Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

The first thing you need to know about Jaycee Dugard's book, is it is indeed a very difficult thing to read. It is a beautifully written, pull no punches account of the 18 years she spent in captivity with a very sick man, Phillip Garrido. In a note from the author at the beginning of the book, Dugard explains that she wrote the book to attempt to convey the overwhelming confusion she endured during her years in captivity and to begin to unravel the damage that was done to she and her family. She chronicles her experience with brutal honesty. She writes about missing her mother and worrying that she will never see her again. Her dependence upon her kidnapper grows the more he isolates her from the world. For long periods of time he was the only other human being that she saw. Before I bought the book, I wished that Amazon would list the Table of Contents, so here it is for you: Author's Note Introduction The Taking Stolen The Secret Backyard Alone in a Strange Place The First Time First Kitty The First "Run" Nancy Easter: Phillip on an Island Christmas Learning I Was Pregnant Driving to a Trailer Waiting for Baby Taking Care of a Baby Sarge Second Baby The Starting of Printing for Less Birth of Second Baby Raising the Girls in the Backyard Nancy Becomes "Mom" Pretending to Be a Family Cats Surviving Discovery and Reunion Firsts for Me Milestones The Difficult Parts of Life Finding Old Friends Therapeutic healing Meeting with Nancy Therapeutic Healing with a Twist As you can tell from the Table of Contents, she spares no detail. You witness her physical and psychological transformation from a scared child held against her will to a woman who bears his children and runs a business with him until she is discovered. This truly is an exploration of her past. As profound as this book is in its horrific detail, it is not a triumphant, feel-good story. Other than her rescue, don't expect many warm fuzzies from this one. If Jaycee's book interests you, I Love Yous Are for White People: A Memoir (P.S.) is another you'll undoubtedly want to read. Amazing to see people triumph over such adversity, and retell their stories so brilliantly.