A Stolen Life (book)

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A Stolen Life: A Memoir
Image of first edition cover
First edition cover
AuthorJaycee Dugard
Audio read byJaycee Dugard[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
SubjectStory of the kidnapping of Jaycee Dugard in 1991
GenreNon fiction, memoir, true crime
PublisherSimon & Schuster
Publication date
July 12, 2011
Media typeTrade paperback, unabridged audio book
Pages314
ISBN978-1-4516-2918-7
Followed byFreedom: My Book of Firsts 

A Stolen Life: A Memoir is a true crime memoir by American kidnapping victim Jaycee Lee Dugard about the 18 years she spent in captivity in an unincorporated area in Contra Costa County, California. The memoir dissects what she did to survive and cope mentally with extreme abuse. The book reached number 1 on Amazon's sales rankings a day before release[1] and topped The New York Times best seller list hardcover nonfiction for six weeks after release.[2]

A Stolen Life was published on July 12, 2011, by Simon & Schuster.[3][4] In 2016, Dugard followed up A Stolen Life with Freedom: My Book of Firsts, dealing with her life after captivity.[5]

Background[]

Further information: Kidnapping of Jaycee Dugard

In 1991, 11-year-old Jaycee Dugard was kidnapped by Phillip and Nancy Garrido, who tased her with a stun gun before dragging her into their car as Dugard walked to a school bus near Dugard's home in South Lake Tahoe, California. While in captivity, Phillip raped her constantly, conceiving two daughters.[6] Despite sustained investigation, Dugard was not found until eighteen years after the abduction. A Stolen Life is the story of Dugard's 18-year ordeal and was written as part of her therapy with Rebecca Bailey, who specializes in post-trauma family reunification.[7][8][9]

Before her abduction, Dugard states that she had dealt with an abusive stepfather, and her biological father was absent.[10] After she was rescued, Dugard and her family were awarded a twenty million dollar settlement for the failure of the parole officers assigned to Philip Garrido, a convicted felon, to recognize the situation Dugard was involved in specifically her enslavement.[11] Phillip Garrido impregnated her twice over the course of her captivity, resulting in two daughters.[12]

Dugard stated that she wrote the memoir as a way to deal therapeutically with the trauma of her experience, to provide an in-depth look at what captives like her have endured, and to reach other survivors.[7]

Critical reception[]

The publisher Simon & Schuster initially printed 200,000 copies, and later printed another 15,000 to meet demand. A day before its official release the book reached to the top of Amazon's sales rankings.[1]

Maria L. La Ganga, writing for Los Angeles Times wrote that "A Stolen Life chronicles her growth from victim to survivor, from terror to strength. While it is also an indictment of the parole system and a meditation on loneliness."[13]

Janet Maslin, reviewing the memoir for The New York Times described Dugard as courageous and dignified in recounting such a traumatic experience.[14]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c Andy, Lewis (November 7, 2011). "Jaycee Dugard's New Book: 5 Things to Know Before Its Release". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 8, 2018.
  2. ^ "Bestsellers: Hardcover Nonfiction". The New York Times. January 10, 2018. Retrieved September 21, 2011.
  3. ^ "Jaycee Lee Dugard working on her second book". Associated Press. March 15, 2016. Archived from the original on May 21, 2016. Retrieved June 11, 2016 – via The Sacramento Bee.
  4. ^ "A Stolen Life". Archived from the original on June 6, 2016. Retrieved June 11, 2016.
  5. ^ Maslin, Janet (July 17, 2011). "A Captivity No Novelist Could Invent". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  6. ^ "Jaycee Lee Dugard book: Chilling memoirs of years in captivity". Los Angeles Times. July 13, 2011. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  7. ^ a b Hopper, Jessica (July 7, 2011). "Jaycee Dugard Interview: She Describes Giving Birth in Phillip Garrido's Backyard Prison". ABC News. Archived from the original on June 10, 2016. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
  8. ^ Maria L. La Ganga (June 2, 2011). "Jaycee Dugard's grand jury testimony provides personal account of kidnapping, rape and captors". Los Angeles Times. Placerville, California. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved June 13, 2016.
  9. ^ Jaycee Dugard (July 12, 2011). A Stolen Life. Simon & Schuster. pp. 7–11. ISBN 978-1-4516-2918-7.
  10. ^ Maslin, Janet (July 17, 2011). "A Captivity No Novelist Could Invent". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  11. ^ Maslin, Janet (July 17, 2011). "A Captivity No Novelist Could Invent". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  12. ^ Baron, Courtney, accessed from ProQuest Research Library doi:10.5260/cca.199462
  13. ^ La Ganga, Maria L. (July 13, 2011). "Jaycee Lee Dugard book: Chilling memoirs of years in captivity". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  14. ^ Maslin, Janet (July 17, 2011). "A Captivity No Novelist Could Invent". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 9, 2020.

Further reading[]

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