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A Stolen Life

Jaycee Dugard

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Jan 24, 2015 Makele rated it really liked it

"If all my heart was filled up with hate and regrets and what ifs, then what else would it have room for?...I don't believe in hate. To me it wastes too much time. People who hate waste so much of their life hating that they miss out on all the other stuff out here. I do not choose to live my life that way. What is done is done. I'm looking to the future."
First off, I would like to say that this was not the kind of book that makes you smile with contentment after reading it. It is a heartbreak "If all my heart was filled up with hate and regrets and what ifs, then what else would it have room for?...I don't believe in hate. To me it wastes too much time. People who hate waste so much of their life hating that they miss out on all the other stuff out here. I do not choose to live my life that way. What is done is done. I'm looking to the future."
First off, I would like to say that this was not the kind of book that makes you smile with contentment after reading it. It is a heartbreaking work of nonfiction. Before we get into that, I'm going to start with something a little less heavy. I received this book as a Christmas gift from my Grandfather who has more than a couple of screws loose. When he gave me the book, I was surprised that he gave me such an ordinary gift. He's known for giving obscure gifts every year. Last year, he gave me a soaking wet t-shirt inside of a carefully wrapped box. Now having read the book I realize how wonderfully unordinary the gift was. I had little interest in reading this book when I first received it. But I read it because it is the same concept as when you receive clothing from someone as a gift. No matter how ugly the outfit is, you wear it at least once just to be polite. I have never been a fan of nonfiction because I have the attention span of an early preschooler. I was very surprised at how easy of a read this was for me. This is the kind of book that reads like fiction. Although I have never been fond of nonfiction writing, I found this book especially riveting because the main character, Jaycee Dugard, is such a work of art that you would expect the book to be fictional. At eleven years old, Jaycee Dugard was kidnapped, sexually abused, and held hostage for 18 years.
In this autobiographical memoir, Jaycee Dugard does not write to gain pity from the reader. Jaycee Dugard writes in such an optimistic way that you can't help but feel for her character. Instead of focusing on the tragic elements, Dugard zooms in on the potential of the future. The authors optimism is what makes this book difficult to read. I felt physically ill reading about the awful things happening to this genuinely good person. Dugard does not go fishing for sympathy. As a matter of fact, there are multiple sections where she writes as if she is in a trivial situation. For instance, when she talks about how she wants to lose weight and eat healthier. Never mind that she is being held hostage, she should be eating more kale. It is very moving to see Dugard making light of such a dark subject. This is the kind of book that makes you reevaluate your own life. In reading this book, I truly believe that the key to happiness is acceptance. And that is exactly what Dugard encapsulates in this memoir. ...more

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