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Thursday, March 15, 2012

A Stolen Life: a memoir- Bookish Thoughts #17



What A Stolen Life is about:


In the summer of 1991 I was a normal kid. I did normal things. I had friends and a mother who 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 survived. 

A Stolen Life is my story—in my own words, in my own way, exactly as I remember it



Why I wanted to read it: I was browsing the shelves in the library and saw it. I knew that at some point I wanted to read her story but wasn't sure if I was strong enough to get through it. Then I realized I was being stupid...she was STRONG enough to endure the abuse for eighteen years....she was STRONG enough to write down her story. I owed it to her to read it!

Source: Public Library


  • I remember when Jaycee went missing and it broke my heart to even try to imagine what her family was going through. I was soon to be a new mother myself and the whole thought of child abduction scared me beyond belief! 
  • I could only imagine the hell that she endured but it was an entirely different thing when I read what actually happened to her. At times I just sat there and cried....I wanted to hug her.
  • I was ANGRY at the number of times someone could have saved her! The Parole officers never once looked in the back yard..HELLO PEOPLE! One time she was even seen by a parole officer. Why didn't they question the existence of a young girl in the house of a registered sex offender???? WHY!?
  • The neighbors! Are you serious, can you honestly say that you never heard or saw anything strange going on over there??? 
  • Her notebooks broke my heart...can I just say that they seriously broke my heart. 
  • Jaycee is one of the strongest women I've ever read about! I'm amazed at her resilience, her courage, her fierce love for her daughters, her forgiveness of her abductors, and her ability to move on.
This is a book that needs to be read. Her story needs to be heard and I honestly feel that we all have a duty to read it, ....to arm ourselves better about predators and warning signals. We need to quit worrying about pissing off the neighbors or rocking the boat. If we sense something is wrong we need to go with our gut-instinct. I believe God gave it to us for just this purpose...to protect the innocent!

Bookish Thoughts #17
© 2012, Staci of Life in the Thumb. All Rights Reserved. If you reading this on a site other than, Life in the Thumb or Staci's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission. 

16 comments:

  1. I don't think I could read this one -- too very sad.

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  2. Wow...this sounds powerful! I am adding this to my list!!

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  3. Not sure I could handle this one. What a powerful story.

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  4. I could not read it. I would be so freaking mad

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  5. I have been thinking that I'm not strong enough for this one too. You've made me reconsider it. I do so admire Jaycee - what a remarkable young woman.

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  6. I am going to read it for the same reasons you stated here. This was a way of putting closure on it and I intend to help with that.

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  7. It's not the kind of book I normally read, but I will if I thinks it's going to make a difference. I just heard yesterday that has requested privacy for herself and her children. This is the kind of thong that breaks my heart too Staci.

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  8. I don't normally read these books...especially if they are very detailed, but I see your point about her being strong enough to write it down and survive it. Maybe we all owe it to her to read it.

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  9. I thought that this was a very good book, and definitely worth the read and worth the sadness of reading it. It's amazing how resilient she has been.

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  10. I've been hesitant to read this book for the same reasons. You made a really valid point for why we should read it though...I'll have to remember to look for it the next time that I go to the library.

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  11. Unfortunately I've read a number of true-crime stories or memoirs with similar tragic circumstances. I totally agree with you that as horrifying or heartbreaking as reading about it is we have a duty to read books like this. If all we can do as readers is increase awareness then we need to do just that!

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  12. I agree with everything you said. My husband read this book and then told me I had to read it, too. It's heart-breaking but I'm so glad she survived and was able to reunite with her mother.

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  13. I have just not been able to pick this one up because of the responses that you had. I know it will be so painful but how wonderful that she has come through this so amazingly well. What a resilient person!

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  14. This isn't my normal read but I do agree that it's important to read these stories. It's almost like we owe it to the victims.

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  15. Some of this book was difficult to read, but I kept thinking of her outcome and resilience. It's just such a shame that she experienced it in the first place.

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