Thursday, November 10, 2011

A Stolen Life: A Memoir

I have to admit, I am very intrigued by missing person cases.  Disappeared on Investigation Discovery is one of my favorite shows.   There is something so haunting about someone vanishing and not knowing what happened to them.  After reading  A Stolen Life: A Memoir by Jaycee Dugard, I learned that knowing where they went and what happened when they were gone is just as haunting.  

If you watch the news you are probably familiar with the basic story.  When Jaycee was 11, she was kidnapped while walking to the school bus by a pedophile and his wife.  She was kept in their backyard for 18 years, where she bore two of his children.  In 2009, an observant UC Berkeley employee noticed  Jaycee's kidnapper acting strangely while seeking permission to hold a campus event and got authorities involved.  This led to a short series of events that would reunite Jaycee and her children back to the family she was stolen from so many years ago.

via

In short, this book is amazing.  Jaycee is so brave to be able to recount all of the terrible things that she lived through for all of those years.  What amazes me most is her her resiliency and ability not to let her past define her. It is inspirational. This really is a story that needed to be told.  I would give this book 4.5 out of 5 stars. Questions that were popping into my mind, such as, "I wonder if she knew about 9/11 when it happened," or, "I wonder if she was ever reunited with the friends she mentioned from before she was kidnapped," were answered as quickly as I could think of them.  Plus, the book goes into the therapy she is  currently doing with horses, and how it helps her deal with some of the scars left by her ordeal.  It is all very interesting

After reading something so heavy, I choose Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) for my next book.  I love Mindy Kaling's character on The Office, plus I love to laugh.  I'll be back soon with a review.

8 comments:

colleen said...

It sounds like an amazing book the way you describe it. Perhaps I'll pick it up this weekend - and your next book sounds much lighter!

Gawgus things... said...

I just can;t imagine what Jaycee would have gone through. It's so wonderful that she's able to move forward with her life.
Emma xx
http://www.gawgusthings.com
@gawgusthings

Michelle said...

i've been fascinated by her story and have wanted to pick this up for a while. thanks for the review and the reminder. happy friday! ♥

Bronzed Humanity said...

I love those kinds of stories too! This one i bet is a great read...will have to check it out!
xx

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ShinyPrettyThings said...

this is an amazing story! it must take a lot of strength to overcome something like this. thanks for always sharing the books u read. u always have great recommendations!

Bad Joan said...

It sounds like a good read, such an amazing story!


GTBB,
http://badjoan.blogspot.com
http://cookingjoan.blogspot.com

aki! said...

This story is just... inconceivable. The fact that one individual can do something like this to another and the fact they can continue to live. Best of luck to her and to readjusting.

Anonymous said...

erin ~ thanks for the reminder on this memoir! i will pick it up today {hopefully it's at barnes & noble} i followed this story on jaycee and she is just so brave and strong i think!
xx ~ k

I'm Erin

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Hi, I'm Erin. I am living back on the east coast after 15 years out west. Currently readjusting to humidity and mosquitos. I love to take pictures and read fashion magazines.... and to talk about nothing in particular (ok, and my dogs).

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