Stories I Only Tell My Friends by Rob Lowe

Everybody knows Rob Lowe - the 80's icon, heartthrob, and one of the founding members of the Brat Pack. Granted when he was in his hay day, I was walking around in diapers, but even I am not immune to the fact that he is a good looking man. When I saw him on Oprah talking about his new book, I was intrigued. I love reading about the lives of people and knew Rob had a colorful past full of celebrity scandal, so I decided to pick the book up. It has been sitting in my Kindle queue for months and I hoped it would offer me a much needed break from the world of YA Fiction.

Rob does not disappoint. I found the book to be a fun, easy read. I didn't find Rob's narrative to be whining and self-pitying, like so many celebrity autobiographies. He tells his life story matter-of-factly and shares what he has learned from his experiences. It was interesting to read about his early career and his interactions with other young and famous stars. His recounting of the making of The Outsiders was particularly interesting. I found him to be rather humble, honest, and intelligent in his writing. If you are a fan of Rob Lowe, you will enjoy definitely enjoy this book. If you are unfamiliar with Rob, but enjoy autobiographies/memoirs, I think that you can still get something out of this book. It was a 3 star read for me.

A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard

Jaycee Dugard was kidnapped in the summer of 1991 at the age of 11 and held prisoner for eighteen years. During that time she was subjected to all manners of abuse and neglect, and she gave birth to two children, both fathered by her captor. In A Stolen Life she recounts her story and what it took to survive.

I picked this book up after seeing Jaycee on Oprah. When I saw that interview I couldn't believe this woman's story and all that she had survived. I couldn't imagine being taken from my home and held prisoner for 18 years, while my captor subjected me to all manners of sexual and verbal abuse. I was amazed that Jaycee was even able to function. She had a very positive outlook and while it was clear that her life was forever damaged by her experiences, she refused to play the victim and seemed determined to take her life back. I admired that about her and was intrigued, so I decided to pick up the book.

It has been sitting in my Kindle queue for sometime now and I decided to take a break from all the Young Adult Fiction I have been reading and finally read it. I have to be honest...I didn't love the book. While I think her story is remarkable and I am in awe of her ability to survive the horrors that she did and still come out at the end with some hope for the future, I was less impressed with the book itself. It often felt disjointed and she would often stop in the middle of the story to reflect. These reflections often seemed off topic and they were a deterrent. The story jumped around at times and there didn't seem to be any flow or continuity to the narrative. I still think the book is worth the read. I just think I had high expectations for the book after seeing the interview, and it fell a little short for me.