{"product_id":"if-i-am-missing-or-dead-a-sisters-story-of-love-murder-and-liberation-9780743296540","title":"If I Am Missing or Dead: A Sister's Story of Love, Murder, and Liberation","description":"\u003cb\u003eA heart-wrenching and beautifully crafted memoir about a woman who escaped years of domestic violence--and her sister, who did not.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn April 2002, Janine Latus's youngest sister, Amy, wrote a note and taped it to the inside of her desk drawer. \u003ci\u003eToday Ron Ball and I are romantically involved, \u003c\/i\u003e it read, \u003ci\u003ebut I fear I have placed myself at risk in a variety of ways. Based on his criminal past, writing this out just seems like the smart thing to do. If I am missing or dead this obviously has not protected me...\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThat same spring Janine Latus was struggling to leave her marriage--a marriage to a handsome and successful man. A marriage others emulated. A marriage in which she felt she could do nothing right and everything wrong. A marriage in which she felt afraid, controlled, inadequate, and trapped. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eTen weeks later, Janine Latus had left her marriage. She was on a business trip to the East Coast, savoring her freedom, attending a work conference, when she received a call from her sister Jane asking if she'd heard from Amy. Immediately, Janine's blood ran cold. Amy was missing. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Helicopters went up and search dogs went out. Coworkers and neighbors and family members plastered missing posters with Amy's picture across the county. It took more than two weeks to find Amy's body, wrapped in a tarpaulin and buried at a building site. It took nearly two years before her killer, her former boyfriend Ron Ball, was sentenced for her murder. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Amy died in silent fear and pain. Haunted by this, Janine Latus turned her journalistic eye inward. How, she wondered, did two seemingly well-adjusted, successful women end up in strings of physically or emotionally abusive relationships with men? \u003ci\u003eIf I Am Missing or Dead\u003c\/i\u003e is a heart-wrenching journey of discovery as Janine Latus traces the roots of her own -- and her sister's -- victimization with unflinching candor. This beautifully written memoir will move readers from the first to the last page. At once a confession, a call to break the cycle of abuse, and a deeply felt love letter to her baby sister, Amy Lynne Latus, \u003ci\u003eIf I Am Missing or Dead\u003c\/i\u003e is an unforgettable read.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJanine Latus is a freelance writer, radio commentator, and regular speaker on domestic abuse issues. She has also taught writing and journalism at several universities and is on the board of directors of the American Society of Journalists and Authors. She lives in Virginia. \u003ci\u003eIf I Am Missing or Dead\u003c\/i\u003e is her first book.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Simon \u0026 Schuster","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50615598121234,"sku":"9780743296540","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_c20101c8-323d-4780-bdce-b908e47c476b.jpg?v=1732495450","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/if-i-am-missing-or-dead-a-sisters-story-of-love-murder-and-liberation-9780743296540","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}