The Girl with No Name: The Incredible Story of a Child Raised by Monkeys

Marina Chapman

Apr 2013 · Open Road Media

About this ebook

The unbelievable true story of a young girl who is abandoned in the Colombian jungle and finds asylum in the most unlikely of places—with a troop of capuchin monkeys​

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.

Ratings and reviews

But I just read the sample. I can't pay for things on my tablet. Please make it free for the full book. It is interesting. I will rate five stars.

What an amazing story of human perseverance. It makes me so sad to hear how cruel people can be in our world, especially to the most vulnerable. It was a relief to see people show loving care, even when they, themselves, were put in harms way. I highly recommend this book.

A roller coaster of a whole range of emotions. Anger, disbelief, hope, love, courage and everything in between. A beautiful story. You will find yourself rooting for her at every turn and every paragraph and be shocked to see how cruel people can be. I missed the monkey family throughout the whole book. A must read.

About the author

Now married to an Englishman and living in Bradford, England, Marina Chapman plans to donate her share of the profits from this book to help finance charities that combat human trafficking and child slavery in Colombia. Co-author Lynne Barrett-Lee is based in Wales. Her first novel, Julia Gets a Life, was published by Bantam. Her most recent novel, Barefoot in the Dark, was shortlisted for the inaugural Melissa Nathan Award.