Stolen Lives: Twenty Years in a Desert Jail (Oprah's Book Club)

published	May 1st 2002 by Miramax
first published	2001
binding	Paperback
isbn	0786886307 (isbn13: 9780786886302)
ebook
pages	304
description	At the age of 5, Malika Oufkir, eldest daughter of General Oufkir, was adopted by King Muhammad V of Morocco and sent to live in the palace as part of...more [close] At the age of 5, Malika Oufkir, eldest daughter of General Oufkir, was adopted by King Muhammad V of Morocco and sent to live in the palace as part of the royal court. There she led a life of unimaginable privilege and luxury alongside the king's own daughter. King Hassan II ascended the throne following Muhammad V's death, and in 1972 General Oufkir was found guilty of treason after staging a coup against the new regime, and was summarily executed. Immediately afterward, Malika, her mother, and her five siblings were arrested and imprisoned, despite having no prior knowledge of the coup attempt. They were first held in an abandoned fort, where they ate moderately well and were allowed to keep some of their fine clothing and books. Conditions steadily deteriorated, and the family was eventually transferred to a remote desert prison, where they suffered a decade of solitary confinement, torture, starvation, and the complete absence of sunlight. Oufkir's horrifying descriptions of the conditions are mesmerizing, particularly when contrasted with her earlier life in the royal court, and many graphic images will long haunt readers. Finally, teetering on the edge of madness and aware that they had been left to die, Oufkir and her siblings managed to tunnel out using their bare hands and teaspoons, only to be caught days later. Her account of their final flight to freedom makes for breathtaking reading. Stolen Lives is a remarkable book of unfathomable deprivation and the power of the human will to survive. [close]
date added	02-14-07 edit book

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Mary Etta marked it as to-read

04/30/08

bookshelves: to-read

Sounds like a tough read. I just watched a recommendation from Bruce the Romanian film, "The Way I Spent the End of the World." My library had it. Bruce commented, "It is the best movie I've seen in a while, and the best Romanian movie I've ever seen. There are a couple scenes you might want to skip. But the acting, music, and directing was great, and felt very authentic. It is set right before the revolution, and so it brought back lots of memories about the political and cu...more Sounds like a tough read. I just watched a recommendation from Bruce the Romanian film, "The Way I Spent the End of the World." My library had it. Bruce commented, "It is the best movie I've seen in a while, and the best Romanian movie I've ever seen. There are a couple scenes you might want to skip. But the acting, music, and directing was great, and felt very authentic. It is set right before the revolution, and so it brought back lots of memories about the political and cultural situation. There were some aspects that someone who hasn't spent a lot of time in Romania might not fully appreciate, but Faith thought it was good too"

My comment is not to compare this book and film but to demonstrate the circumstances of other cultures and my need to read books written by authors of other cultures as well as films. This seems a good venue for such expression.

From Publisher's Weekly:
While accounts of the unjust arrest and torture of political prisoners are by now common, we expect such victims to come with a just cause. Here, Oufkir tells of the 20-year imprisonment of her upper-class Moroccan family following a 1972 coup attempt against King Hassan II by her father, a close military aide. After her father's execution, Oufkir, her mother and five siblings were carted off to a series of desert barracks, along with their books, toys and French designer clothes in the family's Vuitton luggage. At their first posting, they complained that they were short on butter and sweets. Over the years, subsequent placements brought isolation cells and inadequate, vermin-infested rations. Finally, starving and suicidal, the innocents realized they had been left to die. They dug a tunnel and escaped. Recapture led to another five years of various forms of imprisonment before the family was finally granted freedom. Oufkir's experience does not fit easily into current perceptions of political prisoners victimized for their beliefs or actions. In fact, she was the adopted daughter of King Muhammad V, Hassan II's father, sent by her parents at age five to be raised in the court with the king's daughter as her companion and equal. Beyond horrifying images such as mice nibbling at a rich girl's face, this erstwhile princess's memoir will fascinate readers with its singular tale of two kindly fathers, political struggles in a strict monarchy and a family's survival of cruel, prolonged deprivation....less

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Laurie rated it:

03/15/08

Read in March, 2008

recommended to Laurie by: book club - previous read
recommends it for: those who are interested in the human desire to survive

The Oufkir family was sent to prison by order of the King of Morocco after the father, General Oufkir, attempted an assassination on the King. The General was shot to death, and his wife and several children were sent to prison. This book covers the twenty years that this family spends in a few different prisons and then in a house while under surveillance.

For a number of the years while in Bir-Jdid, the mother was actually separated from her children and was not allowed to see them. They di...more The Oufkir family was sent to prison by order of the King of Morocco after the father, General Oufkir, attempted an assassination on the King. The General was shot to death, and his wife and several children were sent to prison. This book covers the twenty years that this family spends in a few different prisons and then in a house while under surveillance.

For a number of the years while in Bir-Jdid, the mother was actually separated from her children and was not allowed to see them. They discovered that they could see each other through cracks in the wall along the floor via reflections in puddles. It is amazing how inventive the family was to make it possible to communicate with each other and learn of news from the outside. This family experienced horrible illnesses, but miraculously, nobody ever died. It became obvious during certain events, that although having to be in prison, this family was being protected and was very lucky.

Malika Oufkir, the oldest child and author of the book, made an interesting comment at the end of the book. After her family was freed she had gone through times where she felt a loss in her life for having missed out on living for twenty years during her youth. She came to realize that although she and her family were imprisoned, they still lived during that time. They had such a close bond with each other and truly learned so much about life, death, and the meaning of both.

This was a very interesting (true) story, however, at times, I couldn't help but wonder how the dates could be so specific. Unless I read something incorrectly, it sounded like although Malika had written things down while in prison, these notes had always ended up getting destroyed. When my mind went off on these tangents of disbelief, I lost my focus on the story. I'm sure this book is worth four stars, but because of my questioning it (based on so many recent true stories being found as altered), I had to give it three.

Nonetheless, it is amazing that this family was able to survive....less

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Stolen Lives: Twenty Years in a Desert Jail (Oprah's Book Club)

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