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Stolen
- A Memoir
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Gilpin
- Length: 9 hrs and 22 mins
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Publisher's Summary
A gripping chronicle of psychological manipulation and abuse at a “therapeutic” boarding school for troubled teens, and how one young woman fought to heal in the aftermath.
At 15, Elizabeth Gilpin was an honor student, a state-ranked swimmer, and a rising soccer star, but behind closed doors, her undiagnosed depression was wreaking havoc on her life. Growing angrier by the day, she began skipping practices and drinking to excess. At a loss, her parents turned to an educational consultant who suggested Elizabeth be enrolled in a behavioral modification program. That recommendation would change her life forever.
The nightmare began when she was abducted from her bed in the middle of the night by hired professionals and dropped off deep in the woods of Appalachia. Living with no real shelter was only the beginning of her ordeal: She was strip-searched, force-fed, her name was changed to a number, and every moment was a test of physical survival.
After three brutal months, Elizabeth was transferred to a boarding school in Southern Virginia that in reality functioned more like a prison. Its curriculum revolved around a perverse form of group therapy where students were psychologically abused and humiliated. Finally, at 17, Elizabeth convinced them she was rehabilitated enough to “graduate” and was released.
In this eye-opening and unflinching book, Elizabeth recalls the horrors she endured, the friends she lost to suicide and addiction, and - years later - how she was finally able to pick up the pieces of her life and reclaim her identity.
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What the critics say
"Elizabeth Gilpin’s memoir broke my heart. She writes in vivid prose about how, as a fifteen year old girl - an honor student and a promising athlete - she was kidnapped in the middle of the night by strangers, sent to live in the woods for months, and finally placed at a cruel, abusive, 'therapeutic' boarding school. The story is fascinating. It is also a powerful and timely examination of the consequences of misdiagnosing and mistreating mental health and trauma." (Molly Bloom, best-selling author of Molly's Game)
What listeners say about Stolen
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Sarah
- 2021-09-23
An brave and moving memoir
Told with incredible strength, this memoir is both painful but important to listen to. A must read!!
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- candice
- 2023-11-24
Should have had someone else narrate
Moving and powerful story, the trauma is real.
But u agree with some other comments: it was a bit drawn out in some parts, and definitely should have had someone else narrate
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- Candis J.
- 2023-07-10
Too long and drawn out
Let me start by saying that I feel just awful about what poor Elizabeth went through! Nobody deserves to be treated like that! But if I'm being honest, I found the story way too long and drawn out in most places, although at the end of the book she completely skips over big chunks of time. I almost gave up on listening to it but decided to keep going because I wanted to know how things turned out for her. I think that it also might've helped to have someone else narrate because I found this to be very bland and monotone with very little fluctuation in the tone!
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