Stolen: A Memoir
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 | |
| Author | Elizabeth Gilpin |
|---|---|
| Audio read by | Elizabeth Gilpin |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Memoir |
| Publisher | Grand Central Publishing |
Publication date | August 5, 2021 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Audio(Audiobook), Print (hardcover), Print (paperback), |
| Pages | 336 |
| ISBN | 978-1538735442 |
| OCLC | 849816114 |
Stolen: A Memoir is a 2021 autobiographical book by American actress and writer Elizabeth Gilpin. Published by Grand Central Publishing, the book recounts Gilpin's teenage experiences in a controversial “behavioral modification” and “therapeutic boarding school” program in the United States.
At fifteen, Elizabeth Gilpin was an honor student and competitive swimmer struggling with undiagnosed depression. Her parents, seeking help, enlisted an educational consultant who arranged for her to be taken from her home by hired transporters and sent to a remote wilderness program in Appalachia.
In the memoir, Gilpin describes being subjected to harsh and demeaning treatment, including strip searches, forced marches, and the replacement of her name with a number. After several months, she was transferred to a therapeutic boarding school in southern Virginia called Carlbrook, which she characterizes as operating more like a prison than a school. She writes about the psychological toll of the experience, the friends she lost to suicide and addiction, and her eventual recovery and reclamation of identity as an adult.[1][2]
Background and author
Elizabeth Gilpin is an actress, writer, and producer. She previously appeared in and produced the short film Life Boat (2017), which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival.[3] Stolen is her debut book. The memoir draws on Gilpin's personal experience with Troubled teen programs and her later reflections on trauma and healing.[2]
Themes
The memoir explores topics including:
- Trauma and psychological abuse within institutional settings
- Identity loss and recovery
- Parental trust and intervention
- Regulation and ethics of the "troubled teen" industry
Reception
Stolen: A Memoir received generally positive responses from readers for its candid portrayal of abuse and resilience. Reviews on reader platforms such as Goodreads and retail sites describe it as “gripping” and “harrowing.”[2][1] Critical attention has noted the book's contribution to public discussion of unregulated youth reform programs in the United States.
The New York Times included Stolen: A Memoir in its July 2021 “New This Week” column, describing it as a memoir in which Gilpin “details the abuses she faced” in a therapeutic boarding program.[4]
Significance
The work adds to a growing body of first-person accounts examining the practices of therapeutic boarding schools and wilderness therapy programs. Gilpin's account provides insight into the psychological consequences of such programs and has been referenced in discussions about oversight and reform in the “troubled teen” industry.
Bibliographic details
- Gilpin, Elizabeth. Stolen: A Memoir. Grand Central Publishing, 2021. ISBN 978-1538735442.
