A Stolen Life: A Memoir

I want to clear up something on one review I read before buying the book - the person was complaining about multiple pages of her writing about a cat and how unnecessary that was. That person neglected to mention that it was not type written pages, but a photo copy of a young girl writing a diary about a cat that made her happy. Good grief - the poor girl had no love other than that of a few animals that were typically taken from her - the person who wrote that review obviously has no sense of compassion and if you don't have any compassion then maybe you shouldn't be reading this book - cuz you won't get it.

I was personally riveted by this book. I could not put it down. It must have been therapeutic for her to write this because in the beginning as she tells her story - she sounds just like an eleven year old girl. You can see a transformation in her thinking as the book progressed to her adult years - yet still a wounded child lived inside her. The sadness was there through out, but she has been groomed to push down feelings and do what was expected of her to survive. What good would acknowledging her feelings do?

What they did to her was unforgivable and I know that God will judge them accordingly. They may see justice on earth but it will not compare to the justice that God will take on them for hurting a young child and taking her innocence. And for - corrupting her mind about God. Using the Bible to further his "cause" - he will be judged. I hope that someday Jaycee can see God for who He is and not the distorted picture that was painted for her by Phillip. It was not the angels that were speaking to him - but instead the demons.

I know most people don't want to hear about God, but in addition to the loss of innocence and stealing away her freedom and right to happiness - he stole her right to learn and decide whether or not to have faith in God. I don't know if she would have believed in God had this never happened, but her view of God has no doubt been corrupted by this monster as well. It is her right to learn about God on her own and make her own decision. In order to do that, she has to weed through the lies he told first. That just makes me so angry because I think faith could help her and it is just another thing stolen away.

Enough of my soap box. I recommend the book. But if you have been sexually abused - it may be a hard read. If you choose to read it - keep in mind that she is a survivor. Nothing he did to her - no matter how heinous - destroyed her. Take hope in that. We all have a journey and this is hers.