Quicklet on Jaycee Dugard's A Stolen Life (CliffsNotes-like Summary and Analysis)

ABOUT THE BOOK

Throughout Jaycee’s memoir, she shares journal entries and photographs. The last chapters of the book reveals how difficult it is for her and her daughters to transition from being captives to having freedom. She spends a lot of time second-guessing her trips out in public, and guards their privacy closely.

Jaycee writes about how she and her daughters are going through a recovery period, as well as therapy involving horses. She concludes the book by writing about her new foundation, as well as publicly thanking those around her for helping her and her daughters through their recovery.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Best-selling author, Jennifer Greenleaf (1975-present) was born in Leominster, Massachusetts to parents who are talented by their own rights (her mother is a crafter, as well as a self-made business-woman, and her father is a computer scientist). Her family moved to Maine in 1978, and despite trekking across the country from 1994–2000, she made her way back to Maine. Since 1999, she's written 1,000's of articles for the web, as well as many in print. She has also been a commissioned mixed-media artist since 1993. She and her husband, Chris, are raising three wonderful children (ages 10, 11, and 12 as of this writing), as well as four kitties. As you can see from Jennifer's list of books in this profile, she loves writing about whatever interests her. As of 2011, she began writing fiction, which will be revealed in 2012.

EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK

Jaycee Dugard opens her memoir by providing an Author’s Note explaining how her book may be confusing to her readers. She describes how her mind jumps from one memory to the next and, in order to keep her voice, that’s how she wants to write her story. “Even after I was freed, moments are fragmented and jumbled. With some help, I have come to realize that my perspective is unique to abduction.” Her note is followed by her most recent school portrait taken when she was eleven-years-old.

Jaycee begins her story in the introduction by explaining she was held captive for eighteen years and, during that entire time, she wasn’t allowed to say her name. She wants this memoir to help others who might have gone through a similar situation, “With my writings, I hope to convey that you can endure though situations and survive. Not just survive, but be okay even on the inside, too.”

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