Elizabeth Smart: My Story

I remember sitting in front of the television when my regular show was interrupted and it was the “breaking news” that Elizabeth Smart had been found. I hurried and called my mom to tell her, she didn’t believe me. I am not shocked she didn’t believe me. Usually those who are kidnapped are usually killed after 24 hours. Elizabeth’s situation was not one that would be considered normal. It was an awful, life altering, 9 month journey through hell. While on my honeymoon cruise, I finished reading her book My Story, written by her and Chris Stewart. Her story has always been one that has captivated me. I was able to meet with her in a group setting while at Utah State and ask her questions and hear some of her story. As many of you know, when it comes to a kidnapping, death, murder, ect. I need to know all of the details, and I will go looking for them. I was glad that Elizabeth took the time to share her story. She gave a detailed description on the night she was taken, and the days following. She was raped everyday, and forced to drink. She doesn’t go into detail when she talks about being raped, but detail or not, you can sense how horrific it really was. I was one of those people who prayed for Elizabeth Smart. I prayed she would be found safely. I always wondered where she was and what she was doing. This book showed me exactly what she was doing. She was living in awful conditions with captors who deserve the imprisonment they got. Overall, I felt the book was worth reading. It had a few too many exclamation points for me, but I guess when your being held captive you will take all the excitement you can get. It was written very simply and is an easy read. It did include some LDS references because Elizabeth is a member of the LDS faith. If you are not of the faith, it is still worth the read. It’s not a book to convert, it’s a book to inform you of her kidnapping. All I can think after finishing her story is what a wonderful woman Elizabeth has become. She has not let this “bump” in her life hold her back. She has become someone. She is changing the way we look at victims, we are beginning to acknowledge them as survivors. Let me know your thoughts on the book!