Elizabeth Smart was held captive by kidnappers for nine months, and she’s since bravely become an advocate. Recently, she’s opened up more about her kidnapper’s evil tactics, including when they went so far as to pose as a Mormon and befriend the girl’s family to do so.

Smart revealed Mitchell’s alleged plan to kidnap the other girl in her new book, When There’s Hope: Healing, Moving Forward, and Never Giving Up. The book includes interviews with other public figures who have been touched by trauma of all kinds, such as Ann Romney — who suffers from multiple sclerosis — and Diane von Furstenberg, whose mother is a Holocaust survivor.

Elizabeth writes how during their time in California, her kidnapper allegedly began looking for his “next wife” and checked out local churches for young girls. “That was all it took for him to decide that this young girl would be his next victim,” she alleges in the book.

When There’s Hope: Healing, Moving Forward, and Never Giving Up (St. Martin’s Press) is on sale now.