A Stolen Life Essay
A Stolen Life
Jaycee Dugard
!
Survivor: a person who survives, esp. a person remaining alive after an event in which others have died.
A Stolen Life, was written by Jaycee Dugard herself with the help of the diary which she kept throughout the years. It puts a new perspective on how someone can live under such conditions without attempting to flee, and how one could become aligned with one’s abductor. It also shows how long a human can endure physical and mental abuse long after it seems they cannot. Jaycee’s question, “What would you do to survive?” (Page 3) is one we wish we may never have to answer. This book is not about how she was a victim, but how she is a survivor.
This is her story.
In 1991, Jaycee Dugard, age 11, was kidnapped by Phillip and Nancy Garrido and was kept a prisoner in their backyard for the next eighteen years. Garrido, a convicted rapist and kidnapper, was on parole when he abducted Jaycee. She was physically and sexually abused over the years and gave birth to two children fathered by Garrido. With just a fifth grade education,
Jaycee not only secreted a diary of her life, but schooled her children in a warehouse in the backyard. It is shocking that the Gerridos were frequently visited by parole officers over the years of Jaycee’s imprisonment, but never found anything amiss. Philip was a sick man, and obviously had a problem that he couldn’t control. He was a rapist. He and his wife knew it was wrong, but
A STOLEN LIFE
!1
they kidnapped Jaycee anyways. Jaycee was a slave to Garrido. At first he handcuffed her, but gave her more freedom since he thought that Jaycee “earned” his trust. Garrido gave her a
“normal” routine. He took her to Walmart, he let her roam around the house, and even took her to the beach. No one recognized her, and he never spoke of her name.
Phillip and Nancy Garrido were able to hide Jaycee for all of those years, with Phillip repeatedly raping the young girl, fathering two
Jaycee Dugard
!
Survivor: a person who survives, esp. a person remaining alive after an event in which others have died.
A Stolen Life, was written by Jaycee Dugard herself with the help of the diary which she kept throughout the years. It puts a new perspective on how someone can live under such conditions without attempting to flee, and how one could become aligned with one’s abductor. It also shows how long a human can endure physical and mental abuse long after it seems they cannot. Jaycee’s question, “What would you do to survive?” (Page 3) is one we wish we may never have to answer. This book is not about how she was a victim, but how she is a survivor.
This is her story.
In 1991, Jaycee Dugard, age 11, was kidnapped by Phillip and Nancy Garrido and was kept a prisoner in their backyard for the next eighteen years. Garrido, a convicted rapist and kidnapper, was on parole when he abducted Jaycee. She was physically and sexually abused over the years and gave birth to two children fathered by Garrido. With just a fifth grade education,
Jaycee not only secreted a diary of her life, but schooled her children in a warehouse in the backyard. It is shocking that the Gerridos were frequently visited by parole officers over the years of Jaycee’s imprisonment, but never found anything amiss. Philip was a sick man, and obviously had a problem that he couldn’t control. He was a rapist. He and his wife knew it was wrong, but
A STOLEN LIFE
!1
they kidnapped Jaycee anyways. Jaycee was a slave to Garrido. At first he handcuffed her, but gave her more freedom since he thought that Jaycee “earned” his trust. Garrido gave her a
“normal” routine. He took her to Walmart, he let her roam around the house, and even took her to the beach. No one recognized her, and he never spoke of her name.
Phillip and Nancy Garrido were able to hide Jaycee for all of those years, with Phillip repeatedly raping the young girl, fathering two