Stolen Angels was voted the 2008 best book by an Ottawa writer (fiction/non-fiction/poetry) by readers of Ottawa Xpress Magazine.
Stolen Angels was a finalist for the 2008 Ottawa Book Awards.
Reviews of Stolen Angels:
Elle Canada ranks Stolen Angels as one of its Top 3 Books of October 2007, calling it, "compellingly redemptive" and "horrifying".
“Stolen Angels is a book brimming with life-affirming lessons about the importance of love, faith, strength and perseverance in the face of seemingly overwhelming cruelty and adversity. Reporting about evil, and the triumph of goodness over evil, can change a person forever. I know that for a fact. And I also know that it takes incredible inner strength and skill to effectively convey those difficult emotions in a way that can also change others. You would have to be a stone not to be emotionally moved and changed by Stolen Angels. It is a testament to the power and importance of humanistic journalism in an increasingly desensitized world.” Chuck Rusnell, Edmonton Journal, Jan. 6, 2008 READ
“This is an important book that gives a voice to the children who endured savage cruelty and violence, yet managed to preserve a sense of dignity and personal worth. Cook synthesizes a large amount of information, crafting a coherent account of how fear, brutality and a lack of equality, combined with the power of international apathy, can create a human-rights disaster.” Elizabeth Hopkins, Winnipeg Free Press, Dec. 30, 2007 READ
“Is your teen niece skipping classes, inhaling whatever, and generally raising hell in a boring environment of suburban wealth and privilege? Does she have no idea of the advantages she's pissing away? Give her the riveting tale of 30 girls, aged 11 to 16, in Uganda who were kidnapped in 1996 and used as sex-slaves in Joseph Kony's Lord's Resistance Army of child soldiers. Much of the detail in this page-turner, by Ottawa-based journalist Kathy Cook, is drawn from survivor interviews that might just give your little Britney-wannabe some perspective.” The Tyee’s Guide to Book-Giving, Dec. 14, 2007. READ
“In her compelling new book, Stolen Angels, Ottawa journalist Kathy Cook tells the story of girls age 11 to 16 abducted from an elite convent school in Uganda in 1996. They were forced to spend the next eight years living in the bush as sex slaves to a gang of rebels, many of them also abducted child soldiers. But the story of Cook and her brave journey deep into this heart of darkness is also compelling . . .” - Judy Gerstel, Toronto Star, Dec. 13, 2007 READ
“Stolen Angels isn't like other books documenting humanitarian crises going on in the world today. Whereas many such books are more academic in nature, referring to the players and victims in a detached, third-person manner, Stolen Angels stands apart by its first-person voice and gripping narrative style, which makes the actors more three-dimensional than any academic description ever could.” ~Christina Leadlay, Embassy Magazine, Nov. 28, 2007 READ
“How can I thank you for the wonderful book you have written regarding the tragedy in Acholiland? Thank you also for the very kind praise of the Comboni Missionaries. You are a master story teller. . . I worked in the Kitgum area for nine years. Because you have done so well, I would like to meet you and have a good chat about the Acholi and Langi.” Rev. Paul Donohue, Comboni Missionaries Magazine, Ohio. READ
“I recommend the book, and not just because I had the good luck to be the host for the writers festival event. As a writer, I was impressed at Kathy's ability to organize massive amounts of research into a compelling story -- or rather, a set of small stories that fit into one very big story as easily and beautifully as Russian dolls.
If you want to understand what's going on in central Africa, this book is a good place to start.” Kate Heartfield, Editorial Board, Ottawa Citizen, Oct. 23, 2007
“The girls' story, now masterfully told by Ottawa writer Kathy Cook in Stolen Angels, makes for grim but gripping reading. What happened to Grace Grall and the others encompasses the moral absolutes of depravity and redemption.” Bruce Ward, Ottawa Citizen, Oct. 21, 2007:
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Ten Weeks On Canada’s Political Bestsellers list:
Stolen Angels spent ten weeks in the fall & winter of 2007/08 as a top 10 bestselling foreign policy and political science book in Canada.
*As reported by Booknet Canada
