Rating: 
Summary: Richer for the Experience
Review: As with many of Oprah's other picks, I wasn't too excited about reading this novel. However, upon finishing it, I was glad that I took the time to read it. The story is of the Oufkir family and how they were held prisoner by the Morrocan government after their father attempted to assinate King Hassan II. The conditions they endured for the twenty years they were held captive were horrendous. Yes, the story is a depressing one, but you can't help appreciate in the end,what this family endured and how the bonds of love can get people through the most trying of times. I found the novel was hard to get into initially, but give it a chance. It picks up toward the middle and becomes very engaging for the remainder. It will leave you feeling a little richer and a little more appreciative of your own life.
Rating: 
Summary: stole my heart
Review: like a cinderella tale told darkly in reverse, this riches-to-rags saga of this moroccan family thrown into prison exile for the crime of being related to the man who failed in his effort to overthrow the king works on many visceral levels; the book's charm and haunting beauty resides with the narrator; her aching soul, her powerful sense of observation, her near total recall, her steadfast attachment to survival through two decades of cruel punishment, lends this "as told to" biography a melodrama and tragedy without comparison. one tends to think what her life would have been otherwise had she not been imprisoned. one anti-caveat: don't let oprah's endorsement make you dismiss this book. malika oufkir's story will sear your heart, stamp your brain with her pain and enduring strength of character.
Rating: 
Summary: I couldn't put it down!
Review: This was such an engrossing journey (not just a book)! I am hoping the movie rights are bought!
Rating:
Summary: I now appreciate the life I have
Review: When I read this book, I felt that I should never complain about anything again. Compaired to what these poor people went through, I have it pretty good. I recently read another horrific survivor story that gave me the same perspective: U.S Customs, Badge of Dishonor. These two books (Stolen Lives & U.S. Customs, Badge of Dishonor) demonstrate the true spirit of survival in the face of adversity. Everyone should read both of them!
Rating:
Summary: A very difficult read but so worth it
Review: Malika Oufkir, with the writing talent of Michele Fitoussi, has created a novel marking the events of her imprisonment by the King of Morocco, Hassan II. Malika's father attempted an assassination on the president, was executed and his family became prisoners for the next twenty years. Released in the late 90's, Malika has given the rest of the world the opportunity to truly learn of the inexcusable manner she and her family were treated.The novel is simply written in a matter-of-fact manner. But there are times when I hated to turn the page, guessing what happened next. Stolen Lives is not what you'd read for pleasure. It's for knowledge, and I completely respect Oprah for choosing this as one of the books in her club's collection. My bookclub read *Stolen Lives* and *All but My Life* by Gerda Weissman Klein together on accident. The correlations of Malika's imprisonment and Gerda's experience in the German Holocaust are truly haunting.
Rating:
Summary: Wow. Incredible
Review: This is by far one of the best books ever written. Easy to read, easy to comprehend, easy to sympathize with. The narrative was written in such a way that I felt I was with them throughout the whole ordeal. This is a life changing book, and inspirational book, and historical novel, and masterpiece. Buy it, read it, cradle it, enjoy it!
Rating:
Summary: A family struggles to survive under horrid conditions.
Review: Malika Oufkir is a household name among those who watch Oprah Winfrey's show. "Stolen Lives," the story of the Oufkir family's imprisonment by the government of Morocco, was chosen as an Oprah Book Club selection and it is now a best-seller. Malika Oufkir's story is a fairy tale in reverse. She started life as a pampered princess. The King of Morocco took her into his care at the age of five, and she was brought up as a spoiled young lady, with every luxury at her fingertips. In 1972, everything changed. Oufkir's father, a trusted and powerful aide of the King, was arrested and executed after an attempted coup. In retaliation for her father's act of treachery, Malika, along with her five siblings and her mother, were imprisoned by the king for twenty years. Oufkir wrote this book, which details her life before, during and after her family's imprisonment, with the help of a Tunisian writer named Michele Fitoussi. The writing is not particularly strong. "Stolen Lives" is often disjoined and repetitious and the characterizations are shallow. Although it is under three hundred pages, the tepid writing makes it seem longer, and the narrative drags at times. Oufkir's messages are hammered home repeatedly. She rightly emphasizes that we should appreciate the "free" things in life, such as our liberty, our ability to see a sunrise, and the love of our family. Oufkir also strongly criticizes the repressive Moroccan regime, whose human rights abuses are similar to those of other repressive regimes in many parts of the world. Malika attributes her family's miraculous survival under often squalid conditions to divine intervention as well as to her family's ingenuity, love and tenacious desire to live. The best parts of "Stolen Lives" are Malika's descriptions of how her family improvised while under extreme duress. They rigged up a primitive communications system when they were in solitary confinement, they constructed toys out of scraps for Malika's little brother, and they even put on theatricals to amuse themselves. Although "Stolen Lives" is often depressing and it is inelegantly written, this book demonstrates the unshakable will of human beings to survive under the most horrendous conditions.
Rating:
Summary: When everything is taken away and only the spirit remains...
Review: I saw an interview with Malika Oufkir on Oprah Winfrey's show and was so taken by her courage, her incredible spiritual strength and the unbelievable horror of her tale, that I felt I had to read this book. I found it to be an inspiring testimony to the human spirit but also an honest account of the terrible toll of this family's ordeal, leaving one brother "a permanent child" in Malika's own words, a brother who found adjusting to a normal, free life nearly impossible and who is still suffering the effects of his imprisonment.For their part, Oufkir and her sisters were left suspicious of men, emotionally scarred by what they survived...and yet they also managed to find the strength to serve as witnesses to their injustice and to find the courage to speak out. This is one of the most inspiring true-life accounts I've read in the last year and one I'd put on any "must read" list. If you dont know the details of Oufkir's story, here's a brief summary: At the age of 5, Malika Oufkir, eldest daughter of General Oufkir, was adopted by King Muhammad V of Morocco, a man who wanted an available playmate for his young daughter. While in the palace, Oufkir led a life of a fairy princess, in total luxury --- until her father was found guilty of treason as part of a coup to overthrow the new regime (led by King Hassan II). Malika's father was executed and she, her mother and her brother and sisters were immediately imprisoned. From one day to the next, Oufkir went from luxury to a struggle for her very existence, living in conditions that you can't believe until you read about it. There were times when one or the other would try and commit suicide (her brother when he was only 7) or be forced to eat food drenched in rat urine. And yet they DID persevere and manage to escape to tell their tale. Please don't assume that the grim details in this book (and I won't pull any punches; there are parts of this book that are difficult to read0 take away from the inspiration to be found here. After finishing this book, I actually felt uplifted and was amazed that I did, buoyed by the fact that this family went through such horror and yet managed to find the courage to survive - and then to tell about it.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing story of survival that applies to any life!
Review: Stolen Lives had me from page 1 until the very end, I literally couldn't set it aside! Not usually one for an Oprah book selection, I took a chance since this is a true story. I've found that by reading Malika's story and realizing that she and her family made it through, I can do anything I set my mind to. All through the book there are great parallels to practically anyone's life and struggles. Malika Oufkir's writing style is easy to read and captivating since it tends to remind you of sitting down with an old friend over coffee as they confide long hidden secrets. After only a few paragraphs, you'll find yourself deep inside beautiful Morocco experiencing palace life, lonliness, the joy of freedom and youth, disaster, imprisonment, and the triumph of familial love and the human spirit. This book is a must-have for you home library!!
Rating:
Summary: Good story but....
Review: It's a great story to write a book about, but the rhythm of the sentenses and structure are not smooth.
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