Escape

This book tells the tale of a FLDS woman who lives her life in the polygamist sect located in Colorado City and thankfully escapes to a better life with her children. You may know this group from the recent news concerning the arrest and conviction of their leader, Warren Jeffs. Carolyn's story leads you from one harrowing, distasteful, unbeliveable tale (which are true!) that you can not stop listening to. I listened to this non stop - so much so that it drove my family crazy b/c I had my headphones on constantly. Not since the book The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls has a book based on reality made me cringe, angry and proud of the author/victim of the story. Worthwhile read and a lot of background to so many of those news reports we've all seen in the last year or so.

If you are at all curious about the polygamist lifestyle - at least the most extremely negative version of it - then this book will answer your questions. The matter-of-fact delivery of the narrator seems to fit well with the stoic style of writer - I could see how an overly emotional rendition might have worn on my patience after awhile. However, I have to say that it could've been several hours shorter without losing much of the story, and at least some emotion would have been nice. I sympathize greatly with the plight of this woman and the tough choices she had to make to survive - she is a true survivor and someone to be admired for her courage and willingness to share her story.

This book shocked me. Carolyn Jessop is truly an extraordinary woman. Brave and intelligent and a loving mother. Her story is shocking and compelling. America must act to stop polygamy in our states. The lifestyle is a terribly destructive cycle, and there are so many children that it astonishes me. Uneducated brainwashed children with no future. It's so disgusting. I can't understand why our government is not more active.

The LDS or mainstream Mormons definitely are marred by the amount of polygamist sects that continue in Utah, Nevada, Arizona, etc. In fact, I have trouble seeing the Mormon religion as anything but a cult. Joseph Smith, founder of Church of Mormons, and Brigham Young, the famous leader who brought them to Salt Lake, absolutely believed in and preached that polygamy was the way to god. Both had polygamous marriages. I'm not sure when Mormons stopped practicing polygamy, but it is a strong value of their scriptures. This is bizarre. FLDS undermines the entire idea of the Mormons as a religion, making the whole thing seem like a creepy cult. As long as this continues, Mormons will always be seen with apprehension. Their common practice of sweeping it under the rug and ignoring the polygamist sects makes it worse, not better.

I hope that women like Carolyn Jessop continue telling their stories. We need to support these women and stop this sick CYCLE of sex, control, manipulation and domination. How on earth is this happening in the US in the 21st century?????

*** REALLY enjoyed the interview with Carolyn at the end of the book. Hearing her own voice made her that much more compelling.

Must read!!!!!!

This story is awash with tales that you will find difficult to comprehend. I found myself asking how these events can take place in this century in the United States of America. But they did - and still do. Carolyn Jessop enlightens us all on the frightening results of cults and how the use of fear and violence to control people lives on today. I was captivated by her life story and was pulling for her as she battled more obstacles in her young life than most of us will in our entire lives. Mind control is insidious and totally devastating. But she - somehow - broke free. This book is an important lesson to all of us on how easily people's minds can be manipulated.

I read this book several years ago from my public library, and decided to purchase it from Audible and reread it.

Carolyn Jessop is an incredibly strong woman, considering what she went through during the first 35 years of her life. This book details her personal observations of life with the FLDS, and provides enough insight into the history and workings to this group that will quickly get the uninitiated up to speed.

Anne Marie Lee is a great choice of narrator for this book. There is some dialogue in it, but she does not really have to project different characters' voices much. Her emotions are lightly drawn out, and inflection is just perfect for the book.

The book opens with the prologue of Carolyn's escape from the FLDS, then backtracks to her early life, childhood, marriage, children, etc. When it gets to the point of the escape again, it seems to completely omit the details in the prologue, which I thought kind of jumpy for readability's sake. Another quibble I have with the book is Carolyn's assertion of her "specialness"; SHE was not going to take this, SHE would observe things that no one else would Perhaps this is true, and perhaps this is Laura Palmer writing in this way, but is just grated a bit in places.

Overall, however, this book is a welcome addition to former FLDS memoirs, and biographies in general.

Enjoy!

I don't know why polygamy fascinates me, but it does. I think because I can't imagine "sharing" my husband or having to live with sister wives. lol.. I'd never given it much thought before the show "sister wives" came to tv, but now I find it so interesting... This book is written by Carolyn Jessop, who grew up in ploygamy and was married off at 18 to a much older man who already had 3 wives and children. She wasn't happy about it in the least, but didn't know any other way of live.. She does an excellent job of describing her feelings, what the relationship was like between her, her husband and her sister wives and why people believe in polygamy. She goes on to describe what happened to their community once Warren Jeffs took over and how woman had/have absolutely NO power or rights.. It's amazing how woman are expected to stay "sweet" and put up with being treated like nothing more than a incubator.. After escaping her 17 year marriage, she then had to deal with how her children felt, how afraid they were of the real world and all the challenges that came with that. For anyone who wonders why woman stay and put up with this kind of situation, you'll totally understand after reading/listening to her story. Very well narrated. I listen while I work (I work from home) and found myself putting in more hours than normal just so I could continue listening to her story.. Fascinating..

much more real and even and believable than the more bitter and forced LEAVING THE SAINTS. One only wonders why she dragged eight kids through all of that as long as she did.

OK, first off, I am LDS so I know the beginning history of the FLDS church when they were excommunicated and split from the founding LDS church. I thought I knew pretty much what the FLDS church believed in today as I see their members almost every day in my area. However, I was so completely wrong! It is absolutely amazing how far they have strayed from their original doctrine and have become a church of bigots and people that seek to destroy each other. Even though they believe that they believe in the Savior's teachings, they have completely turned away from His teachings and have become a Nazi-like society. This book is shocking and a real eye-opener! What these people has digressed into is horrifying to say the very least.

First of all I'll state that I'm mainstream Mormon. I grew up in northern Arizona and in Utah Valley. I knew that various polygamous existed but had never spoken with anyone who practiced polygamy. Due to the Texas raid I decided it was time to try and understand a little more about who they were

I have to admit I never knew how bad it was. I was raised by very loving parents in a large family (13 kids) so I can relate to them a little about living in a large family. I was shocked and felt horrible that such things were going on so close and nothing was being done. I have read many books about the Muslim world and other cultures and understand how much peer pressure works. Woman in some muslim countries are treated as slaves and property just like the woman in the FLDS cult. It isn't necessarily Islam that is the source of woman being abused it is people perverting religion and using it for power. It happens across many religions and places. Once the tradition gets started it is hard to break free and it perpetuates itself. You can't even really blame most of the men in the FLDS for what they do because they are taught to do it since they were small children. It is all they know. This book really shows how a closed culture can be easily turned into a cult.

I have no idea if the Texas raid will finally break the FLDS rein of terror and brainwashing but I hope it makes a sizable dent. It disgusted me like no other to read the horrors Carolyn went through. No human being should be subjected to that but it happens all the time all over the world. It makes me grateful for the opportunities the US offers to most of its citizens. Carolyn is a brave woman and her story touched me deeply. I have rarely felt so mad at a someone (Merill) before. I can't believe he isn't in jail if his wife and kids are willing to testify to his abuse. I knocked off one star because she kept repeating a few things over and over in the book.

I am giving this book five stars. I was so outraged to learn of this "hidden" world, and so ashamed that I was completely ignorant of its existance, that I think everyone in this country should be aware of it. The story starts out fast and engaging, revealing to the reader the most suspensful part of the story right away, but then begins the flashback of Carolyn Jessop's life. Yes, it can move slowly at times, and yes, there is an incredibly long (and sometimes repetitive) account of her 17 years of marriage to an abusive, controlling, manipulative, cruel, and, worst of all, brainwashing husband. However, I found that each layer she added would have crumbled without the foundation of the previous information. I can see how Ms. Jessop needed to be detailed, lest the reader not completely understand the true depth of fear felt by these women in the FLDS cult. Upon first discovery of this lifestyle and its shocking cruelty, one's immediate reaction might be to simply pass these women off as weak, and ignorant. Otherwise, why would they not simply leave? Ms. Jessop builds her story until the listener can completely understand the horrific plight, and hopeless existence in which they live. Her escape is truly a landmark event in this country, as she was the first woman to successfully escape from this cult, both with her freedom, and full custody of all eight of her children. It is a remarkable story of an intelligent, courageous woman's fight to overcome seemingly overwhelming odds against owning her own life. Personally, I had no idea that, in a time when we are sending troops overseas to fight opression, a small sect of a different kind of terrorism is thriving in our own country. If you have ever wondered how Adolf Hitler, Jim Johnson, or David Koresh managed to convince otherwise honorable people to subjugate themselves to torture, child abuse, death, this book will make you understand.