Blurb:
The poignant story of a girl who overcomes unique hardship and deprivation - growing up with a troop of capuchin monkeys - to find ultimate redemption.
In 1954, in a remote mountain village in South America, a little girl was abducted. She was four years old. Marina Chapman was stolen from her housing estate and then abandoned deep in the Colombian jungle. That she survived is a miracle. Two days later, half-drugged, terrified, and starving, she came upon a troop of capuchin monkeys. Acting entirely on instinct, she tried to do what they did: she ate what they ate and copied their actions, and little by little, learned to fend for herself.
So begins the story of her five years among the monkeys, during which time she gradually became feral; she lost the ability to speak, lost all inhibition, lost any real sense of being human, replacing the structure of human society with the social mores of her new simian family. But society was eventually to reclaim her. At age ten she was discovered by a pair of hunters who took her to the lawless Colombian city of Cucuta where, in exchange for a parrot, they sold her to a brothel. When she learned that she was to be groomed for prostitution, she made her plans to escape. But her adventure wasn’t over yet...
In the vein of "Slumdog Millionaire" and "City of God," this rousing story of a lost child who overcomes the dangers of the wild and the brutality of the streets to finally reclaim her life will astonish readers everywhere.
Meet Marina:
Marina Chapman was born in Colombia, South America, around 1950. Her real date and exact location of birth are unknown. As a young girl, she was kidnapped from her home in Colombia and abandoned in the wild jungle, where she lived alone for around five years with a family of monkeys.
On escaping the jungle, she faced many more adventures. You can read all about her story in the book 'The Girl With No Name', which will be published worldwide.
Marina has now made her home in Bradford, where she has lived since she was 27. Her greatest joy in life is being a grandmother to three, a mother to two daughters, and a wife of thirty-five years.
One on One with Marina:
Hi Mrs. Chapman let me first say its an honor to have you stop by and visit with us today. Your story is an amazing one and certainly one I don't think ill ever forget. Lets get start with the interview shall we.
1. Please tell us a little about yourself?
I'm an ordinary housewife, I cook meals for 60 children in a nursery, I like walking in the woods with my husband and occasionally climb a tree if I'm allowed.
2.Based on the book we know you don't recall where your from originally but you believe Colombia. How did you come to the conclusion?
Because i only remember Colombian cities
3.I know many people have been skeptics even critics of your story based your age when you were abducted and the detail with which your story was told. How do you feel about this?
Just can't do anything about it. You can't make people believe it. I almost didn't want to write the book.
4. From the book we also learned that your childhood memories before the kidnapping are few. After all these years have you been able to remember anything?
4. From the book we also learned that your childhood memories before the kidnapping are few. After all these years have you been able to remember anything?
I tried many times, but it doesn't seem to happen
5. Have you attempted to research your family/village? If so what have you found?
I have. i think I was from a place called Boyaca.
6. How long were you in the jungle before the monkeys appeared and what where you thinking when you first saw them?
I can't remember exactly, I had no sense of time, birthdays or hygiene. I was a bit frightened when the monkeys came towards me.
7. What is your most memorable moment of living with the monkeys?
When the monkey landed on my shoulders. I liked it when he played with my hair and showed affection with touch.
8. After you escaped the jungle life's hardships continued for you. You were part of a brothel etc.. What was it like for you going from one bad situation to another?
There's some things in life you don't know how to do, you just have to carry on with it. It's not very nice but you have to carry on. there's no solution or a way out in your head.
9. After all you have experienced in your lifetime, what lessons has life taught you?
Life taught me to be tough and to get on with your life. Life is too short, make the most of what you've got left.
Life taught me to be tough and to get on with your life. Life is too short, make the most of what you've got left.
10. What made you finally decide to share your amazing story with the world?
I didn't want to do it because it was embarassing. My daughters decided to pursue it before I became forgetful.
11. For all of our readers that are romance lovers, please tell us in 30 words or less the love story of you and your husband?
The first time I saw him, he had a mustache and wore a crucifix pendant, he looked like a hippy. I fell in love with his white medical coat he used to wear for work. It felt right.
The first time I saw him, he had a mustache and wore a crucifix pendant, he looked like a hippy. I fell in love with his white medical coat he used to wear for work. It felt right.
12. Despite everything you lived through,you were able to overcome a nightmare many wouldn't have survived. You are now a wife, mother and grandmother. For the people reading your story, what is one thing you want readers to take away from life's journey?
Make the most of your family. Family is the only thing that's left for you when everything else is gone.
Thank you Mrs. Chapman for stopping by to chat with us.
Cheers,
Dr.Books
