A Stolen Life: A Memoir

***** Jaycee Dugard's memoir of her life and her kidnapping, her torture, abuse and 18 year captivity, is important on so many levels. At one level, this is a young woman's attempt to tell the details of her story and to regain her voice and her power. She is grateful to be alive, to be safe, and to have her daughters, her mom, her sister. Her story in its entirety--the actual details--go far beyond Diane Sawyer's two hour ABC news special, so if you've watched that (as I did), there is much, much more here. And again, the details are what add depth and so poignantly reveal how Jaycee FELT in the different circumstances she found herself in, all of which she had no or little control over. She learned how to survive and how to live as meaningful a life as possible (although this was very hard with rape, neglect, and abuse of all sorts). She did it, though, and has triumphed--with the help of many people, good therapists, and experiences such as equine therapy. All of this is described in the book. Jaycee describes her daily concerns, her profound loneliness, and how she longed for things like a toothbrush, a bath, a toilet, to see the outdoors. She describes how her captor bonded her to to him, with him even trying to give her torture meaning and purpose by telling her it saved him from doing things like that to other little girls. And how great a "sex slave" she was. Her abuser's horrible "crank runs" --long days of her enduring various types of rape while her abuser was high and sleepless on crank. How after her baby was born, her abuser prayed that he'd never "hurt his child", which she knew meant "rape his child". Despite all of this horror, Jaycee's beautiful spirit shines through. So this is a hard book, and a book not for children because of all of the graphic details, but an important book for everyone else to read. None of the sexual details are gratuitous, but helpful and moving in understanding how a young girl saw her torment. And at another level, this is a tale of hope and inspiration, a tale of Jaycee's tenacious spirit and how she survived. It can provide inspiration to all of us who deal on a daily basis with challenges and trials, probably none anywhere near as terrible as Jaycee's. Her spirit and will to survive are admirable and so worth reading about. She wants to inspire people and to encourage them to have hope in difficult circumstances. And at yet another level, I hope that this memoir leads to changes in how the criminal justice system monitors sex offenders. So much needs to be reformed. I hope that this book, and those of us who read it, will help to facilitate and even demand needed change. Lastly, Jaycee wants to inspire people to speak up and take action when they suspect, intuit, guess--that something may be wrong. It was two women officers who ended Jaycee's captivity--two women who trusted their intuition that something was "off" after seeing her and then acted to investigate and follow through. The author's trust and hope, though betrayed again and again, still live on. This is a fascinating and riveting read about the human spirit, a book you'll have a hard time putting down. It is told in the present tense, so that you feel as though you're there with Jaycee. The book is organized into chapters in chronological order; at the end of each chapter she writes her reflections now that she is safe as an adult. In the Kindle edition, there are black and white pictures of Jaycee and pictures of her journal pages, not just the text of the hardcover. Highly recommended. *****

A STOLEN LIFE, by Jaycee Dugard, is a very personal memoir of one girl's 18-year nightmare at the hands of her kidnappers, Phillip and Nancy Garrido. Told completely from Jaycee's point of view, the memoir begins with her kidnapping back in 1991 and ends with her recovery and therapy 2009-10. The story is at once horrifying and uplifting as this very courageous child grows into a young woman with children of her own and a desperate determination for freedom. Early in the book, Jaycee writes, "It's funny how you can get used to things." And in a way, Jaycee does "get used to" the life she is forced to live after her kidnapping. She manages to hold onto her sanity by adapting to her situation and finding ways to "escape" her captivity, especially through writing. She adores cats and cares for several during her confinement, even keeping a detailed journal about one of them that became especially important to her. Later, her journals would continue - a large part of A STOLEN LIFE is made up of the journal entries she wrote between 1998 and 2004. It is in these very revealing passages that we come to see Jaycee as a real woman, not unlike the rest of us. She worries about her children their education. She frets about weight gain and failure to exercise. She makes lists of her favorite singers, or the places she wants to visit in the future. In spite of her captors, she manages to grow into a real woman with a self-identity that is believable and identifiable. In a way, it affirms how powerful we are as people, and how capable we are of overcoming adversity and rising above it. Throughout the book is Jaycee's very clear and unwavering love for her mother, who becomes the guiding light that not only keeps her strong through her 18 years of captivity but acts as a beacon toward which Jaycee never falters. In her journals, Jaycee refers to her mother only as "she" and "her," because of how painful it was for her to write the words "mom" or "mother" during those difficult years. Their reunion near the end of the book is wonderful and satisfying - seldom does a true story end with such an uplifting moment. There is nothing at all in this book about the arrest and trial of Phillip Garrido. We learn little about him that Jaycee doesn't experience herself - and she admits to not understanding this man who stole 18 years of her life. This is not a "true crime" account; it's Jaycee's very personal and even intimate story. Some have argued that Jaycee has been very lucky in the two years since her recovery - she was given a brand new car, a farmhouse in the country, and $20 million from the State of California as reparation for the very shoddy job the justice department did in looking for her and supervising Garrido (who was on parole during the entire time he was holding Jaycee prisoner). But what would you say 18 years of your life is worth? I know I wouldn't trade my own years for a car, house, or even money. I admire Jaycee's courage in writing this book - she is taking a real step toward putting the past behind her and keeping herself focused on the future. Her foundation (JAYC) will do a lot of good for a lot of people. I recommend A STOLEN LIFE. I wish Jaycee all the best.

Heartbreaking, strong, beautiful and empowering book that really leaves one appreciating life.

Bellissimo libro...Lo consiglio a tutti coloro che amano delle storie vere.

If you're gonna choose a book. Read this. It will keep you reading all day.

Vraiment incroyable ce que cette fille ( et puis jeune femme ) a du endurer pendant 18 ans. En plus d'avoir le courage d'ecrire ce livre, dont les souvenirs ne vont surement jamais partir.

Kann die Geschichte/ das Buch sehr empfehlen! Ist auch gut verarbeitet und hat eine gute Qualität