Jaycee Dugard to release her second book, about her life after release from captivity in Antioch
In July, Simon & Schuster will publish Freedom: My Book of Firsts, a memoir by Jaycee Lee Dugard, the bestselling author of A Stolen Life, whose widely acclaimed account of being kidnapped at age 11 and remaining a prisoner for 18 years, just outside of the city limits of Antioch, became an international bestseller in 2011, selling over 1.5 million copies in the United States alone.
The kidnapping of Ms. Dugard occurred on June 10, 1991 in South Lake Tahoe, California, as she was walking from her home to her school bus stop. She was 11-years-old at the time. She remained missing for 18 years, until 2009, when her captor, a convicted sex offender, was arrested.
In her new book, Ms. Dugard will tell the story of her first experiences after years in captivity: the joys that accompanied her newfound freedom and the challenges of adjusting to life on her own. “There is life after something tragic happens,” Ms. Dugard said. “Life doesn’t have to end if you don’t want it to. It’s all in how you look at it. Somehow, I still believe that we each hold the key to our own happiness and you have to grab it where you can in whatever form it might take.”
“Jaycee Dugard is a remarkable woman,” said Jonathan Karp, publisher of Simon & Schuster. “Her strength has been an inspiration to millions, and her story is a remarkable example of resilience and spirit. Readers of this book will gain a new appreciation of how joyful freedom can be.”
The work will be published on July 12, on the fifth anniversary of the publication of A Stolen Life, in hardcover, ebook, and audio editions by Simon & Schuster in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and India. Jaycee Lee Dugard was represented by Morton Janklow of Janklow & Nesbit Associates and Nancy Seltzer of Nancy Seltzer & Associates.
