If you follow my social media feeds, you know that I couldn’t put “Room” down. It was riveting fiction. Absolutely amazing. But last night I was reading “A Stolen Life,” which is basically the non-fiction version of the story, and I have to say it is so much more compelling.
This girl (now a woman) was kidnapped at the age of 11 and spent 18 years (!!!!) being held captive by this man and his wife. Her account of her life over those eighteen years is stunning. I feel stunned. She writes each chapter in first person present, then, at the end of each chapter, writes a short section from the perspective of the grown woman she is now, talking about the trials of re-entering her life.
Last night, after reading the chapter where she first calls her mom after 18 years of being gone without a trace, I had tears streaming down my face. I had to put the book down to call my mom and just tell her that I love her.I don’t want to tell you too much, because I think it’s absolutely fascinating how the story unfolds, but I will say this – this woman’s strength is amazing. She talks in one of the sections about her girls starting school (opps, I guess that does give away that she has two girls while being held captive (!!!!)) and how she is afraid at first to let them go because she’s never really been apart from them, and what if something bad happens? Then she talks about letting go and knowing that what happened to her is really rare, and she has to let them live their lives. I was afraid to read this book because I thought it might make me never let my daughter go any where by herself ever, but if Jaycee Dugard can take a breath and trust that everything will be okay, then certainly I can too.
If this book isn’t on your reading list yet. It should be. And actually, if you haven’t read “Room” yet, you should read that first. Would love to hear peoples thoughts on how they compare.
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