Jaycee Dugard's Stolen Life

 The people of America, as well as other countries I'm sure, remember the heartbreaking story of little Jaycee Dugard.

 If you haven't heard the story, you are missing out on one of the most outrageous kidnapping stories in these parts. I call it a "story" because it has been told over and over, but it is no myth. It is not the plot of a horror movie (though one day it may be), it is not an old wives' tale to scare little girls, it is in fact the true telling of this young girl's stolen life. Perhaps you have been avoiding the subject. For that I wouldn't blame you. For me it is unbelievable. I wouldn't use the word "interesting", however, because a story like this, so violent and heartbreaking, about a little girl's unfortunate kidnapping and torture, should not simply be "interesting". It is something we should always remember. It is something we should learn from and teach on. It is a story that deserves to be told for the sake of our children and their futures.

 The world should not be a scary place, though it is. We should, as a people, teach the importance of love, care, and respect towards others. But also safety. What we have to do is strive to make this a safer and more loving place for the future generations. This, however, will not be a simple feat. It will take time, patience, and dedication, but I believe that if we all work hard at this, things like what happened to poor Jaycee will no longer be a normal occurrence.

 After Jaycee was discovered, eighteen years after her kidnapping, she decided to write a book. A memoir, in fact. She recalls the whole ordeal, eighteen years in full detail. I guess some things will never escape our memory, no matter how hard we try to remove them.

 I read this book of hers. Some people ask me why I would want to know such things. I believe it is a learning experience, an eye-opener, and like she said, everybody needs to know what these horrible people did. It gave me nightmares for two weeks straight, so I warn you beforehand, this is a very difficult book to read. I haven't been able to get it off my mind and my heart still aches for her. I believe it always will. I encourage you to read the memoir. It is a story of such strength and bravery coming from such a young, innocent little girl. She survived. The love of her family got her through day by day. Not only from the memory of the mother and sister that she used to know but also from her two daughters she gave birth to in captivity, the first being delivered when Jaycee was only fourteen. She never gave up and it finally paid off.

 If you have read this book or had been following the news reports on the subject, please tell me what you think. I would love to hear your take on the matter, whether it be the same or different from my own. If you wish to know the whole story, I say read the book. It is A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard. I got my copy at Target, but it being a national bestseller, I'm sure you can find it anywhere.