My Story

By: Elizabeth Smart, Chris Stewart

Narrated by: Elizabeth Smart

The harrowing true story of abduction and survival from the courageous young woman who lived it—now the subject of a Lifetime original movie, I Am Elizabeth Smart.

In this memoir, Elizabeth Smart reveals how she survived and the secret to forging a new life in the wake of a brutal crime. On June 5, 2002, fourteen-year-old Elizabeth Smart, the daughter of a close-knit Mormon family, was taken from her home in the middle of the night by religious fanatic Brian David Mitchell and his wife, Wanda Barzee. Elizabeth was kept chained, dressed in disguise, repeatedly raped, and told she and her family would be killed if she tried to escape. After her rescue on March 12, 2003, she rejoined her family and worked to pick up the pieces of her life.

With My Story, Elizabeth tells of the constant fear she endured every hour, her courageous determination to maintain hope, and how she devised a plan to manipulate her captors and convinced them to return to Utah, where she was rescued minutes after arriving. Smart explains how her faith helped her stay sane in the midst of a nightmare and how she found the strength to confront her captors at their trial and see that justice was served.

In the years after her rescue, Smart transformed from victim to advocate, traveling the country and working to educate, inspire and foster change. She has created a foundation to help prevent crimes against children and is a frequent public speaker. She and her husband, Matthew Gilmour, now have two children.

Critic reviews

“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.” —Library Journal

Gripping account

Would you listen to My Story again? Why?

I lived in Salt Lake City in 2002 when Smart was abducted from her bedroom less than a mile from my student apartment in the foothills. Along with thousands of others, I helped search for her. Nine months later, I fell to my knees and cried when I got a phone call from my brother: "Turn on the TV! They found Elizabeth Smart!"

I preordered this book with great anticipation, wanting to hear about Smart's ordeal in her own words. The book does not disappoint. She recounts her abduction with great detail, sharing the story linearly. It is gripping. She doesn't share as much about her life after the abduction as some would like, but I imagine that choice was due to her desire to maintain some semblance of privacy to her life.

My only difficulty with the book is simply that Smart doesn't quite express to the listener just how harrowing this ordeal must have been (though this could be a result of hearing it rather than reading it). She is so adept at seeing her captors with disdain and derision at this point (11 years later), that you almost get the idea that she was able to scoff at them all the way along. I'm sure the story she told her parents in the weeks after her discovery was closer to the heart emotionally than this telling is. But still, I credit her for thumbing her nose at those terrible people and being able to move on. Good for her, even if the story did come off a little more arms-length than I would have liked.

What does Elizabeth Smart bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Smart has a humor and sarcasm that comes through very strongly through her voice. In fact, I'm not sure the written word would have the same effect. Her reading made me laugh out loud at times.

What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?

Gratitude is paramount.

So Brave...

Where does My Story rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I listen to real people who overcome adversity. This is only one story but a powerful one.

Have you listened to any of Elizabeth Smart’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Elizabeth did a good job narrating her own book. It's easy to hear her passion and hurt even still from her voice intonations.

Any additional comments?

Elizabeth is a beautiful young lady that endured atrocities that no one should ever have to endure. She has courage beyond measure to share her story. God Bless her and all that have had to experience such ugliness in this world. I wish her all the happiness she can find in this life.

True to the title

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

While the story is familiar to most of us from media accounts, the book details Smart's ordeal from her personal side of story. Smart is honest and humble and does a good job of helping the listener understand what it was like to live through this as a 14 year old girl.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

While true crime stories typically detail the investigation, there is little of that included in this book. Smart gives insight into her abductors motivations, primarily how he used a religious delusion to justify his pedophilia. Smart was astute enough even as a young girl to recognize his rants for what they were; the product of darkness not the will of God.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

While it seems only right that the author should tell her own story, her narrative is distracting at times.

Bravery

Elizabeth Smart should be an inspiration to all young girls for her strength and faith. I thank her for sharing her story. As a parent this was both heart wrenching and inspiring.

Was a good story of triumph over evil.

Elizabeth did her best in telling her story in detail where we could understand what took place over the nine months of her kidnapping. God bless all the missing children of the world.