4 ½ stars

Jaycee Lee Dugard was an average 11-year-old girl, with immense hopes and dreams for the future. She planned to go to water parks and parties in the summer with her best friend and finally finish 5th grade. On June 10, 1991, Jaycee Lee Dugard’s life was forever destroyed by a villainous, disgusting animal. That animal is named Phillip Garrido. Garrido and his wife, Nancy stun-gunned Dugard and threw her in the back seat of their van. Dugard didn’t see her mother that morning, and never saw her again for 18 long, torturous years. After she’s finally free she shares her scary, unimaginable she tells her story to the world, every horror and every memory that kept her going. This summary was written by BC blogcritics.

This by far is one of the most gruesome books that has crossed my desk and it was scary because every word was true. With every horror being real, emotions skyrocket as you read what a little girl thought, felt and lived through for 18 years. You’re there when Garrido gives and takes away her kittens, when she is assaulted the first time, and both times she gives birth, all before her 18th birthday. You’re sitting next to her as she is told that she isn’t Jaycee Lee anymore; that she will never escape. But the best part, you’re watching as she steps into the police station and bravely tells the officer her name, and the giant feeling of relief as she becomes free.

The book will make you cry, scare you into sleepless nights, and thank any higher power that you had a home and parents and a childhood that can bring a smile to your face. I recommend this book because it is real and scary, but it is also a reminder. A reminder of the fact that everyone is stronger than they seem and smarter than they think, and that with a little bit of courage and patience and perseverance, you can survive anything.