
Stolen
A Memoir
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Narrated by:
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Elizabeth Gilpin
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By:
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Elizabeth Gilpin
A gripping chronicle of psychological manipulation and abuse at a “therapeutic” boarding school for troubled teens, and how one young woman fought to heal in the aftermath.
At 15, Elizabeth Gilpin was an honor student, a state-ranked swimmer, and a rising soccer star, but behind closed doors, her undiagnosed depression was wreaking havoc on her life. Growing angrier by the day, she began skipping practices and drinking to excess. At a loss, her parents turned to an educational consultant who suggested Elizabeth be enrolled in a behavioral modification program. That recommendation would change her life forever.
The nightmare began when she was abducted from her bed in the middle of the night by hired professionals and dropped off deep in the woods of Appalachia. Living with no real shelter was only the beginning of her ordeal: She was strip-searched, force-fed, her name was changed to a number, and every moment was a test of physical survival.
After three brutal months, Elizabeth was transferred to a boarding school in Southern Virginia that in reality functioned more like a prison. Its curriculum revolved around a perverse form of group therapy where students were psychologically abused and humiliated. Finally, at 17, Elizabeth convinced them she was rehabilitated enough to “graduate” and was released.
In this eye-opening and unflinching book, Elizabeth recalls the horrors she endured, the friends she lost to suicide and addiction, and - years later - how she was finally able to pick up the pieces of her life and reclaim her identity.
©2021 Elizabeth Gilpin (P)2021 Grand Central PublishingListeners also enjoyed...




















Critic reviews
"Elizabeth Gilpin’s memoir broke my heart. She writes in vivid prose about how, as a fifteen year old girl - an honor student and a promising athlete - she was kidnapped in the middle of the night by strangers, sent to live in the woods for months, and finally placed at a cruel, abusive, 'therapeutic' boarding school. The story is fascinating. It is also a powerful and timely examination of the consequences of misdiagnosing and mistreating mental health and trauma." (Molly Bloom, best-selling author of Molly's Game)
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Compelling and Informative
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But the narration!!
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Painful story, but powerful
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Most of these ‘programs’ masquerade as schools, with little to no government oversight. Staff members are unqualified and untrained, subjecting children to whatever dark whim they choose to inflict. The schools have numerous lawsuits again them, with allegations of abuse, will close down and open back up under another name. Such has been this horrifying cycle.
As a survivor of one these schools, though under the now defunct WWASP branch of schools not CEDU like Elizabeth’s school, it amazes me places like this are still open today. The majority of these kids leave the schools with lifelong CPTSD, and a host of other mental issues they did not go in with. At 33 years old, this book made me know that I am not alone in my struggle to confront this absolutely horrible time of my life, most of
the memories I have attempted to completely block out.
The most heartbreaking part of this book was the ending, where Elizabeth dedicates ‘Stolen’ to every victim of Carlbrook Academy who has since passed away; suicide and overdose are all very common outcomes for survivors of such programs.
Elizabeth does an excellent job of explaining that teenagers in pain don’t need these programs - they need intensive therapy, warmth and support from their parents. Shipping your difficult teenager off is not the solution. For parents considering this, check out the Breaking Code Silence movement, in which thousands of victims have finally begun speaking out.
Insightful, heartbreaking look into abuse of the TTI
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Real, Raw, Heartbreaking
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awesome
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The Narrators Voice is Monotone
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Riveting account of a therapeutic school
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I really loved that fact that you could hear her pain in her voice while reading certain parts which made the listeners understand just how much pain she was in recounting specific times!
Emotional
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Heart Wrenching
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