“American Heiress: The Wild Saga of the Kidnapping, Trials and Crimes of Patty Hearst by Jeffrey Toobin

More than 10 years ago my friend Page moved from San Francisco to London. Right before she left she gave me a gift. “On Thursday mornings show up at this house at 8:15 am, and a woman named Jennifer will come out and hike with you.” I said ok, and I have now been walking with Jennifer every Thursday since, except when it rains because I hike in the rain but she does not. While we are walking in the Presidio, Jennifer and I talk about our children, movies and our shared love for Suze Orman. We also talk about books, and recently she recommended this one: “American Heiress: The Wild Saga of the Kidnappings, Trials and Crimes of Patty Hearst” by Jeffrey Toobin. Jennifer had just seen the documentary about this book, and loved it. I have to say at first I was quite skeptical. On the one hand, I lived through the kidnapping, and although I was 11 years old at the time, I remember watching the story unfold on the news as I peered over my mother’s shoulder. On the other hand, I wondered “haven’t we already found out everything there is to know about this story?”  The answer is no. Toobin comes at the story with new eyes, and fresh angles emerge as he combs over the timeline, rich with so many details. Much like “The Season of the Witch” by David Talbot, we get to see what San Francisco was really like during the 1970s and 1980s, and you will read this book in awe and amazement. To think that a group of DIY radicals called the Symbionese Liberation Army kidnapped a wealthy Cal Berkeley senior, and then proceed to transform her into one of their own, crowing her “Tania” is a crazy premise to begin with. And yet, that is just in the first few pages. The year-long odyssey unfolds in front of not only her parents and the residents of San Francisco, but the rest of the world as well. “American Heiress” is a fascinating book and a historical document that portrays what America felt like during such a tumultuous time. To purchase this book on Amazon click here.