by Elissa Wall with Lisa Pulitzer
Harper Collins Publishers Hardcover
ISBN 9780061628016
436 pages
Release Date: May 13, 2008
Available for purchase
Why did you choose this book? I found this one right after I got my ereader and was trying out my library’s ebook access. Most books were on reserve, but this one was available and looked interesting.
When did you read this book? August 2010
Who should read this book? readers of memoirs,
In September 2007, a packed courtroom in St. George, Utah, sat hushed as Elissa Wall, the star witness against polygamous sect leader Warren Jeffs, gave captivating testimony of how Jeffs forced her to marry her first cousin at age fourteen. This harrowing and vivid account proved to be the most compelling evidence against Jeffs, showing the harsh realities of this closed community and the lengths to which Jeffs went in order to control the sect's women.
Now, in this courageous memoir, Elissa Wall tells the incredible and inspirational story of how she emerged from the confines of the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) and helped bring one of America's most notorious criminals to justice. Offering a child's perspective on life in the FLDS, Wall discusses her tumultuous youth, explaining how her family's turbulent past intersected with her strong will and identified her as a girl who needed to be controlled through marriage. Detailing how Warren Jeffs's influence over the church twisted its already rigid beliefs in dangerous new directions, Wall portrays the inescapable mind-set and unrelenting pressure that forced her to wed despite her repeated protests that she was too young.
Once she was married, Wall's childhood shattered as she was obligated to follow Jeffs's directives and submit to her husband in "mind, body, and soul." With little money and no knowledge of the outside world, she was trapped and forced to endure the pain and abuse of her loveless relationship, which eventually pushed her to spend nights sleeping in her truck rather than face the tormentor in her bed.
Yet even in those bleak times, she retained a sliver of hope that one day she would find a way out, and one snowy night that came in the form of a rugged stranger named Lamont Barlow. Their chance encounter set in motion a friendship and eventual romance that gave her the strength she needed to break free from her past and sever the chains of the church.
But though she was out of the FLDS, Wall would still have to face Jeffs—this time in court. In Stolen Innocence, she delves into the difficult months on the outside that led her to come forward against him, working with prosecutors on one of the biggest criminal cases in Utah's history, so that other girls still inside the church might be spared her cruel fate.
More than a tale of survival and freedom, Stolen Innocence is the story of one heroic woman who stood up for what was right and reclaimed her life.
My Review
This was a pretty good book and hard to put down. At times, it came across as a little whiny, when she complained about some 'everyday' type stuff we all deal with from time to time. But then you stop to think that she has no idea we all deal with some of it because she was brought up so isolated. And certainly, things happened to her that she has reason to whine (and more) about!
It was interesting to read about how she was brought up to believe that marriage was her only 'entry into heaven' and that this 'fact' was used to manipulate young women into marrying whoever they were told to marry, and to obey there husband without complaint. And this was accepted by the women! It was also interesting to read about how many in her family had varying degree of questions and problems with the church leadership, and how they dealt with it. Very interesting.
My Rating: ★★★ 3 Stars
Before the Blog is a meme hosted by YA Litwit. The idea here is that we have all been reading much longer than we have been blogging and have many books in our reading past that are worthy of blogging about. This is a way to 'rediscover' these gems by answering a few basic questions. For details check out Karis' YA Litwit blog.
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