52 in 52 - A Stolen Life

I am playing catch up on my 52 Books in 52 Weeks challenge
 
This is book five for the year

My Mom in law belongs to a book club in Hoedspruit and while I was there they had their monthly meeting.  It was so much fun catching up with the ladies of this group I used to belong to 15 years ago.  One of the great things was having access to so many great books.

A Stolen Life
Jaycee Dugard



Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster (July 12, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 145166494X
ISBN-13: 978-1451664942
Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces




From the back cover: "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." - jaycee dugard.

That's just how the book is written.  It has not been written by a ghost writer.  It is frank and honest and at best compelling.  I couldn't put this book down.  I was shocked and surprised at her frank honesty and the excellent quality of her writing considering she was abducted at the age of 11 and had no more formal education.  She must be an incredible young woman to already have written this account.  She shares extracts from her journal written in captivity.  If you are looking for a feel good book then this is NOT the book for you as it is frank and honest about the invasion perpetrated on this young woman for 18 very long years.

Jaycee has started a foundation called the JAYC Foundation. (Just Ask Yourself to Care) Our mission is to be of service to families that have suffered a familial or nonfamilial abduction or other trauma and to spread the word of compassion and awareness through educational programs. We connect families to support and services they need in order to recover from the abduction or other traumatic events, such as returning from military deployment or a major natural disaster.

I rate this book: *****
Sexual content: yes
Linked to: BW24: RIP Ray Bradbury