Escape-Jessop

Wow. This is the story of a woman born into the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ and Latter Day Saints (FLDS) and the life she lived in a polygamous relationship as a young wife to an abusive man having child after child despite the fact that many of her pregnancies were life threatening. Reading her harrowing tale I could not help but think of Khalid Hossein's "A Thousand Splendid Suns". The abysmal treatment of the women was eerily similar. The brainwashing that they deserved to be treated this way, and that the afterlife would make up for the abuse they now suffered. The difference between the books is that this tale is a true story and it took place here in the United States of America. I am glad that attention is being brought to the human rights violations taking place in the FLDS and I hope that those who have done wrong will be brought to justice. The book tries hard to remain factual and I respect that. Carolyn takes great care to note that FLDS is not like Mormonism though they are a branch off of the faith. She also traces the evolution of the FLDS to the extremism it now faces. She describes unbelievable tales though... such as running a motel for her husband in the middle of nowhere and her husband allowing a known criminal who is obsessed with his wife to live in the hotel despite police, and security begging him to let this man go. Later Carolyn learns that her husband may have been hoping that the worst would happen. I'm so glad she escaped and thus saved her other children from a fate such as hers and I'm glad she told her story. The writing could have used a lot of editing, she repeats the same things word for word several times and once is really enough.... but otherwise its an interesting story and needed to be told.