The dramatic first-person account of life inside an ultra-fundamentalist American religious sect, and one woman’s courageous flight to freedom with her eight children.
When she was eighteen years old, Carolyn Jessop was coerced into an arranged marriage with a total stranger: a man thirty-two years her senior. Merril Jessop already had three wives. But arranged plural marriages were an integral … integral part of Carolyn’s heritage: She was born into and raised in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS), the radical offshoot of the Mormon Church that had settled in small communities along the Arizona-Utah border. Over the next fifteen years, Carolyn had eight children and withstood her husband’s psychological abuse and the watchful eyes of his other wives who were locked in a constant battle for supremacy.
Carolyn’s every move was dictated by her husband’s whims. He decided where she lived and how her children would be treated. He controlled the money she earned as a school teacher. He chose when they had sex; Carolyn could only refuse — at her peril. For in the FLDS, a wife’s compliance with her husband determined how much status both she and her children held in the family. Carolyn was miserable for years and wanted out, but she knew that if she tried to leave and got caught, her children would be taken away from her. No woman in the country had ever escaped from the FLDS and managed to get her children out, too. But in 2003, Carolyn chose freedom over fear and fled her home with her eight children. She had $20 to her name.
Escape exposes a world tantamount to a prison camp, created by religious fanatics who, in the name of God, deprive their followers the right to make choices, force women to be totally subservient to men, and brainwash children in church-run schools. Against this background, Carolyn Jessop’s flight takes on an extraordinary, inspiring power. Not only did she manage a daring escape from a brutal environment, she became the first woman ever granted full custody of her children in a contested suit involving the FLDS. And in 2006, her reports to the Utah attorney general on church abuses formed a crucial part of the case that led to the arrest of their notorious leader, Warren Jeffs.
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Fascinating (and horrifying) insight into how these people really live.
I could hardly believe such things went on in the US in the 21st century but I know that and worse takes place. To Me it was just as bad as selling of humans on the auction block that happens in several of our major cities. Horrible!
Heart warming story.
Very good book about a woman who pays for something in a very big way. I was so glad to read that she accepted her fate ( would be SO hard to do), and had the opportunity,in the end, to have a life, although not as many years as she should have. Very thought provoking, I think she suffered big consequences for what she thought she had to do.
Too long in the history of her life boring after the introduction
Great book. Many emotions while reading this book about polygamy and the FLDS. I felt outrage, anger, sadness, disgust as well as laughter while learning about the inner workings of the FLDS. I highly recommend reading this book.
Thought provoking. A real eye opener. Depressing to realize how much pure evil there is in the world today.
What an inspiration this woman is! She was tragically trapped in the blind acceptance of an abusive religion. She fought against all odds and overcame her blindness and the hatred, saving herself and her 8 children!
This was a difficult book to read; it was a little too realistic for me, but because it was based on real life happenings, I made myself read it through. Knowing someone who was familiar with this particular sect of religion, I knew that the things the author wrote about was true. That made it tragic. I was scared for her and the other women whose …
This was true book that was very written. Having known the subject matter made it more interesting for me. Recommended it’s to my book club group.
A good and disturbing read about the Fundamentalist LDS cult.
Learned alot I didn’t know about the FLDS.
Eye opening information
Carolyn Jessup is a hero. She is so strong and persevered. She knew what she had to do and did it with the odds against her.
Very interesting look into a psychiatric hospital and all of the human suffering, both inpatient and medical staff.
I got so caught up in Carolyn’s life that I couldn’t put the book down! It made me want to find out how her life has developed since the end of the story!
Infuriating story. Mostly that people are still getting away with this. Listening to stories like Carloyn Jessop and Rachel Jeffs is just unbelieveable, but in a weird way enjoyable. I enjoyed this book because of the triumph.
I was drawn to this book because we live by a lot of plural marriage families. Their culture is mind boggling. I learned that brain washing is real and really hard to escape from.
The author gave a factual account of a tragic situation. Her courage shines through.
Easy to read; difficult content.