Escape
by Carolyn Jessop, Laura Palmer
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Book Reviews of Escape
Book Review: Compelling Story, Abysmal Writing
Summary: 3 Stars
This book was written during the rise and fall of Warren Jeffs and provides a lot of insight to the inner workings of the FLDS cult. How sad to think that women and children in this polygamous society are destined to a life of servitude, humiliation, and abuse. Mothers are not allowed to show affection to their children, children cannot watch TV or read books from the evil outside world, and young teenage boys are routinely kicked out of the cult because they are perceived as a threat to the older men. Even grown men can "fall out of favor" and have their wives, children, homes, and businesses taken away from them in the blink of an eye.
Carolyn's story is a riveting one and I found myself cheering her on throughout the book. Unfortunately, the book itself was poorly written which I found to be quite disappointing. Her writer seems to have written out everything verbatim making the text stiff and clunky. It just doesn't have a nice conversational flow to it. Plus, there are places throughout the book where Carolyn seems to contradict herself or abruptly switches from one scenario to another, leaving the reader hanging. A good writer/editor could have fixed that.
Still, the book is worth reading for an inside glimpse of how polygamy really works and the shameful way the FLDS leaders treat and manipulate their dedicated, brainwashed members. I applaud Carolyn for having the courage to ESCAPE with 8 children who went kicking and screaming with her. She faced insurmountable odds and overcame them with courage, grace, and determination.
Book Review: Escape
Summary: 5 Stars
This was an extremely well written story of this remarkable woman's life. I never knew much about the Mormons or this more extreme branch. The author brought me into her world and let me experience a culture and religion very different from my own.
She starts out describing when she was a young child living with her parents. While some of what she described seemed extreme to me ,it was nothing like what was to come. From her unbelievable marriage, to the things her husband put her through, I kept expecting to get to the end of the book and discover it was fiction. It was so foreign to everything I've experienced its hard to believe its true.
Her triumph through adversity is very inspiring and hopefully made some change in those states who choose to ignore the abuse without full investigation. I hope it also inspired those who wished to leave as well.
This book also offered some background into Warren Jeffs as well who became very well known through the news. It showed yet another side of a man I can barely understand.
Before you read this book please prepare yourself to cry, cheer, and experience an entire range of emotions. You can go from one page to the next feeling angry and joyful all at the same time.
Book Review: Torturous true story, torturous writing
Summary: 4 Stars
I don't particularly like this book; I think it is poorly written; even as if it had been written by a secondary school student; BUT it just has too many details and corroboration to be ignored as fiction as some have recommended. It is just too powerful a narrative of what the most extreme example of inequality of the sexes and degradation and devaluation of the women accomplishes. It would be VERY difficult (close to impossible) to have created this history as fiction. It is also hard to believe that a professional author (co-author, ghost writer, whatever) would have let this book go out in print in this form under her name (as Laura Palmer has done). "I did this. Then I did that. Then XX said this. Then I did this, and XX did that." OMG!
Carolyn Jessop must be one of the most resilient and strong characters of whom I have ever read a first person memoir. It is horrifying that (as she describes in the closing chapters of the book) her situation is similar to thousands of others within the FLDS. In our democracy we suppose (we assume) that all have the freedom and ability (free will) to make their own choices. This book illustrates torturously that in some cases this assumption is just not true.
Book Review: A great book to pass onto other readers!
Summary: 5 Stars
I picked up this book for our cross country plane ride home. At the store, I chatted with the owner who recommended it and said it was good read. She was not kidding. I read for five hours on the plane and over the next two days until finished. I have ordered Triumph to see how her life is managing now.
When I came home, I Googled Carolyn, her FLDS family and life. When was enough? There were so many times a smart woman (non FLDS) would have left but is the domestic abuse problem on that compound so bad where you can't function on your own? Her sister/wives and children were just as emotionally/physically abused by that man and Barbara.
Relief came when she did escape and I felt happy that she had help outside to guide her. The guilt laid upon her and her children by the FLDS was heart-breaking. Glad she got the necessary emotional counselling for her children and herself.
I am ready to pass Escape onto my book reading friends. I am looking forward to Triumph because life finally got better for Ms. Jessop. On a personal note, I would change my name back to my maiden name and then give my adult children the same option.
Book Review: The Right To Choose
Summary: 5 Stars
After reading this book, all I can think about is if I would of had the courage to do what Carolyn did and risk what she did for the sake of her children. She had to give up her family, friends, religion, culture and home to make a new life for her family. She had to do this with no money, a severely handicapped child, and seven other children who had been taught that the outside world is possessed by the devil. I would like to think that I would of had the courage to leave, but in my heart of heart I think that I might still be planning my Escape.
Thank you Carolyn for having the courage to tell your story in the hope that people might become aware of the abuse towards women and children that is happpening behind the guise of religion by the FLDS. I hope that religious people (and others) everywhere will rise up against any religion that does not honor, respect and educate women and children.