16 Apr Book Review: The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara: Tales of True Crime by Dara Rosen

This book dives into one of the most controversial and emotionally charged legal and religious dramas of the 19th century, retelling a real case that still sparks debate to this day. The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara is a true-crime account with the tone of historical journalism, unpacking not just the incident itself, but the social, political, and theological implications that rippled across Europe as a result. It’s not a sensationalist retelling—it’s thoughtful, unsettling, and layered with moral complexity. Even if you’re not usually a history buff, the human drama at the heart of this story is enough to keep the pages turning.

What’s it about?

In 1858, in the Papal States (a territory in what is now Italy, ruled by the Pope), a six-year-old Jewish boy named Edgardo Mortara was taken from his family by the Pope’s police. The reason? According to church officials, he had been secretly baptized as an infant by a Christian servant girl when he was sick, and under canon law at the time, a baptized child could not be raised by non-Catholics. The Church believed it had a divine duty to remove Edgardo from his Jewish parents and raise him in the Catholic faith.

This single event sparked international outrage. The Mortara family, heartbroken and desperate, began a years-long campaign to get their son back. Jewish communities across Europe and the United States rallied in protest. Politicians, intellectuals, and even royalty weighed in. But Pope Pius IX refused to return Edgardo, insisting that the salvation of the boy’s soul was more important than the rights of his parents or the public backlash. He personally took an interest in Edgardo’s upbringing, and the child was brought to Rome and educated in the Catholic tradition under the Pope’s watchful eye.

As Edgardo grew older, he became increasingly devoted to Catholicism. By the time he reached adulthood, he had chosen to become a priest himself, rejecting his Jewish heritage and embracing the Church that had once taken him by force. His parents, meanwhile, never stopped grieving for him.

The book doesn’t just recount the kidnapping—it explores the larger context of religious intolerance, the political landscape of pre-unification Italy, and the rise of modern ideas about religious freedom and the separation of church and state. The incident became a flashpoint in the struggle between liberal and conservative forces in Europe, and it played a significant role in shaping the public image of the Catholic Church during a time of intense change.

Dara Rosen’s retelling of this case is both detailed and accessible. She draws from historical records, letters, and contemporary accounts to build a picture of a deeply human tragedy that was also a symbol of much bigger societal forces. Through Edgardo’s story, she asks questions that still resonate today: What happens when religious doctrine clashes with parental rights? How far should a state—or a church—go in enforcing its beliefs? And how does a child reconcile love for his family with the indoctrination of the institution that separated him from them?

What This Chick Thinks

The emotional tension in this story is huge. I kept thinking about how small Edgardo was—six years old—and how powerless his parents must have felt. There’s a kind of horror in the bureaucracy of it all. The Church wasn’t acting out of hatred, but out of a belief that it was doing the right thing. That’s what makes it even more chilling. It wasn’t a crime of passion or profit—it was a crime of conviction.

The book’s strength is that it doesn’t paint in black and white. It makes room for the reader to understand how people on all sides believed they were doing the right thing, even when those beliefs caused irreparable harm. Pope Pius IX, for instance, isn’t depicted as a cartoonish villain. He truly believed he was saving a soul. But Rosen doesn’t let him off the hook either—she shows the cost of that certainty, the damage it did to the Mortara family, and the way it hurt the Church’s reputation in the eyes of a changing world.

What I also appreciated was how relevant this story still feels. The themes—religious freedom, the rights of parents, the authority of institutions over individuals—haven’t gone away. If anything, they’ve only grown more complicated. This case from 150 years ago still echoes in debates we’re having now, which makes the book feel both historical and deeply contemporary.

Final Thoughts

The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara is a powerful example of how a single event can reflect the deepest tensions in society. It’s part history, part true crime, and part moral inquiry, and it handles each of those aspects with care and clarity. Even if you go in knowing the broad strokes of the story, the emotional and ethical weight of it still hits hard.

Rating: 8.5/10

Try it if you like

• In Cold Blood by Truman Capote – For readers who like true crime with literary weight and emotional complexity.
• The Pope and Mussolini by David I. Kertzer – Another look at the Catholic Church’s role in politics and moral controversy.
• Devil in the Grove by Gilbert King – A historical legal drama that explores systemic injustice and individual courage.