A stolen life

I just finished reading A Stolen Life, by Jaycee Dugard.  What an amazing young woman!  Those of us who live in northern California remember her abduction at age eleven but had no idea about her years of captivity.  Now we know how badly she was treated for almost two decades and what the road back home has looked like for her.

This book can be unpacked on several levels.  There's the story in current history of what happened, to whom and by whom.  There's also the complicated relationship between victims and victimizers and what one must do to stay alive and protect those one loves. And there's the healing after discovery and recovery, what the therapy might look like and how participants might respond.  Finally, there's a peek into the future -- how can such an horrific life story be turned into something for good?  How can child abductions be prevented and how can law enforcement be more likely to discover when something is amiss?

This is a painful read, but it is imbued with hope.  I am glad I read it.