I waited to review these two books together because they're both kinda downers, but inspiring at the same time.

"A Stolen Life" is the biography of Jaycee Dugard, who I'm sure you all remember was kidnapped when she was 11 years old, and held in captivity for 18 years. When she was finally found, she had two children at the hands of one of her captors -- Phillip Garrido. Garrido's wife was complicit in the crime and the two have pleaded guilty.

As a journalist who used to cover crime, I have seen my fair share of horrible stories. I have witnessed intense grief and pain. But what gets me about Jaycee's story is her resilience, and the complexity of her feelings toward the Garridos. They did horrible things to her, yet she strove for their love and acceptance. Her memories are terribly vivid, and she analyzes herself at the end of many chapters with her current-day reflections.

The worst parts to me are the ones where people see her. I've read the stories, I know the corrections officers missed the shed in the back. But the times she got to go to the market, or get her nails done. No one asked any questions of the silent girl with a couple. And then, there are those moments from her journals where she talks about where she was on 9/11 or her favorite new songs. I remember when those songs came out. And it's horrible to know where she was at that time, and the number of people who could have saved her, but didn't. Even still, she came out of it better than could be expected and that's empowering.

Another quasi-downer is "Half the Sky," by Nicholas Kristof, a New York Times columnist, and former journalist Sheryl WuDunn. I've followed Kristof for awhile -- his columns and on Twitter, and was aware of much of his international work when it comes to the sex slave trade. Their book is a journalistic look at what they've seen, but often is interspersed with their attempts to save victims.

We've been taught as journalists to remain unbiased, but how can you when you see such horror every day? The duo's frustration comes out at times, when they've heard women they bought to save and take home have returned to the brothels on their own wills. And while the book takes a stark look at what many people don't realize is happening every day in other countries, Kristof and WuDunn have many remarkable tales of perseverance and success. I've always said it's those stories that keep us going as writers, though none of mine have ever been on such a grand scale.

So while these two books may have many depressing moments, I do suggest them. They provide insights to such lives that I could hope I'd never have to witness firsthand, yet such powerful truths that it's a disservice not to know it happened.

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