The Birthday Party A Memoir of Survival Author:Stanley N. Alpert On January 21, 1998, the night before his thirty-eighth birthday, federal prosecutor Stanley Alpert was kidnapped off the streets of Manhattan. This is the story of what happened next. . . . Alpert was taken by a carful of gun-toting thugs looking to use his ATM card, but when they learned his bank balance the plan changed. They took him, blind... more »folded with his own scarf, to a Brooklyn apartment, with the idea of going to a bank the next day and withdrawing most of his money. But the later it got, the more the plan changed again . . . and again . . . as his captors alternately held guns to his head, threatened his family, engaged him in discussions of "gangsta" philosophy, sought his legal advice, and, once they learned it was his birthday, offered him sexual favors from their prostitute girlfriends as a "birthday present." All the while, Alpert, still blindfolded, talked with them, played on their attitudes and fears, tried to figure out where their mood swings would take them next, and memorized every detail he could in the event that he ever managed to get out of there alive. In the meantime, his friends and law enforcement colleagues, worried that they hadn't heard from him, launched a major police and FBI investigation. It, too, would take many twists and turns before it was done-and some of them would be very strange indeed. Filled with immediacy, drama, and extraordinary characters, told not only from Alpert's memory and notes but from police reports, interviews with NYPD detectives, FBI agents, and witnesses, videotaped confessions, and court records, The Birthday Party reads like a thriller-but every word is true.« less
This memoir is the story of Stanley Alpert who was abducted and thankfully lived to write about his experience. This is a fast read and despite the subject is very enjoyable.
I really loved this book. I absolutely love Stanley--how can a man this kind with so much going for him, be single. He has so many friends who love him and the people who kidnapped him even saw what a wonderful kind person he is. I do have to tell you though--this is one strange story of kidnapping. I almost laughed in some spots. I almost liked the kidnappers too, almost. This was a great read.
This was an incredible book. The details of his ordeal were amazing and the fact that he adds humor to such a horrible crime made this even more interesting. A quick read, highly recommend it.
I had first seen the story of Stanley Alpert on an episode of 48 Hours Mystery awhile back. I was quite intrigued by the story of a federal prosecutor kidnapped on the streets of New York City. When the show hinted that some did not believe the story, I was hooked and had to read the story for myself first hand, so at the end when 48 Hours showed the title of the book he wrote, I put it on my to read list.
The Birthday Party: A Memoir of Survival is the autobiographical account of the kidnapping of Stanley Alpert, a US Assistant District Attorney in New York. After spending the evening with a new female acquaintance, grabbing some cookies and a novel from a local store, walking the lady home, and then sauntering his way home himself, Mr. Alpert was kidnapped at gunpoint by 3 assailants. The idea was that he would be held for a short time while the suspects withdrew money using his ATM card. When the suspects found out how much money he had in his savings account, plans changed. Ironically, the day after the abduction was the victims birthday, which led to no one seriously questioning his absence until almost 24 hours after the abduction. The book discusses the events prior to the kidnapping, the bizarre details of being held captive, and the prosecution of the abductors after the events.
The book did offer a surprisingly descriptive account of what occurred throughout the ordeal and afterward. I was captivated and did not want to put the book down once the action started. However, I found that the book trailed off dramatically once the victim was released. The post kidnapping was a few pages shy of half the book and while I found the behind the scenes view of the criminal investigation and prosecution interesting, the second half of the book was really a let down after an incredibly interesting first half. I am not faulting the author, it is just that sometimes portions of a non-fiction story are not that interesting.
I found the book to be an uneven combination of riveting action and lackluster details of the prosecution. The writing is basic, but descriptive. I thought the very end when the author discusses his current outlook on life to be very touching and did make me look at myself and ask what was really important. I think the book did offer some significant insight on how to conduct yourself when faced with a kidnapping/hostage situation. I am not saying that the book is a must read for this reason, but a thing or two could be learned from the authors experiences.
Overall, I though this was a solid book that I did enjoy reading. If you are a true crime fan, I think this book is definitely worth the read. The events that unfolded throughout the ordeal really does make for a bizarre story and I could see why some might have questioned if the events really did occur.
Connie A. (jazzysmom) - 
