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Book Review of A Stolen Life: A Memoir

A Stolen Life: A Memoir
stef140 avatar reviewed on + 28 more book reviews


I remember when I was growing up (being a few years younger than the author) and hearing about the story of her disappearance. I saw television shows that discussed it, saw her parents on television. And I was watching the news when she was discovered in Concord, California, just a mere twenty minute drive from my own house. I was filled with hope and apprehension for her, wondering how she would fare now that she was free from nearly two decades of imprisonment. That was when I knew that I needed to read this memoir. And I was not disappointed.

Ms. Dugard writes with a freedom that is rare to find in a writer. She is uninhibited and gives you the air of her eleven year old self. You are literally transported into her mind and her feelings through the whole experience. It was heartbreaking and inspirational at the same time. I wanted to reach through the book so many times and embrace that little girl and keep her safe. I was filled with rage at the willingness of everyone to not ask any questions and just accept what they were told. She was seen by law enforcement on more than one occasion! And no one asked the easiest question! The question that could have ended the whole ordeal. I was enraged at this level of laziness and willingness to just look the other way. But ultimately I was introduced to a woman who is experiencing life for the first time at age thirty. She is experiencing life through the eyes of her children who are now in high school and middle school.

This memoir is inspirational and saddening. But it ends on a high note, the note of freedom and justice.

Note: All reviews are cross posted at my profile on Goodreads.