Rating: 
Summary: POWERFUL!
Review: This is a powerful.. powerful book that will grab you and not let go. Get this book today and let it grab you!
Rating: 
Summary: Amazing story that deserves a better telling.
Review: "Stolen Lives" needs to be evaluated on two different levels - the moving tale of a family imprisoned under the worst conditions for 20 years and the way this amazing story has been memorialized by Malika Oufkir and Michele Fitoussi. The subject is engrossing and important, but the book itself is not well-written. This accounts for the disparity in ratings that the book has received. It is fascinating to read about Malika'a unique and frequently heartbreaking life. The eldest daughter of a Morococcan general, she was taken from her family and adopted by the King. Western readers will find the tales of her life in the royal household surprising and enlightening. Not only was the lifestyle outrageously lavish, it was also consisted of customs and traditions that are completely different from our own. Malika was allowed to return to her own family as a young teenager. She only had a few years to get to know her father and enjoy life outside the confines of the palace. Her father before General Oufkir was implicated in a coup attempt against the King and was assassinated. The rest of the family - Malika, her mother, her oldest brother, three young sisters and three year old baby brother were summarily imprisoned. For twenty years they lived in increasingly brutal and inhumane conditions, persecuted by the King for their father's crimes and forgotten by the world. Thanks to their uncommon courage and ingenuity, the family was able to survive and eventually escape. It's not easy to read about many of the horrors and indignities that were heaped upon the Oufkirs, but it's important that the world know about their story. Unfortunately, the book is not worthy of this amazing story. It was written by Malika with the assistance of Michele Fitoussi. The first problem is that the book does not give sufficient background about either the history of Morrocco or General Oufkir's powerful role as one of the King's chief aides. Those unfamiliar with Moroccan history will frequently find themself at a loss for context. Second, given that this is Malika's first person account, it necessarily is a very one-sided version of history. Not that I doubt her version of events - I just would have preferred a more complete and well-researched book that included not only Malika's story but also those of her siblings. Malika frequently portrays herself as the backbone of the family, the strongest member who kept them all from succumbing to madness. This very likely is true, but it would have a much greater impact coming from someone else. Finally, the writing style is very repetitive and immature. While Michele Fitoussi is very sympathetic to Malika's story and deserves much credit for persuading her to tell her story, I have no doubt that a more objective and skilled writer would have improved the quality of the book immensely. Hopefully a serious scholar will undertake a complete telling of the Oufkir's story. I, for one, will be anxious to read it.
Rating:
Summary: a horrifying true story...
Review: This true story is truly a horrifying experience and shows the sad and disgusting evil a person can do to another, even to young children. I could not put this book down and I still think about what this family went through. You can even see on Amnesty's website where they even have reports inquiring the King's treatment of this family, as well as hundreds of other "disappeared" persons.
Rating: 
Summary: ERZ
Review: This book definetly was well worth reading. It made me sit and think of what i was doing when this women and her family was sitting there in a prison with no hope. It shows not to take advantage of things and to realize that things arent always that rough and there are people suffering more than you and you just need to be grateful of what you have. Unfortunetly this is a true story and because of that it hits you even more. I enjoyed this book and hope to see the Oprah interview if it comes on again.
Rating: 
Summary: Just Could't Get Through It
Review: At first I was intrigued by the vivid descriptions of a palace life in a far-away land. Then, the details began to jump back and forth and all over the place. It seems that just when Ms. Oukfir would get to the next part of her story, she would remember something else from the previous part and go into a whole different direction, never returning to where she left off. It was getting me dizzy so I just put the book down. The story is worth telling, it's just too bad there wasn't a good editor.
Rating: 
Summary: And ?
Review: The only pertinent question being :
Who cares ?
If the adopted "Royal" family needs to make a few bucks these days, ever heard of a job ?
Rating:
Summary: A must-read!
Review: This book is the true story of a woman and her family being sent to jail for 20 years, in subhuman conditions. I was absolutely immersed in this book and, once I finished it, I wanted more! I started hunting through the internet for more news from the past and updates about this family. My heart is still tender for little Abdellatif, who entered prison at age three and never knew anything else and is now scarred emotionally for life (as are all the rest as well, in their different ways). This is a very moving story about survival, about familily ties, and especially about the courageous nature of the human spirit. I definitely reccommend this book, though beware: some parts may be tough to read for sensitive readers! What I found most amazing is that all of this ocurred in my own lifetime.
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Summary: Shocking, Inspiring Journey from Riches to Rags to ...
Review: My friend loaned me this book, and I devoured Malika Oufkir's story in 2 nights of reading. I couldn't stop turning the pages of her life. I felt as if I were reading a friend's personal diary of happiness, laughter and luxurious times that turned to gut-wrenching, horrific and eventually awe-inspiring events. Not only did I learn of a family's personal 20-year tragedy and their search for freedom, but I also vastly improved my knowledge of Moroccan and French customs/lifestyles during the 60s-80s. I came away from this book with an enormous appreciation for the seemingly little things in life that in reality are luxuries in disguise. Buy this book. I promise you will not be disappointed by what you receive in return.
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Summary: Stolen reading time...
Review: Malika Oufkir went through hell and back. She almost didn't make it back, though. The story is sort of a memoir of the twenty years she spent in a desert jail. Instead of the "from rags to riches", its the other way around. She grew up a spoiled, little rich girl, living with the King Hussian in his palace. Than, for disobeying him, she's sent off with her family to a desert jail. I don't wanna ruin anything, so that's all I'll mention about the plot. The writing in this book is not very good at all, but you can't expect it to be a masterpiece from some one who lost many years of education. In all, it's worth reading if your interested in the plot, or you're a huge Oprah book club fan. Otherwise, forget it.
Rating:
Summary: Raw -moving and a revelation to the heart
Review: This book opened my eyes to the sheer freedoms that I take for granted each and every day. The fortitude and love that the family members had for each other was the steel of hope that kept them alive throughtout those wasted and stolen years.
For anyone who thinks that their lives has no meaning or purpose, this book will remind you of just how precious life really is.
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