosecutor Stuart GraBois moved into the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of New York. GraBois was relentless, and with the backing of then-mayor Rudy Giuliani, he sunk his teeth into the Patz case. Starting from scratch, GraBois re-interviewed everyone and pored over boxes of documents. He chased every clue, even ones out of the country. His persistence made enemies, including Etan’s parents.

But GraBois had a reason for the digging: He knew that 6-year-old boys didn’t just disappear on their own.

He also knew that monsters really do exist.

Officially, Etan’s disappearance hasn’t been solved, but Cohen leads readers to a possible conclusion shared by many, including Etan’s father. Along the way, Cohen spins a tale that’s horrifying in the brutality of the crime, fascinating in the way it changed our national and local treatment of missing child cases, and thrilling in the jailhouse and legal maneuvers meant to catch the man GraBois said made a “90 percent confession.”

As a coup de grace to her tale, Cohen reminds us that this suspect, now behind bars, may be released from prison in the not-too-distant future.

Legal thriller and true crime fans will race through this real story. If you’re looking for a keep-you-up-all-night book, this is one to grab because although it’s going to make parents cringe, cringe again and hug their children tight, missing “After Etan” would be a crime.



IF YOU READ

• WHAT: “After Etan”

• BY: Lisa R. Cohen

• DETAILS: Published by Grand Central Publishing, 379 pages

• GRADE: A

Text Only
Lifestyle
  • adamczyk, ed Stories from the neighborhood, and the concentration camp

    The person with a haunted past is a familiar and reliable trope in literature and film, and perhaps all of us have something about which to be haunted. A book by Lewiston resident Joseph Leary, “Klara,” sharply explains a story of past misdeeds in a well-written and evocative novel.

    May 21, 2012 1 Photo

  • Some tips for the fathers-to-be

    All of a sudden, I’m getting to feel like a bit of an ol’ pro at this fatherhood thing.

    May 21, 2012

  • Jill Keppeler Clueless and late to the garden party

    The more I get into this whole gardening thing, the more I realize how much I don’t know.

    It started not long after I finished my first “Clueless Gardener” column, when I walked into a store with the idea of making some gardening purchases. Seeds, I thought. Maybe some plants to transplant. But mainly, seeds. That’s kind of the point of a garden, right?

    May 21, 2012 1 Photo

  • crittercompanions2012.jpg Easy ways to enrich your pet's life and help the environment

    The day has come were my finely articulated words have been placed on the bottom of my bird cage to be soiled upon. Sure, it was funny when it was Joe Biden’s face or another writer’s work. But mine? So cruel. So proud.

    May 21, 2012 1 Photo

  • 120215 COPPER2.jpg All that glimmers

    Even during a drizzly February day, Gleam & Glimmer Stained Glass Studio is full of light.
    It shines through the stained glass pieces in the front of the Webster Street shop, glances off mosaics and jewelry and lands on the works in progress in the studio area, where students can learn to create their own multi-colored art.
    That’s exactly the way co-owner Suzanne Todaro likes it.

    March 8, 2012 1 Photo

  • Danielle Haynes mug HAYNES: Sizing up the Oscars

    The big show is tonight and for the first time in my life, I have managed to catch every single movie nominated for the best picture award.

    February 25, 2012 1 Photo

  • PopcornBar.jpg COLUMN: Make your popcorn red carpet-worthy

    Annual movie award shows are the perfect excuse for hosting a party.

    February 25, 2012 1 Photo

  • 120215 chocolate pie1.jpg HAYNES: Celebrating the Oscars with a little 'Help' in the kitchen

    February 25, 2012 1 Photo

  • 111215 CHRISTMAS WORK1.jpg Someone's gotta do it

    Even though it's Christmas, emergency and health personnel still have to work

    December 28, 2011 3 Photos

  • 111214 hanukkah.jpg Celebrating another winter holiday, with lights

    Jewish community observing fifth day of eight-day festival of Hanukkah.

    December 28, 2011 1 Photo

Featured Ads
AP Video
Raw Video: Gay Protest Blocked in Moscow Vatican in Chaos After Butler Arrested for Leaks Jimmy Carter Endorses Egypt's Election Results Biden Addresses West Point Graduating Class Dozens of Children Killed in New Syria Attack Raw Video: Activists Allege Massacre in Syria NJ Man Charged With Murder in Death of Patz Support, Fun for Kids of Fallen Soldiers at Camp Fugitive Penguin Caught, Returned to Aquarium 50 Years Later, Underground Fire Still Burning Light Show Transforms Sydney Opera House Raw Video: Unruly Passenger Restrained in Miami Raw Video: Robber Uses Drive-thru Window Raw Video: Dragon Arrives at Space Station Calif.'s Coronado Named Nation's Best Beach CEO Salaries Become Sore Issue in Labor Disputes
Community Calendar
Loading…
Events by eviesays.com
Seasonal Content
Hyperlocal Search
Premier Guide
Find a business

Walking Fingers
Maps, Menus, Store hours, Coupons, and more...
Premier Guide
Popular Searches
Powered by Local.com
Front page
Twitter Updates
Follow me on Twitter