The ribbons of childhood

spoiled down,
then cut short.

This book was part of a Trade thing! .... or so this great BC'er thinks! ;)

I mean, sure, she has a couple of interesting books on her available list I'll be happy to take off her hands, but whether she can find them or not, these books are making a beeline to her! MWHAHAHHAHAHAHA

Thought you were going to drop a hard to get ahold of book on my lap and get off scot free! Not likely... >:D

You sneaky thing!! Now I feel doubly bad I couldn't find all the books I had on my shelf that you were interested in! I will definitely keep you in mind as I finish books I think you'll lilke. Thank you!

Finally got around to reading this, mostly prompted by goal to read a book set in each of the 50 states (this one counts for Utah). I was a little daunted at first (it's a fairly lengthy, oversized book), but found it to be a surprisingly fast read. Wall isn't a spectacular writer, but the pace and flow made it an easy read.

This certainly gives a good look to the inner workings of the FLDS (Fundamental Latter Day Saints) and their belief structure. It is a very cultist world, or at least was as the time of this writing. Members are isolated from the outside world, brainwashed, told how to act and what to believe, and ruled in a cruel, sexist, and manipulative way by one man. Women are convinced, if not forced, to marry people they don't wish to, at any age. They are "given" to men and their ultimate goal is to be a good, dedicated wife and mother. Polygamy is not only expected by exalted.

Wall shows us how she managed to break free, but also showed the power a single person can wield. It's frightening, especially knowing that, despite Jeff's admission that he was not "the prophet", he continued to have dedicated followers. I'm pleased Wall got away, shed light on the case, and lead to Jeff's arrest. I'm so sad for those still trapped in his horrible belief system.

In a quick skim of Wikipedia's entry on Jeffs, I see that, though he was convicted as Wall describes in this book, that sentence was overturned due to "incorrect jury instructions". Thankfully, other cases followed and he was eventually convicted in Texas for sexual assault of children and is currently serving life plus twenty years in prison.

(Counts for the 2018 "Reduce TBR" challenge.)

Released to Little Free Library as part of the "Keep Them Moving" challenge.