Escape
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.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. In the FLDS, a wife’s compliance with her husband determined how much status both she and her children held in the family. 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. 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. 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 their notorious leader, Warren Jeffs.
4 Stars - I think this is a must-read for any female. Though this wasn't my usual fiction novel, I really enjoyed the autobiography on her life. The reality of the situation was gripping and unnerving, and it made me feel lucky that i live in such an accepting and emotionally mature community and familial structure. The strength and resolve that Carolyn Jessop shows is admirable and incredible, to say the least.
The Final Verdict: Biography Best
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