--- product_id: 3964538 title: "The Road Through Wonderland: Surviving John Holmes" price: "B/.63" currency: PAB in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.com.pa/products/3964538-the-road-through-wonderland-surviving-john-holmes store_origin: PA region: Panama --- # The Road Through Wonderland: Surviving John Holmes **Price:** B/.63 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Road Through Wonderland: Surviving John Holmes - **How much does it cost?** B/.63 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.com.pa](https://www.desertcart.com.pa/products/3964538-the-road-through-wonderland-surviving-john-holmes) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Painstakingly honest, this chilling memoir reveals how a teenager became immersed in the bizarre life of legendary porn star John Holmes. Starting with a childhood that molded her perfectly to fall for the seduction of “the king of porn,” this autobiography recounts the perilous road that Dawn Schiller traveled—from drugs and addiction to beatings, arrests, forced prostitution, and being sold to the drug underworld. After living through the horrific Wonderland murders of 1981, she entered protective custody, ran from the FBI, and turned in John Holmes to the police. This is the true story of a young girl’s harrowing escape from one of the most infamous public figures, her struggle to survive, and her recovery from unthinkable abuse. Review: Harrowing, yet triumphant, story! - As many others have stated, once I began reading I could not put this book down. Dawn's personal style of writing captured me immediately. I felt as if I was sitting over coffee with her as she told her tale. The courage it takes to share this kind of story is beyond admirable. I stumbled upon this book as I looked through the "top free" selections for my kindle. I was intrigued by the description of the book, but hesitated to get it thinking it would be full of sordid details about John Holmes' pornography career. This was not the case. This is Dawn's story, and she did not focus on John Holmes, pornography star. Dawn told her story with the innocence and naiveté that was truly HER at that time in her life. This fact makes the book even more powerful. Had she elaborated on John's career it would have been just another titillating tale. Anyone looking for a thrill from this story, move on. Anyone looking to be swept up in a young girl's battle with the power an abuser can have over a person, and a woman's triumph over that power definitely needs to read this book. Every teenager facing difficulties in life needs to read this book. There is hope! One can overcome addiction, a horrific past and become a strong, triumphant adult. Adults need to read this book whether they have an abusive or addictive past or not. Through Dawn's story, we are given a vivid picture of how subtly predators draw in innocent young people and the powerful pull young women have towards anyone willing to "love" them. As adults we need to be aware of this so we can educate and protect our children and have compassion for those who were victims. There were a couple places in the book that seemed like I'd skipped a page as I read. I had to go back and figure out whether I missed something, or if it was just the way that particular section was written. I thought maybe the kindle version I was reading had a couple formatting mistakes. Since the kindle version is the only one I've read or looked at, I have no way of telling. Other than those two places, the writing flowed, the story unfolded at a perfect pace, and the book completely captured me. Thank you, Dawn, for having the courage to tell your story. Review: Takes you through an alternate view of the hell that was John Holmes' life - You will not learn much about the porn career of John Holmes here. There is another 500-page biography of him available on desertcart that covers this very well. This is the story of the adolescence of Dawn Schilling, who spent much of this time as the underage (at least at the beginning) "girlfriend" of Mr. Holmes. It takes you roughly through the four years before and year or so after the Wonderland murders, which brought Holmes a new category of infamy. The term "girlfriend" is used loosely here, as he had numerous affairs IN ADDITION TO the (mostly) women he had sex with as the main part of his main job. AND while still being married the whole time the book covers with his first wife Sharon (the three even lived together for a time), who provided some guidance and stability, and was also a first-hand witness when it all finally crashed and burned. In this book, Holmes is just "away" for sometimes weeks at a time, and other books fill in what went on then. What he did share with Dawn (not Sharon) was a constantly growing appetite for drugs, especially cocaine. And to be fair, Dawn, underage and all, was a willing participant. At least at the beginning. Until the paranoia and unjustified jealousy kicked in. And his involvement with two different groups of very dangerous people that would explode eventually into national headlines. This book is the basis for the movie "Wonderland", which does a decent job of telling the story of the murders from the different points of view that are available. For some reason, even though they portrayed him as a mostly pathetic human being, those who made the picture decided not to show the total monster Holmes became. The movie shows him striking Dawn on one occasion, and sending her to Eddie Nash once as part of paying off a debt. But in reality, Holmes regularly beat her for imagined cheating, and pimped her out repeatedly to get drug cash for (mostly) him at the rate of $10 to $20 a pop. This is what the guy who just a few years before had been the most highly paid porn actor of the time. The movie ends with the couple going out on the lam to Florida. but the beatings and pimping continued until her brother and L.A. police eventually remove her from Holmes life. Her description of what happened shortly after the movie ends. Which makes the book worth reading, although it ends before Holmes' trial. Pickup "Malice In Wonderland" to pick up the story. ## Features - New - Mint Condition - Dispatch same day for order received before 12 noon - Guaranteed packaging - No quibbles returns ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #584,239 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #63 in Study of Pornography #268 in Child Abuse (Books) #2,159 in Murder & Mayhem True Accounts | | Customer Reviews | 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,130 Reviews | ## Images ![The Road Through Wonderland: Surviving John Holmes - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/818fB1pAvsS.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Harrowing, yet triumphant, story! *by B***M on August 11, 2012* As many others have stated, once I began reading I could not put this book down. Dawn's personal style of writing captured me immediately. I felt as if I was sitting over coffee with her as she told her tale. The courage it takes to share this kind of story is beyond admirable. I stumbled upon this book as I looked through the "top free" selections for my kindle. I was intrigued by the description of the book, but hesitated to get it thinking it would be full of sordid details about John Holmes' pornography career. This was not the case. This is Dawn's story, and she did not focus on John Holmes, pornography star. Dawn told her story with the innocence and naiveté that was truly HER at that time in her life. This fact makes the book even more powerful. Had she elaborated on John's career it would have been just another titillating tale. Anyone looking for a thrill from this story, move on. Anyone looking to be swept up in a young girl's battle with the power an abuser can have over a person, and a woman's triumph over that power definitely needs to read this book. Every teenager facing difficulties in life needs to read this book. There is hope! One can overcome addiction, a horrific past and become a strong, triumphant adult. Adults need to read this book whether they have an abusive or addictive past or not. Through Dawn's story, we are given a vivid picture of how subtly predators draw in innocent young people and the powerful pull young women have towards anyone willing to "love" them. As adults we need to be aware of this so we can educate and protect our children and have compassion for those who were victims. There were a couple places in the book that seemed like I'd skipped a page as I read. I had to go back and figure out whether I missed something, or if it was just the way that particular section was written. I thought maybe the kindle version I was reading had a couple formatting mistakes. Since the kindle version is the only one I've read or looked at, I have no way of telling. Other than those two places, the writing flowed, the story unfolded at a perfect pace, and the book completely captured me. Thank you, Dawn, for having the courage to tell your story. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Takes you through an alternate view of the hell that was John Holmes' life *by L***I on April 8, 2024* You will not learn much about the porn career of John Holmes here. There is another 500-page biography of him available on Amazon that covers this very well. This is the story of the adolescence of Dawn Schilling, who spent much of this time as the underage (at least at the beginning) "girlfriend" of Mr. Holmes. It takes you roughly through the four years before and year or so after the Wonderland murders, which brought Holmes a new category of infamy. The term "girlfriend" is used loosely here, as he had numerous affairs IN ADDITION TO the (mostly) women he had sex with as the main part of his main job. AND while still being married the whole time the book covers with his first wife Sharon (the three even lived together for a time), who provided some guidance and stability, and was also a first-hand witness when it all finally crashed and burned. In this book, Holmes is just "away" for sometimes weeks at a time, and other books fill in what went on then. What he did share with Dawn (not Sharon) was a constantly growing appetite for drugs, especially cocaine. And to be fair, Dawn, underage and all, was a willing participant. At least at the beginning. Until the paranoia and unjustified jealousy kicked in. And his involvement with two different groups of very dangerous people that would explode eventually into national headlines. This book is the basis for the movie "Wonderland", which does a decent job of telling the story of the murders from the different points of view that are available. For some reason, even though they portrayed him as a mostly pathetic human being, those who made the picture decided not to show the total monster Holmes became. The movie shows him striking Dawn on one occasion, and sending her to Eddie Nash once as part of paying off a debt. But in reality, Holmes regularly beat her for imagined cheating, and pimped her out repeatedly to get drug cash for (mostly) him at the rate of $10 to $20 a pop. This is what the guy who just a few years before had been the most highly paid porn actor of the time. The movie ends with the couple going out on the lam to Florida. but the beatings and pimping continued until her brother and L.A. police eventually remove her from Holmes life. Her description of what happened shortly after the movie ends. Which makes the book worth reading, although it ends before Holmes' trial. Pickup "Malice In Wonderland" to pick up the story. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Incredible story of survival *by M***I on September 8, 2012* Just about everybody knows who John Holmes is. Most would probably also know about The Wonderland Murders. While I never saw the movie, I did have some idea of what it was about. Or at least I thought I did. Turns out, I had no idea about any of it until after I read this book. This is Dawn Schiller's personal memoir and life's story. It's not just about John Holmes though, although that's the brunt of the book. It starts in her earlier years growing up in Point Pleasant NJ (not all that far from my neck of the woods actually) where she was born to a German immigrant and a war veteran. It the continues along her life's incredible journey. From New Jersey, to Florida, To California, BACK to Florida and places overseas, Dawn Schiller chronicles a long period in her life where betrayal, abuse and being exploited were the norm. Reading this book I couldn't help but think how, from an early age, everything was set against Dawn. Her mother was a harsh disciplinarian. Her father, having come back from the Vietnam war, was never the same. After moving the family to Florida against her will, her father takes her and her sister Terry across country, doing drugs, drinking and taking in the sights when they meet a hitchhiker whom they pick up. The man they pick up offers to set them up with living accommodations in Glendale, CA when they get there. It just so happens that the little bungalow community they end up squatting at is managed by John Holmes. He takes an immediate liking to Dawn. He was 32, working in the porn industry. She was 15 years old. From that point on, Dawn was exposed to a life of drugs, prostitution and both physical and mental abuse that lasted for years. It just read like a perfect alignment of pitfalls set up with the specific purpose of destroying Dawn's teenage years and that's exactly what happened, all of it out of her control. Despite the darker nature of the book (drugs, abuse, John's job in the porn industry, etc, etc) it never once glorifies any of it. As a matter of fact, I was surprised at how 'clean' a read this memoir was. Most people know what made John Holmes so famous, but she doesn't go into great detail about it. There is no titillation factor here. There's even a surprising lack of profanity. It's impressive, given the main focus of the book. Through the book, because of the very good writing, you get into her head and you can almost feel the conflict in her. The John she ended up with was not the John she met and fell in love with as an inexperienced and idealistic middle teenager. There were shades of his darker nature that would crop up from time to time but as the book progresses, you can see his slow descent into his dark half. It's really chilling to read. But, perhaps the most impressive thing is Dawn's rebirth after John Holmes. How she picked up the pieces of her life, gathered herself and moved on. He still haunts her and he probably always will but her strength of character is nothing short of amazing. For anybody on the fence, don't let the title turn you off. This isn't a 'sex' book (there's, amazingly, very little description of sex in the book at all). This is a survivor's story and it's fantastic in its brutal depiction of a life that took a wrong turn due to outside circumstances but eventually rights itself. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.com.pa/products/3964538-the-road-through-wonderland-surviving-john-holmes](https://www.desertcart.com.pa/products/3964538-the-road-through-wonderland-surviving-john-holmes) --- *Product available on Desertcart Panama* *Store origin: PA* *Last updated: 2026-10-29*