Books I've Been Reading Lately

Michael Moore; Tracy McMillan; Jaycee Lee Dugard

For some reason I've been reading the memoirs of a number of different people lately. I'm not exactly sure why. I suppose it varies depending on whose book I chose.

In the case of Here Comes Trouble: Stories from My Life by Michael Moore it's because he's a person I greatly admire and I thought it would be interesting to find out more about him.

It turns out he's a fascinating person. He had a lot of engaging stories from his life to tell. As well I learned Mr. Moore, from a young age, was very intelligent. He did quite well in school even skipping a grade. That is until his mother, Veronica, called the administrators and told them to put him back because she didn't want him to be the smallest kid in the next grade up.

What I like about Michael Moore is that he's someone who sticks up for the little guy. He fights for social justice and causes he believes in. Sometimes this puts him at odds with various groups. But he has integrity and drive and is willing to push on at times even putting his own personal welfare at risk.

I decided to read I Love You and I’m Leaving You Anyway by Tracy McMillan after I read a short relationship article she wrote posted online. I thought it was informative and funny. Among her credits she's written for television news shows and the Emmy Award–winning AMC series Mad Men.

This book documents her life as a foster child through her many rocky relationships both with boyfriends and ex-husbands whom she often parallels to that with her pimping father, Freddie, who has spent a good deal of his life incarcerated on various offences.

It was a pretty good book. I enjoyed it. I have to admit I don't often read books from the viewpoint of a woman. Especially if they have anything to do with relationships. Sometimes it's interesting to see how the other half thinks.

I suspect I'm curious about certain people's lives and the experiences they've had. Now and then I may even be envious of things they've seen or done. Other times I'm thankful I never ever had to go through some of the things they've endured.

That's the case with the book I'm reading now – A Stolen Life: A Memoir by Jaycee Dugard. In 1991, at age 11, she was abducted while on her way to school by pedophile Phillip Garrido and his wife Nancy. For 18 years she was kept captive in a shack in their backyard all the while being sexually abused by this monster.

When I saw this book on the shelf at the library I was unsure if I should borrow it. I didn't know if I would be able to stomach what was in it. Phillip Garrido is a sick, twisted man.

(note: On June 2nd, 2011 he was convicted of his crimes against Jaycee and sentenced to 431 years to life in jail. For her part in the crime his wife Nancy received 36 years to life.)

This is a story of not only Jaycee's ordeal, but a story of triumph and survival. Still I don't know if it's suitable for everyone.