Status
Checked out
Due 1 Apr 2024
Collection
Publication
Crown (2008), Edition: Illustrated, 464 pages
Description
Biography & Autobiography. Religion & Spirituality. Nonfiction. HTML:"Escape provides an astonishing look behind the tightly drawn curtains of the FLDS Church, one of the most secretive religious groups in the United States. The story Carolyn Jessop tells is so weird and shocking that one hesitates to believe a sect like this, with 10,000 polygamous followers, could really exist in 21st-century America. But Jessop's courageous, heart-wrenching account is absolutely factual. This riveting book reminds us that truth can indeed be much, much stranger than fiction.". HTML: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 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. 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 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. But in 2003, Carolyn chose freedom over fear and fled her home with her eight children. Escape exposes a world tantamount to a prison camp, created by religious fanatics. Against this background, Carolyn Jessop's flight takes on an extraordinary, inspiring power. 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 its notorious leader, Warren Jeffs.… (more)
Media reviews
Below, Slate flags Carolyn's most intriguing, strange, and heartbreaking allegations.
User reviews
LibraryThing member wholewatermelon
This book describes polygamy at it's darkest. The abuse the children and wives in Colorado City experienced made me nauseous at times to read. Carolyn Jessup is a hero in my book for having the courage not only to leave the community, but also to relive her experiences in writing this book.
LibraryThing member RachaRolla
Poorly written. However this can be overlooked as you aren't reading this book for entertainment or enjoyment. Escape is incredibly heart felt and unnerving at the same time.
After reading this it really makes me disgusted that humanity can do these acts to it's women and children over something as
After reading this it really makes me disgusted that humanity can do these acts to it's women and children over something as
Show More
petty as religion. Carolyn is forced to marry a man who is some 35 years her senior being only 18 herself. She gets off lucky while she is living a the Fundamentalist Church of the Latter Day Saints (FLDS). Jessup goes on to describe is atrocities that happen to her friends and children within the sect. Show Less
LibraryThing member Tinasbookreviews
Carolyn at the age of 18 is forced to marry Merrill Jessop a 53 yr old man…….(insert gasps and gagging sounds) Could you imagine being 18 and having your first time be with a creepy, stinky 53 yr old man with yellow teeth. My stomach is turning over right now with the thought of it. On their
Nothing really gets better from that night on. Carolyn is the new wife (which eventually becomes a house with six wives and later more) and has sexual favor in the beginning, she soon learns that if Merrill is sexually gratified, that she would gain power in the house. The six wives competed with one another for that status and when tempers and jealousy would strike some of the wives would pay a huge price.
It took a while to get through Carolyn’s story- and only because you don’t sit to read this for entertainment. You read it because of the bravery and courage Carolyn had to save her eight children. You read it to get a true insight of what polygamy looks like- and it’s not an HBO television show. You read it to see a woman become victorious and make it into a new life, after the battles with the FDLS church are won and the battles with the courts are won, Carolyn comes out a stronger, smarter and more hopeful woman.
Show More
wedding night (which closely resembled Laura Ingall’s meets the creepy old man from Phantasm) a scared and shocked Carolyn finds herself alone for the first time with her husband Merrill, who hasn’t spoken to her yet. Right before he forces himself on her resulting in a disastrous first wedding night he utters “um, maybe we should talk a little”.Nothing really gets better from that night on. Carolyn is the new wife (which eventually becomes a house with six wives and later more) and has sexual favor in the beginning, she soon learns that if Merrill is sexually gratified, that she would gain power in the house. The six wives competed with one another for that status and when tempers and jealousy would strike some of the wives would pay a huge price.
It took a while to get through Carolyn’s story- and only because you don’t sit to read this for entertainment. You read it because of the bravery and courage Carolyn had to save her eight children. You read it to get a true insight of what polygamy looks like- and it’s not an HBO television show. You read it to see a woman become victorious and make it into a new life, after the battles with the FDLS church are won and the battles with the courts are won, Carolyn comes out a stronger, smarter and more hopeful woman.
Show Less
LibraryThing member avisannschild
I first heard about Mormon fundamentalism when I read the eye-opening (and horrifying) non-fiction book Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by Jon Krakauer. I have since read and reviewed the novel The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff and I’m a big fan of the TV series Big Love. So I
Carolyn’s story is shocking. Abuse, violence and neglect are common occurrences in her community. Once Warren Jeffs takes over as prophet, things get even worse, and some of the stories she relates are really hard to read. Unfortunately, the writing in this book could have done with more editing. At least twice I had to go back to see if I’d missed something because the storyline was confusing. For example, one minute Jessop’s sister-wife Cathleen was her only ally among her husband’s wives and the next minute she’d grown closer to Tammy than any of the others, without any explanation for this shift. Despite this, I would still recommend this book. It’s not a literary masterpiece, but it is an amazing story told by a courageous woman who “chose freedom over fear” and won.
Show More
figured it was about time I read a book written by someone who grew up in a fundamentalist Mormon community. Escape is the autobiography of a woman who was a member of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS), one of the largest Mormon fundamentalist denominations. At the age of 18, Jessop was forced to marry a 50-year-old man (Merrill Jessop, who is now the de facto leader of the FLDS), with whom she would have eight children over the next 15 years. In 2003, she fled her community with all her children, including a disabled toddler, and was the first woman ever granted full custody of her children in a suit involving the FLDS.Carolyn’s story is shocking. Abuse, violence and neglect are common occurrences in her community. Once Warren Jeffs takes over as prophet, things get even worse, and some of the stories she relates are really hard to read. Unfortunately, the writing in this book could have done with more editing. At least twice I had to go back to see if I’d missed something because the storyline was confusing. For example, one minute Jessop’s sister-wife Cathleen was her only ally among her husband’s wives and the next minute she’d grown closer to Tammy than any of the others, without any explanation for this shift. Despite this, I would still recommend this book. It’s not a literary masterpiece, but it is an amazing story told by a courageous woman who “chose freedom over fear” and won.
Show Less
LibraryThing member sueo23
It took me a while to get into this book, but Carolyn's account of her life inside the FLDS is harrowing. Being born into such a "belief system" is bizarre enough, but that such a community can exist outside the law for so long is just mind-boggling. Courage and resilience are qualities that abound
Show More
in Carolyn and there is no doubt that she and her children needed to get out. Whilst she is highly critical of the "prophet", Warren Jeffs, and his cronies (like her former husband) it is clear that she does not hate those she left behind. This is the most admirable thing about Carolyn and also why she did not crumble when they tried to knock her down. Despite everything she is just looking to the future and enjoying her life and her children. Being here in Australia, I don't recall hearing much about the raid on the YFZ ranch, but I was shocked to learn Oprah had gone inside and really found nothing wrong there. That she would even give these people air time AT ALL is beyond me! Loved the book and I look forward to seeing the movie starring Kathryn Heigl if it ever eventuates... Show Less
LibraryThing member bribre01
Intriguing and very interesting. Also quite inspiring, considering all the family overcame.
LibraryThing member TheLoisLevel
I found this book much better than I expected. I was interested in her story because I've seen other escaped members of her cult on Oprah. What kept me reading is Jessop's strength of character and her ability to construct her own life in the middle of this cult.
LibraryThing member bobbieharv
An interesting emotional portrayal of polygamy from the inside, by a woman who had 8 children with an old despicable man. It was fascinating, in an almost voyeuristic way, but by the end her collusion in her victimization was difficult to read about. Yes, she escaped, and that's courageous, but
Show More
somehow she's still under the spell of feeling powerless. I think this book could have used more distance from her plight. Show Less
LibraryThing member MarthaHuntley
This is an extremely harrowing book to read. Imagine what living it was like! Wait, you don't have to imagine; Carolyn Jessop, with Laura Palmer, tells us. I remember the TV coverage when children were removed from the Yearning for Zion Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints compound in Texas, and the
Show More
adults saying, "I can't believe this could happen in the United States." Well, it is hard to imagine this lifestyle going on in the U.S., and having been allowed to go on for decades. The only stories I've ever read that feature more gratuitous cruelty and arrogant power are those involving Nazis and concentration camps. That these FLDS people can be so brainwashed - literally from birth - and so callous toward each other, their own wives and children, is heartbreaking. As a person of faith, I grieve to see such twisted religion and hateful teaching. FDLS seems to be the American brand of Taliban. A really shocking book. Show Less
LibraryThing member Lenaphoenix
Carolyn Jessop's story of her life in the polygamous community the FLDS is one of those books that is simultaneously hard to read and difficult to put down. It's hard to read because her tale is one of non-stop abuse, from the apocalyptic nightmare that was drilled into her head as a child to the
Having been born at a time when the women ahead of me were fighting hard so I could have rights that I pretty much take for granted, Jessop's story is a chilling reminder of what life is like for women who are raised in a religion which tells them that their only hope of salvation is perfect devotion to their husbands and, if their husband beats them, it is simply because of their own failings. Those who think the women of the FLDS should just refuse to put up with such treatment and walk away fail to understand that these women are held captive not only by their life-long belief systems, but their extreme isolation and community practices that ensure that, if they do speak up, they get no support from anyone. Even the local police were members of the FLDS and would not interfere with another man's right to run his family as he saw fit, no matter how visible the bruises. Should a woman get up the courage to actually leave the only lifestyle she has ever known, orchestrated searches, enormous pressure from family and religious leaders and a total lack of familiarity with and skills for the outside world will make it very difficult for her to survive on her own.
In the wake of the recent raid that removed hundreds of children from an FLDS ranch in Texas (a sister community to Jessop's that is reportedly now run by her ex-husband) I heard a lot of talk about freedom of religion. Those who think the State of Texas acted too overzealously would do well to read this book. If there is anything that Jessop's account makes abundantly clear, it's that women who have had obedience beaten into them since they were children are anything but free. The question of how much the government should intervene in groups like these is, to say the least, a thorny one, particularly when most victims are too terrified to go against everything they have been taught to eestify against their abusers. Jessop's disturbing recitation of how things got even worse after Warren Jeffs rose to power is also chilling reminder of how easily blind obedience to irrational doctrines can be horrifically abused by ambitious, power-hungry men like Jeffs.
Jessop was lucky in that she was permitted to go to college, and her work experiences and occasional contact with the outside world enabled her to build the determination to fight the abuse and make a better life for her own children. It is this determination that makes the book hard to put down, as I was anxious to discover just how, in fact, she ultimately managed to escape her hellish life with no money, eight children, and suspicious sister-wives watching her every move.
Show More
regular violence committed against women and children in the community in the name of God. But it is when Carolyn is given at 18 to be the fourth wife of a man 30 years her senior that things really become twisted. Though those in favor of polygamy may wax poetic about how wonderful and supportive it is to have "sister-wives," the dynamic in Jessop's family was one of ruthless competition, with women who had no rights of their own battling for their husband's attention in order to ensure such basic needs as food and protection for their children. Having been born at a time when the women ahead of me were fighting hard so I could have rights that I pretty much take for granted, Jessop's story is a chilling reminder of what life is like for women who are raised in a religion which tells them that their only hope of salvation is perfect devotion to their husbands and, if their husband beats them, it is simply because of their own failings. Those who think the women of the FLDS should just refuse to put up with such treatment and walk away fail to understand that these women are held captive not only by their life-long belief systems, but their extreme isolation and community practices that ensure that, if they do speak up, they get no support from anyone. Even the local police were members of the FLDS and would not interfere with another man's right to run his family as he saw fit, no matter how visible the bruises. Should a woman get up the courage to actually leave the only lifestyle she has ever known, orchestrated searches, enormous pressure from family and religious leaders and a total lack of familiarity with and skills for the outside world will make it very difficult for her to survive on her own.
In the wake of the recent raid that removed hundreds of children from an FLDS ranch in Texas (a sister community to Jessop's that is reportedly now run by her ex-husband) I heard a lot of talk about freedom of religion. Those who think the State of Texas acted too overzealously would do well to read this book. If there is anything that Jessop's account makes abundantly clear, it's that women who have had obedience beaten into them since they were children are anything but free. The question of how much the government should intervene in groups like these is, to say the least, a thorny one, particularly when most victims are too terrified to go against everything they have been taught to eestify against their abusers. Jessop's disturbing recitation of how things got even worse after Warren Jeffs rose to power is also chilling reminder of how easily blind obedience to irrational doctrines can be horrifically abused by ambitious, power-hungry men like Jeffs.
Jessop was lucky in that she was permitted to go to college, and her work experiences and occasional contact with the outside world enabled her to build the determination to fight the abuse and make a better life for her own children. It is this determination that makes the book hard to put down, as I was anxious to discover just how, in fact, she ultimately managed to escape her hellish life with no money, eight children, and suspicious sister-wives watching her every move.
Show Less
LibraryThing member bnbooklady
Carolyn Jessop's account of growing up a fundamentalist Mormon in a polygamist compound is interesting and satisfying to those of us whose voyeuristic desires require the occasional peek into someone else's life. However, the narrative is jumpy and awkard; the timeline is not always clear; and it
Show More
is very repetitive. This book has made recent appearances on many bestsellers lists and has received quite a bit of media attention recently, but it is certainly not the best or most compelling memoir about growing up in this secretive, unusual community. Irene Spencer's Shattered Dreams was much better written, but I suppose it appears to be "less important" because she, unlike Ms. Jessop, was not a member of one of the more prominent FLDS families. Skip this one and check out Spencer's book instead...or better yet, pick up Krakauer's Under The Banner of Heaven and let him tell the story. Show Less
LibraryThing member saskreader
Carolyn Jessop's story of life in a religious cult and her subsequent escape is riveting and fascinating, right from the beginning. That people live as they do in this cult in our times is sheer madness. Carolyn is so strong to have made it through this experience without losing her sanity - that
Show More
crazy honeymoon bus trip to San Diego alone would have pushed me over the edge had I been in her place! Read this for a demonstration of courage, strength, and bravery, and to witness Carolyn's unending love for her children and burning desire to live free. Show Less
LibraryThing member rillapearlp
This woman's story is absolutely incredible! Every woman in the world should read Carolyn Jessop's story. It is difficult to believe that there could be a population in the United States in 2009 that would allow women, children, and animals to be treated this way - let alone all in the name of
Carolyn Jessop is a heroine and a courageous leader among women. She makes me proud to be her sister!
Show More
God!!Carolyn Jessop is a heroine and a courageous leader among women. She makes me proud to be her sister!
Show Less
LibraryThing member mochap
fascinating account of a woman who escaped Warren Jeffs' polygamist cult with her 8 children. Amazing and horrifying that this occurs in present day america
LibraryThing member MerryMary
A horrifying story, masterfully told. Carolyn was married to a major figure in the Fundamentalist Church of the Latter Day Saints (FLDS). She was 18, naive, and totally ignorant of sex. Her husband was 46 years older - she was his 4th wife.
The incredible part of this story is the cruelty and
Anyone who reads this book will understand all too well the actions of the women and children in the wake of the last raid on Warren Jeffs' cult.
The incredible part of this story is the cruelty and
Show More
dysfunction between the "sister wives," and the total hypocrisy of her husband. I was angry and upset, as I was reading, but completely engrossed. The passage of the years, the increasing isolation and extremism as Warren Jeffs gained power, the multiple sources of stress and abuse, the slow realization that Carolyn needs to do something, and the courage it took to do anything - kept me turning the pages.Anyone who reads this book will understand all too well the actions of the women and children in the wake of the last raid on Warren Jeffs' cult.
Show Less
LibraryThing member porchsitter55
This book exhausted me....mentally and emotionally. As I read of what this woman went through, I found myself drained and worn out.
I could not put the book down. A compulsively readable story of a young woman, raised in a strict polygamist offshoot of the Mormon church, and how the male hierarchy
The oldest "prophet" died, leaving the highest position open for the son to claim....but in time, the new prophet's rules and regulations began to appear to be based on the whims of his growing madness. Warren Jeffs fanaticism and power caused Carolyn Jessop, fourth wife of Merril Jessop, to realize that her life and the lives of her eight children were in serious jeopardy. Without a complete understanding of the outside world, she knew it was the only chance she and her kids had of survival....the FLDS community was imploding and she took the opportunity when it came, to escape the clutches of the religious cult.
Reading of day to day life in the FLDS community, it seemed as though the women were nothing more than baby making machines, under the thumbs of their husbands. They could not do anything without clearing it first with their "priesthood heads". Any money they earned at jobs were transferred into their husbands hands. They were not to argue or question anything their husbands told them to do, no matter how bizarre or outrageous.
Carolyn had several life-threatening pregnancies, constant tension between her and her "sister wives", and obstacle after obstacle thrown at her by those in the community that wanted to crush her spirit and stop her growing rebellion against the abuse that she and the children were enduring.
Eventually Carolyn managed somehow to get out...but her children continued to be confused and filled with anxiety due to their upbringing, and how they had been brainwashed to believe that anything outside of the FLDS community was of the devil. With time, patience and love, the kids started to come around, with the exception of Betty, who returned to the FLDS.
I will never forget this story and especially will never forget the unquenchable spirit of this amazing young woman.
I could not put the book down. A compulsively readable story of a young woman, raised in a strict polygamist offshoot of the Mormon church, and how the male hierarchy
Show More
began slowly and methodically gaining more and more power over the lives of the women and children, and eventually some of the less powerful men as well. The oldest "prophet" died, leaving the highest position open for the son to claim....but in time, the new prophet's rules and regulations began to appear to be based on the whims of his growing madness. Warren Jeffs fanaticism and power caused Carolyn Jessop, fourth wife of Merril Jessop, to realize that her life and the lives of her eight children were in serious jeopardy. Without a complete understanding of the outside world, she knew it was the only chance she and her kids had of survival....the FLDS community was imploding and she took the opportunity when it came, to escape the clutches of the religious cult.
Reading of day to day life in the FLDS community, it seemed as though the women were nothing more than baby making machines, under the thumbs of their husbands. They could not do anything without clearing it first with their "priesthood heads". Any money they earned at jobs were transferred into their husbands hands. They were not to argue or question anything their husbands told them to do, no matter how bizarre or outrageous.
Carolyn had several life-threatening pregnancies, constant tension between her and her "sister wives", and obstacle after obstacle thrown at her by those in the community that wanted to crush her spirit and stop her growing rebellion against the abuse that she and the children were enduring.
Eventually Carolyn managed somehow to get out...but her children continued to be confused and filled with anxiety due to their upbringing, and how they had been brainwashed to believe that anything outside of the FLDS community was of the devil. With time, patience and love, the kids started to come around, with the exception of Betty, who returned to the FLDS.
I will never forget this story and especially will never forget the unquenchable spirit of this amazing young woman.
Show Less
LibraryThing member LisaDean
It's one thing to hear the news reports about Warren Jeffs, the FLDS, and their run ins with the law. It's quite another to read Escape by former FLDS member Carolyn Jessop. Escape provides a personal, rather disturbing glimpse into daily life in one of the nation's most controversial sects. Forced
Show More
to marry at 18 to a 50 year old man with three wives, Jessop survived 17 years of what can only be described as capivity to a homelife defined by intimidation and power. In addition, Jessop had to struggle with the difficulties of living with several other "sister wives" who were rivals for her husband's attention and favor as well as a large houseful of children, eight of whom were hers. In Escape Jessop also shares what it was like to grow up in a religious sect that was less about true faith and a personal relationship with God and more about ignorance, fear, and domination. In reading this book one understands that the precepts of the FLDS were and are not only cruel to women and children,but to the men as well. Jessop tells us about how her father lost the right to live with his own family when he dared to air dissenting opinions about the way the sect was being run. Reading this book will cause you to shake your head in amazement that such things can take place in one of the most liberated countries on earth. Show Less
LibraryThing member Betty015
This book was something that my mum picked up for me and I read it in a few days as I was unable to put it down.
LibraryThing member mcelhra
I really liked the straightforward manner in which Carolyn told her story. She was able to recount the horrible things she went through as the wife of Merril Jessop without a lot of anger coming through. That’s not to say she doesn’t have anger but she didn’t let it cloud the story she was
I appreciated how she repeatedly pointed out that her husband, Warren Jeffs, and their ilk were not following the principle of polygamy correctly. She gives examples of other polygamist relationships in her community in which the husband and wives were happy. (That is before Jeffs came to power. Once he was in charge, no one was really happy.) When she recalls her grandmother’s explanation to her of the spirituality behind the principal of polygamy, it actually seems to make sense. (As much sense as any religion makes to a person who is not a part of it.)
This book was published before the raid on Warren Jeffs’ Yearning for Zion ranch in 2008 but it does explain how Jeffs rose to power in the FLDS church and why he had such a hold on his followers. There are other denominations besides the FLDS that practice polygamy and may not be as cult-like as the FLDS, which I think is important to keep in mind. I really enjoyed reading Carolyn’s story – she is a strong, intelligent woman and that came through in her story.
Show More
trying to tell.I appreciated how she repeatedly pointed out that her husband, Warren Jeffs, and their ilk were not following the principle of polygamy correctly. She gives examples of other polygamist relationships in her community in which the husband and wives were happy. (That is before Jeffs came to power. Once he was in charge, no one was really happy.) When she recalls her grandmother’s explanation to her of the spirituality behind the principal of polygamy, it actually seems to make sense. (As much sense as any religion makes to a person who is not a part of it.)
This book was published before the raid on Warren Jeffs’ Yearning for Zion ranch in 2008 but it does explain how Jeffs rose to power in the FLDS church and why he had such a hold on his followers. There are other denominations besides the FLDS that practice polygamy and may not be as cult-like as the FLDS, which I think is important to keep in mind. I really enjoyed reading Carolyn’s story – she is a strong, intelligent woman and that came through in her story.
Show Less
LibraryThing member samantha.1020
What to say about this book other than scary???? Seriously, this is one of those books that makes me thank my lucky stars for everything that I have including my parents, family, and the life that I was born into. Sometimes it is as simple as that. And books like this make me remember to appreciate
This is Carolyn Jessop's memoir of growing up and living in the FLDS (otherwise known as Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints). The FLDS is a closed off religious group that keep to themselves and their community and are an offshoot of the Morman church. At 18, Carolyn was told that she was meant to marry Merril Jessop and become his third wife. He was thirty-two years older than she was. Carolyn's marriage was an unhappy one that was basically a power struggle between all of Merril's wives with Carolyn caught up in the mix even when she didn't want to be. It would take years before Carolyn would begin to realize that the religion and life that she grew up with might not be the life that she truly wanted. And it would take everything Carolyn had to escape.
Wow! That is all I had to say after reading this one. I can't even begin to imagine all of the things that this woman has had to endure...it is just too much. First of all, being told who you are going to marry, having no choice or say in the matter, it is almost too difficult to fathom. And how sad to go into a marriage and know that you may never love the person you are married to. Carolyn's marriage was a constant struggle from the beginning. All of Merril's wives were constantly competing for his attention which just made me a bit sick. Sex and the number of children that a woman had gave them status within their marriage. In other words, the more kids you had in comparison to the other wives gave a woman a better standing in this society and within her "family". Pretty scary in my opinion. Carolyn had no say in the life that she led and was constantly told what she could or couldn't do. And when Warren Jeffs came to power, things in the FLDS got even worse. Carolyn is very frank in the book and shares the reasons why she was content with living there for so long. I mean she grew up thinking that all of this was normal, was taught that the "outside world" was evil and meant for an apocalypse, and that she was one of the "chosen ones" by God. It took her a really long time before she began to think differently and realize that she wanted something else for her and her children. I must say that I think that Carolyn Jessop is an amazing woman!
All in all, one of those books that really makes you think. About the life you live and the freedoms that we have. Because not everyone has these freedoms so for me this kind of book makes me appreciate my everyday life just a little bit more.
Show More
what I have.This is Carolyn Jessop's memoir of growing up and living in the FLDS (otherwise known as Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints). The FLDS is a closed off religious group that keep to themselves and their community and are an offshoot of the Morman church. At 18, Carolyn was told that she was meant to marry Merril Jessop and become his third wife. He was thirty-two years older than she was. Carolyn's marriage was an unhappy one that was basically a power struggle between all of Merril's wives with Carolyn caught up in the mix even when she didn't want to be. It would take years before Carolyn would begin to realize that the religion and life that she grew up with might not be the life that she truly wanted. And it would take everything Carolyn had to escape.
Wow! That is all I had to say after reading this one. I can't even begin to imagine all of the things that this woman has had to endure...it is just too much. First of all, being told who you are going to marry, having no choice or say in the matter, it is almost too difficult to fathom. And how sad to go into a marriage and know that you may never love the person you are married to. Carolyn's marriage was a constant struggle from the beginning. All of Merril's wives were constantly competing for his attention which just made me a bit sick. Sex and the number of children that a woman had gave them status within their marriage. In other words, the more kids you had in comparison to the other wives gave a woman a better standing in this society and within her "family". Pretty scary in my opinion. Carolyn had no say in the life that she led and was constantly told what she could or couldn't do. And when Warren Jeffs came to power, things in the FLDS got even worse. Carolyn is very frank in the book and shares the reasons why she was content with living there for so long. I mean she grew up thinking that all of this was normal, was taught that the "outside world" was evil and meant for an apocalypse, and that she was one of the "chosen ones" by God. It took her a really long time before she began to think differently and realize that she wanted something else for her and her children. I must say that I think that Carolyn Jessop is an amazing woman!
All in all, one of those books that really makes you think. About the life you live and the freedoms that we have. Because not everyone has these freedoms so for me this kind of book makes me appreciate my everyday life just a little bit more.
Show Less
LibraryThing member TiffanyAK
Another great read for those interested in hearing the story of the FLDS from those who lived within it. Told by a truly courageous woman, who is the first woman in the history of the FLDS to manage to flee and win legal custody of all her children, her story is a powerful one. Definitely worth
Show More
reading. Show Less
LibraryThing member EmScape
Carolyn Jessop's tale of her life in the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints and her escape from abuse and oppression at the hands of her husband and her religion is heartbreaking as well as inspiring. It is depressing to me that people In this day and age and in this country are still
Ms. Jessop's writing is very good and extremely compelling. My only complaint is that she has a tendency to be repetitive in her explanations of FLDS doctrine, as well as explaining multiple times who people are. It almost seems as if the book came out in a serialized fashion, where all information necessary to the narrative is given, even if it had been mentioned in a previous chapter.
I was fascinated by this book, as well as grieved for this woman and her experiences. I would recommend this to any reader of memoirs, as well as students of religion.
Show More
living in such a confining and brainwashed society. Ms. Jessop's writing is very good and extremely compelling. My only complaint is that she has a tendency to be repetitive in her explanations of FLDS doctrine, as well as explaining multiple times who people are. It almost seems as if the book came out in a serialized fashion, where all information necessary to the narrative is given, even if it had been mentioned in a previous chapter.
I was fascinated by this book, as well as grieved for this woman and her experiences. I would recommend this to any reader of memoirs, as well as students of religion.
Show Less
LibraryThing member vibrantminds
The story of Carolyn Jessop who grew up in the FLDS religion and fled from a life of oppression and abuse in to a world she was taught to believe was evil. The conditions she and others endured is unbelievable. Very heart breaking and inspiring story full of hope and fortitude for a better life.
Show More
Carolyn had an amazing sense of self-determination to survive and free her and her eight children of their demoralized condition. Show Less
LibraryThing member Rice4Life
Crazy to think this stuff happens in the USA. These people are ridiculous!
LibraryThing member llima.orosa
I can't believe I almost did not buy this book. I read it in three days. I kept wanting to reach in and save her from this horrible life. How can this be happening in this day and age?
Subjects
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2007
Physical description
7.98 inches
ISBN
0767927575 / 9780767927574