Simon & Schuster A Stolen Life: A Memoir

I don't favour the so-called 'misery memoirs' genre per se, but the narratives of young women abducted as young girls represent both the ultimate horror for many of us and also are testament to the staggering resilience of the human spirit. Jaycee Lee Dugard only came to the attention of most of us outside America in 2009, when she was found after 18 years as a missing person, having been abducted aged 11. This is her account of her life, written in 2011, detailing her family circumstances, abduction, treatment at the hands of Phillip Garrido and his wife Nancy, the birth of her two daughters, how she regained her freedom and how she was now beginning to build a proper life for herself and her children.Compared to other accounts by abducted girls, including Sabine Dardenne, Natascha Kampusch and Elizabeth Smart, Ms. Dugard doesn't flinch from the more sordid details of her confinement, particularly in the early days of captivity when Garrido barely bothered to treat her as a human being, let alone a lonely and scared young girl. She had no clothes, for example, no bathroom or proper bed and no decent food. As is evidenced in other cases, captives quite quickly develop what's known as Stockholm syndrome, where they identify with their captor(s) and this is hardly surprising, when instinct conditions us to adapt in order to survive, and as the author here points out, she relied on Garrido solely for food, company and any variation to stultifying boredom in her daily routine. Sabine Dardenne in her book details something similar - of looking forward to visits from her kidnapper because she would otherwise starve - and she was held for a matter of months rather than years. Over time, it's clear that Jaycee Dugard became effectively institutionalised and conditioned or groomed to behave in the way expected of her by those who held sway over every aspect of her life.I chose not to rate this with five stars, firstly because I don't 'love it'. It's a disturbing, dark and prolonged nightmare and while the outcome is a positive one, it's hard to ignore the knowledge that (a) there are sick and cruel people who can get the better of their conscience in this way and (b) while she doesn't dwell much on it, years of her young life were spent wondering whether anyone really cared enough about her to try to find her. Also, the narrative changes in style to become somewhat more vague after she gives birth, and while I can see that this is probably to protect her daughters, it leaves a gap of knowledge about just how she managed to cope with babies, toddlers and then active children in makeshift accommodation in the Garridos' back yard. A life she learned to adapt to out of necessity was the only one her girls ever knew, and far from a healthy environment. It also leaves open the question of Garrido's claim to have been a loving father to the daughters he sired by rape.Some reviewers have objected to the writing style, which is very simple, but this is clearly aimed at a wide audience and has been written at least in part by a woman whose formal education stopped at eleven years old. Ms. Dugard doesn't lack intelligence or the capacity to reflect seriously on her experiences, however, so the lack of literary sophistication only makes the narrative more direct and clear.This is a former victim's account of crimes committed against her and as such, it's subjective. She comes across as an unassuming, positive person with an astounding amount of forbearance. Could she, for example, love her daughters unconditionally in the circumstances? Still, some of the proceeds from the book go to the JAYC Foundation she founded to help families cope with the aftermath of trauma, so even if the reality isn't quite as shining an example as portrayed here, it's still an inspiring message. Few readers will begrudge the contribution.

I was really looking forward to reading this book, it started off at a fairly fast pace, but then it faded away and found myself skipping her diary entries, I would have liked to have read more about the relationship with her captor in more in depth, it skimmed over it so I didn’t really feel the horror of living this life. No mention of her step father after her release she barely speaks of him and not in the conclusion of her story or why. I was left with unanswered questions.

I have wandered how people read these type of books in the past as they are really not the type of thing I read, but i was so fascinated to find out how a girl could be kidnapped for 18 years and come out of it at the other end. Jaycee is certainly a strong girl, hence she managed to survive her 18 years in hell. Although that's part of the story that her whole time was not HELL as you might think. The first few years the sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of a horrid padeophile are almost unreadable, I cannot imagine for the life of me how on earth she lived through that- Vulgar is not the word. It is not easy to read I can assure you. People have come up with all types of theories as to why this girl stayed with her captures when a times she had chance to escape. But she does explain why, and how could anybody understand in any way what she was feeling and say what 'they' would have done. She was pulled into a surreal world that not many people, thank god, would ever have to imagine themselves in. A difficult book to read, but highly recommend

The truly amazing true story of a young girl's stoicism after being kidnapped and held prisoner by Phillip Garrido. Jaycee Dugard was kept in a shack in the back garden of Garrido's mother's house who, it seems, was oblivious to her son's secret. His wife, Nancy, had assisted in the kidnap and was complicit in the imprisonment and sexual abuse of Jaycee. Jaycee bore two daughters to Garrido whilst in captivity and gradually became brainwashed into accepting Garrido and his wife as family.This is Jaycee's autobiography of eighteen years spent with these complex and troubled people and the degrading treatment she suffered before finally escaping to freedom. A troubling book but one which deserves to be read by everyone. I have recommended it to everyone I know.

This audio book is actually read by the author... Wow! That's what comes to mind, especially when considering the contents!!! I was deeply moved by this account of the terrible ordeal this girl has gone through and how strong she still is, not wanting to be a victim but rather herself - the person who got through it all and wants to live life to the fullest now, without hatred dragging her down. I am so impressed! What a wonderful woman and what an awesome mother! Highest recommendations!