This haunting and inspiring memoir will have readers horrified at the atrocities that then 14-year-old Smart had to endure. After she describes being kidnapped at knifepoint from her safe Mormon home and subjected to daily rapes and humiliation from her captors, Smart turns her story of despair amazingly into one of hope. Her nine months of capture steeled her resolve in her faith and her commitment to doing the right thing and showing constant gratitude. Smart's story captured the nation's hearts in 2002 and will continue to do so in this heartfelt memoir. Her intimate story sheds light on her captivity and how she was able to rebuild her life after such an altering and scarring event. The audiobook, beautifully narrated by the author, has an extra dimension of truth and emotion. VERDICT For fans of inspirational and Christian memoirs.-Erin Cataldi, Franklin Coll. Lib, IN (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

The inspirational and ultimately redemptive story of a teenage girl's descent into hell, framed as a parable of faith. The disappearance of 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart in 2002 made national headlines, turning an entire country into a search party; it seemed like something of a miracle when she reappeared, rescued almost by happenstance, nine months later. As the author suggests, it was something of a mystery that her ordeal lasted that long, since there were many times when she was close to being discovered. Her captors, a self-proclaimed religious prophet whose sacraments included alcohol, pornography and promiscuous sex, and his wife and accomplice, jealous of this "second wife" he had taken, weren't exactly criminal masterminds. In fact, his master plan was for similar kidnappings to give him seven wives in all, though Elizabeth's abduction was the only successful one. She didn't write her account for another nine years, at which point she had a more mature perspective on the ordeal, and with what one suspects was considerable assistance from co-author Stewart, who helps frame her story and fill in some gaps. Though the account thankfully spares readers the graphic details, Smart tells of the abuse and degradation she suffered, of the fear for her family's safety that kept her from escaping and of the faith that fueled her determination to survive. "Anyone who suggests that I became a victim of Stockholm syndrome by developing any feelings of sympathy for my captors simply has no idea what was going on inside my head," she writes. "I never once--not for a single moment--developed a shred of affection or empathy for either of them.The only thing there ever was was fear." Smart hopes that sharing her story might help heal the scars of others, though the book is focused on what she suffered rather than how she recovered.]]]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.