A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard Published by Simon and Schuster on July 3, 2012
Genres: Biography & Autobiography / General, Biography & Autobiography / Memoirs, Biography & Autobiography / Women, Family & Relationships / Abuse / Child Abuse, Self-Help / Abuse, Social Science / Violence in Society
Pages: 279
Format: Audiobook
Amazon|Barnes&Noble|Goodreads
An instant #1 New York Times bestseller—Jaycee Dugard’s raw and powerful memoir, her own story of being kidnapped in 1991 and held captive for more than eighteen years.
In the summer of June of 1991, I was a normal kid. I did normal things. I had friends and a mother that loved me. I was just like you. Until the day my life was stolen.
For eighteen years I was a prisoner. I was an object for someone to use and abuse. For eighteen years I was not allowed to speak my own name. I became a mother and was forced to be a sister. For eighteen years I survived an impossible situation.
On August 26, 2009, I took my name back. My name is Jaycee Lee Dugard. I don’t think of myself as a victim, I simply survived an intolerable situation. A Stolen Life is my story—in my own words, in my own way, exactly as I remember it.
She was the perfect victim. Young (only 11), naive, and passive lending to insecure. Being the perfect victim allowed her to be held captive for 18 years. Allowed her to survive, and live, for 18 years. Being the perfect victim allowed so many people, community, and services (looking at your parole) to fail her. Eventually, being the perfect victim allowed her to be rescued. Rescued to a world that had moved forward without her, missing her, and putting her in a situation no one should ever be in. During captivity and beyond.
I’ve read a lot of critical reviews of this book, some going very negative. While there are some good points raised in those critical reviews, and I see where some of them are coming from, I come at this from a different perspective. Listening to the audio book, narrated by her, you can hear the emotional stunting that happened over 18 years. She was 11 when she was taken and 29 when she was freed. She missed out on so much of learning to navigate life. This book came out 15 years ago, after only 2 years of freedom. Was she ready to write a book? Honestly, probably not. But the truth is, she became such a national sensation, and the press and paparazzi were such a threat to her continued safety that she had to do something. Her voice has a childlike quality that I am sure she may never outgrow. Her words have a childlike innocence that made this book so much more real. Would some better editing have helped? Absolutely. But at the end of the day, it’s Jaycee’s story told in a way that only she could have told it. Would I love another update all these years later? Absolutely! Would I want to put her through that? Absolutely not, unless it was her idea and not something she felt she had to do for others.
I do have concerns, though. The biggest one is the way she calls them by name throughout the narration. I can think of so many other words I’d call them, as I don’t know that they deserve names if I’m being honest. I won’t necessarily share them here, as this tends to be a family-friendly adjacent space. But even the Creep, Creeper, Creeper’s Wife, just some basic ones, but I can go so much deeper and darker if pressed 😀 Her daughters are basically grown now, and I hope they have been given the opportunity to overcome in ways that Jaycee never will be able to. I love that, while the names are out there, she doesn’t use them in the book. I hope that at the end of the day, she has found peace in her freedom. Yes, I think this book could have been so much more, but I also believe that it is perfect for what it is and the time it was written in, finding her freedom.
About Jaycee Dugard
The kidnapping of Jaycee Lee Dugard occurred on June 10, 1991, when she was 11 years old. Dugard was abducted from a school bus stop within sight of her home in South Lake Tahoe, California. Searches began immediately after the kidnapping, but no reliable leads were generated. She remained missing for more than 18 years.
On August 25, 2009, convicted sex offender Phillip Craig Garrido visited the campus of UC Berkeley accompanied by two young girls. Their unusual behavior there sparked an investigation that led to his bringing the two girls to a parole office on August 26, accompanied by a woman who was then identified as Dugard.
Garrido, 58, and his wife Nancy Garrido, 54, of Antioch, California, were arrested for kidnapping and other charges; they pleaded guilty on April 28, 2011 to Dugard’s kidnapping and sexual assault. Law enforcement officers believe Dugard was kept in a concealed area behind Garrido’s house in Antioch for 18 years. During this time Dugard bore two daughters who were aged 11 and 15 at the time of her reappearance.
On June 2, 2011, Philip Garrido was sentenced to 431 years’ imprisonment; his wife received 36 years to life.
Wanna share your thoughts? Leave a comment!