Those of you who’ve followed my site over the years may be aware that I have only ever received one (minor) perk from my creation of the site: referral fees from Amazon.Com for books bought through my aStore (The Library Eclectica). I used those funds (which came to about $10 a month) to purchase books to stock up the morbid fact coffers. However, thanks to my current state of Illinois and my old state of California both passing internet sales tax laws, I can no longer earn referral funds, so that perk is gone. Consequently, I’ll soon be redesigning The Library Eclectica to change it from an aStore format back to a page on my site, although I’ll probably still link the books to Amazon.Com because A) I like it and B) they have good information and reviews of the books. I just wanted everyone to be aware in case you’ve been reluctant to purchase anything through the links because you didn’t want to contribute to my coffers, that my coffers are empty now.
Now that that’s out of the way, I want to tell you about an exceptional book I just read!
Wretched Recommendations!
The Road Out of Hell: Sanford Clark and the True Story of the Wineville Murders
by Anthony Flacco
(Available on Kindle too!)
An absolutely compelling account of the unbearable plight of Sanford Clark – who, at the age of 13, was given by his callous mother to his Uncle Stewart (the infamous “ape boy” Gordon Stewart Northcott) to help him tend a chicken farm he was starting in Southern California. After being smuggled out of his Canadian homeland to the remote Wineville, California farm, Sanford learns the horrifying truth: that his sophisticated, pianist Uncle Stewart is a sadistic rapist and murderer of young boys who started up the farm to provide the isolation he needed to carry on his activities. Sanford is raped and beaten repeatedly by his uncle over the course of the two years he spends on the farm, and is forced to bury the bodies of his uncle’s young victims. At one point, he is even forced to take part in one of the murders by his uncle and his grandmother (Stewart’s mother, who doted over her perfect boy to the point where she covered up his crimes for him). Obviously, the weight of all this activity is forever seared on Sanford’s mind and he considers himself evil and thinks that he deserves to be punished and eventually killed by Stewart. He thinks of trying to escape … but this was the 1920’s. He was an illegal alien in the country. Even if he wasn’t jailed for that, if he said that Stewart beat him, the response would be, “You probably deserved it” and he’d be taken back and killed for his disobedience. And he couldn’t possibly admit to the rapes! Talk about a taboo subject. And the murders… would they believe him? Could he risk them not believing him? So he stayed there, used and abused, and resigned to his eventual demise.
But, unlike 30 or more other children, Sanford didn’t die – he was rescued by his older sister, who scrimped and saved to pay for a ticket down to the ranch to check up on him after becoming suspicious that his letters were being ghostwritten by Northcott. She puts an end to the carnage and Sanford is a key witness against Northcott in the trial. Afterwards, against the odds, Sanford goes on to become a wonderful husband and father and lives a long, fulfilling life of charity and goodness, despite the paralyzing bouts of depression and guilt that hit him periodically.
This was one of those books that I couldn’t put down – and if I’d had the time I would have read it in one sitting. The author does a brilliant job of putting us in Sanford’s position – a boy whose mother has betrayed him, whose father refuses to stand up for him, whose grandparents treat him like a pariah, and who is savagely abused by his “caretaker” uncle. It is easy to condemn him for not “rebelling” against his uncle and saving the lives of other boys, but how resilient would any of us be in the same situation – when not a single soul on earth (except your sister who lives a thousand miles away) has ever supported you or been worthy of your trust? Ultimately, the book is a story of survival against steep odds and the ultimate victory of one small human being against a darkness that tried desperately to destroy his heart. Highly recommended. 5/5
I read this in one night- laid down to read a bit before bed, and next thing I knew the sun was coming up and I was on the last chapter. It’s one of those books when describing it all I can say is “There’s absolutely NOTHING good about this book, but it was one of the best books I’ve read in ages.”
Sad day!! The last 2 books I bought from amazon (These Children Who Come at You With Knives, and 5 People Who Died During Sex) I went through your links. 🙂
Glad you got to read this, I knew it would be right up your alley.
The sad irony of it is, once Sanford’s sister finally made it down to California, things happened very quickly, and Sanford was treated very well by the state, they really went out of their way to help him.
It sounds like a good book, but I have problems reading about violence towards children-is it very graphic?
I’ve read this book also, impossible to put down! I kept yelling at the boy & then the uncle, the father, etc. as if they could hear me. It was an awful story but a well-written one. I watch Criminal Minds and an episode was on that was (to me, anyway) eerily similar to this story. It makes you wonder why death-row inmates have to go through an appeals process when we can just take them out back, stand them against a wall & put a bullet in their brain!
Yeah, it’s pretty graphic.
Thanks, Aimee. I might have to skip this one.
Sue, I wanted to take Sanford by the shoulders and shake him till his teeth rattled. I felt sorry for him, but also impatience. Obviously he was a very passive person even before all this, if he had any of his sister’s spirit Northcott would never have wanted to take him along.
It got me thinking about the concept of bravery and courage too. Sanford had a lot of inner strength, if he didn’t he would have never recovered from his ordeal and led the kind of life he was able to have. He could never have been a war hero.
But at the same time, it seems that true courage/bravery isn’t about not being afraid. Isn’t it more about being afraid but taking a risk anyway? Moving forward in spite of your fear?
Contrast Sanford Clark with one of the MFJD’s from last summer, a girl of eight who was kidnapped by Indians in California back in the 1800’s. She saw them kill her little brothers, was threatened with death herself, yet she took a long chance and made her escape. That took real courage, to make a break for it when she knew very well that she would die if she failed.
I also read this book in one long night. After a point, I turned all the lights on. I have never had to do that. “Scary movies” don’t scare me and I don’t get freaked by most things; however, this book, Sanford’s experience, shook me hard. True evil, really pure undiluted evil… I have been reduced to sitting here blankly thinking profane gibberish–“holy fuck…Jesus…Shit…fucking hell.”