Stolen Innocence: My Story of Growing Up in a Polygamous Sect, Becoming a Teenage Bride, and Breaking Free of Warren Jeffs

I listened to this books on audio cd. The readers little girl whispery voice was intensely annoying. I did finish it and I would never presume to critize her choices and acts. What I find difficult to understand (spoiler ahead) are her choices outside the "church". She speaks of her mother and father as victims of a "religion" and of their inability to help or protect her as "because of their religous beliefs". The religious belief that one man and one man only talks to God and runs their life. Isn't this a cult? Doesn't she see it as a cult now that she's on the ouside. As a mother, she should have a clearer picture of what her parents did not do. Her constant use of the "love" of her mother is self-deluding. But I cannot question her big heart and forgiveness. Warren Jeffs may be gone, but her sisters are still there. Cults and their victims are very sad things. Editors should have trimmed this book by half. And definitely gotten a different reader.

Stolen Innocence was a unique story written about how one woman was able to escape the clutches of the FLDS after a 4 year forced marriage at age 14 to her first cousin who had been known to be abusive towards her as children. When she would not obey him, he repeatedly raped and physically abused her.

The marriage was arranged, in part, as punishment to her and her mother because they had spoken out on several ocassions and were thought to be a "troubled" family. Despite her begging and pleading not to marry a cousin "I hated," she was told she either went through with the marriage or her family would be excommunicated and set out on the highway. She had seen this happen to her brother and others, so out of fear went through with the "marriage."

Although I don't in any way condone her husband's actions, it appears from the book that he, too, was a victim of this order. There was NEVER any sex education: in fact, the word sex was never used, and was a subject not even married women were allowed to discuss. Children were taught to think of the other sex as "snakes," and even casual touching was forbid. Then, suddenly you are married, and all the girls have ever been told is "Your husband will explain your wifely duties to you." Sex is only supposed to happen to pro-create and NEVER for pleasure. In this case, the young man didn't seem to have any more knowledge of what he was supposed to do than she did. A man will have his "pristhood" taken away from him if he cannot control his family. This means he will not be allowed to enter the Celestrial kimdom, so it is a big deal. Fearing he was loosing control of his 14 year old wife, he began to rape her to insure she provided him with children. Unfortunately, she suffered 3 miscarriages and 1 stillbirth with NO medical care.

This religious group believes that Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism, was correct when he stated Pologamy was a revelation from God. The purpose was to create a family on earth that would be transferred to the Celestrail Kingdom for those who "stay sweet," and take advice from the Prophet, whom they believe are receiving messages directly from God. The men will then be set up as God's of their own "Kindoms." BUT ONLY IF THEY ARE OBEDIENT,and have duitiful wives.

The biggest problem in this story was that a sociapathic man who studied Hittler, manipulated his way into becoming the professed prophet. Because this group had been brought up to believe that anything the Prophet says is coming directly from God, no one questioned his actions. Those who did were x-communicated, had their wives and children taken away, their homes taken, and were left penniless. Under Warren Jeffs rule, the governing body of 12 was done away with, all property individually owned was taken and given to the "church," who then gave out land and houses to the "most worthy" of followers.

Because the people are carefully removed from society and taught that outsiders are evil and will only cause extreme harm, they are afraid to come forward. All the local Police, Judges, etc are FLDS members, so going to the authorities is fruitless.

This women came forward with the truth of what was happening in this isolated town despite death threats to her and her family. She risked her very life to come forward, and as a result has brought knowledge to authorities, who then were able to act on reports by many who had fled.

The book is well written, flows well, and explains why and how this has happened.

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What the Kindle version lacks is nice pictures. The pictures are displayed, but black and white and faded.

I thought this was an excellent book, very thought-provoking. It was a look into a very strange life compared to how most women live in this day and age. It seems hard to understand how these women and men go along with a "prophet" who makes every decision for them, including who they marry and at what age. Then you look back at history and there were many people who were able to control others like this, eg. Jim Jones, whose followers committed mass suicide. It is hard to believe that this kind of mind control is still in existence. It was a definite eye-opener for me.

Stolen Innocence: My Story of Growing Up in a Polygamous Sect, Becoming a Teenage Bride, and Breaking Free of Warren Jeffs

A disturbing look at the cult commonly called the FLDS, a polygamy espousing sect with enclaves in British Columbia, Utah, Arizona, Texas and Mexico and ruthlessly run by jailed "prophet" Warren Steed Jeffs. This is the story of Elissa Wall whom Jeffs forced to marry at age fourteen her abusive first cousin, and from whom she later escaped.

Stolen Innocence recounts the ordeal Wall's life was in a cult where women must be subservient to their husbands, and most importantly, to the prophet, or face consequences. Wall describes her ordeal in prose, while not literary, is at least compelling and aptly states her case.

During her horiffic marriage she suffers rape, miscarriages, extreme mental cruelty and takes to sleeping in her truck to avoid the bedroom and her abusive husband. She watches her 18-year-old brother banished from the enclave with her parents doing nothing to stop the action. She witnesses her mother removed from her blood father and reassigned to another man as his fifteenth wife.

She recounts how a former FLDS man befriends her and how that friendship turns to love. And most importantly, you'll read how she got the courage to tell her story and give the testimony to convict Warren Jeffs.

Difficult to read without feeling pity and anger, but an important book in learning about this sect.

There is no doubt that Elissa Wall suffered at the hands of the FLDS cult and Warren Jeffs in particular. Her story would have been more engaging had it been more succinct in it's writing. Read: it went on and on and on........While the tone and style are that of a young girl, (and perhaps the author(s) wanted to maintain that), the book simply grew tiresome from redundancy, lack of intrigue, and sheer wordiness. While Wall definitely has a story to tell, she could have told it better.