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Escape

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'Escape' by Carolyn Jessop is a gripping autobiography detailing the author's harrowing journey of growing up and eventually leaving a fundamentalist Mormon upbringing. The narrative sheds light on the abuse of power within the FLDS sect, particularly focusing on the physical and mental abuses endured by Carolyn and her children. Despite the challenges and hardships faced, Jessop's story serves as an inspiring tale of courage and resilience, emphasizing the importance of breaking free from oppressive environments for a chance at a better life. The book offers a fascinating inside look at the world of the FLDS sect, highlighting the struggles faced by women and children within the community.

Jessop's writing style in 'Escape' captivates readers with its emotional portrayal of polygamy and life within a cult-like environment. Through a mix of heart-wrenching accounts and shocking revelations, the author paints a frightening picture of the FLDS cult, showcasing the strength and determination required to escape such a restrictive and abusive setting. Despite some opinions critiquing the writing style as repetitive or lacking in certain aspects, the overall narrative of 'Escape' succeeds in drawing readers into Jessop's world, leaving a lasting impact on those who delve into her courageous story.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style is basic and often repetitive, resembling a personal diary, which some readers found less engaging.

Plot/Storyline:

The narrative follows Carolyn Jessop's life in a polygamous sect, highlighting her challenges with abuse and her ultimate escape with her children.

Setting:

The setting is within a tight-knit, isolated polygamous community, juxtaposed with the outside world.

Pacing:

The pacing is generally engaging, though repetition and focus issues occasionally disrupt the flow.
Escape. The moment had come. I had been watching and waiting for months. The time was right. I had to act fast and without fear. I could not afford to fail. Nine lives were at stake: those of my eight...

Notes:

Carolyn Jessop was born into the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS), a polygamous community.
At 18, Carolyn was forced to marry a man 32 years older than her, becoming his fourth wife.
She endured years of abuse and rivalry among sister wives in a polygamous household.
Carolyn had eight children during her marriage, which was marked by psychological abuse.
She escaped the FLDS with all her children in 2003, a significant feat as she was the first woman to gain full custody of her children in a custody battle involving FLDS members.
The FLDS community, isolated and controlled, often subjected women and children to severe abuse, justified by their beliefs.
Warren Jeffs, a powerful leader in the FLDS, imposed increasingly strict rules and distorted doctrines, leading to greater oppression.
Even the police were complicit in the community's abuses as many were members of the FLDS.
Carolyn's story reveals that women in such communities are often indoctrinated from a very young age to believe in their subservient roles and that leaving is almost impossible due to fear and isolation.
The writing in 'Escape' has been criticized for being repetitive and poorly structured, but the story remains compelling and is worth reading for its shocking content.
Despite the community's harsh realities, Carolyn's determination to fight for a better life for herself and her children stands out as a powerful narrative of resilience.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

The memoir includes high content warnings for themes of abuse (physical, emotional, and psychological), manipulation, coercion in marriage, and descriptions of a controlling cult environment.

From The Publisher:

The dramatic first-person account of life inside an ultra-fundamentalist American religious sect, and one woman's courageous flight to freedom with her eight children.

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. But arranged plural marriages were an integral part of Carolyn's heritage: She was born into and raised in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS), the radical offshoot of the Mormon Church that had settled in small communities along the Arizona-Utah border. 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.

Carolyn's every move was dictated by her husband's whims. He decided where she lived and how her children would be treated. He controlled the money she earned as a school teacher. He chose when they had sex; Carolyn could only refuse-at her peril. For in the FLDS, a wife's compliance with her husband determined how much status both she and her children held in the family. Carolyn was miserable for years and wanted out, but she knew that if she tried to leave and got caught, her children would be taken away from her. 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. She had $20 to her name.

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. Against this background, Carolyn Jessop's flight takes on an extraordinary, inspiring power. Not only did she manage a daring escape from a brutal environment, 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.

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About the Author:

Carolyn Jessop was born into the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, a group splintered from and renounced by the Mormon Church, and spent most of her life in Colorado City, Arizona, the main base of the FLDS. Since leaving the group in 2003, she has lived in West Jordon, Utah, with her eight children.

Laura Palmer is the author of Shrapnel in the Heart and collaborated on five other books, including To Catch a Predator with NBC's Chris Hansen. She lives in New York City.

 
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