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| Stolen Innocence: My Story of Growing Up in a Polygamous Sect, Becoming a Teenage Bride, and Breaking Free of Warren Jeffs | 
 enlarge | Authors: Elissa Wall, Lisa Pulitzer
Publisher: William Morrow
Category: Book
List Price: $25.95
Buy Used: $5.45
You Save: $20.50 (79%)
New (72) Used (77) Collectible (2) from $5.45
Avg. Customer Rating:  79 reviews
Sales Rank: 5231
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 448
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9 x 6.4 x 1.5
ISBN: 0061628018
Dewey Decimal Number: 289.3092
EAN: 9780739496343
ASIN: 0061628018
Publication Date: May 13, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: lightly worn cover/binding; no dust jacket
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| Customer Reviews:
 "keep sweet" and carry a big stick on the FLDS stairway to heaven July 7, 2008
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
Most mothers and fathers would lay down their lives to protect their children, but not the parents of Stolen Innocence author Elissa Wall (warning-upcoming spoilers). Her mother Sharon becomes the second (of three required) wife of Douglas Wall, who sires almost two-dozen children with the three of them. Dad's response to learning of abuse suffered by his toddler daughter: a verbal complaint to church leaders, which goes nowhere. At seven, (p 36) Elissa's 22-year-old sister learns she'll marry Rulon Jeffs, a man (at 81) old-enough to be her great-grandfather. Two years later (p 193), another sister, then nineteen, shares the same fate. At ten, Dad decides that her 18-year-old brother must leave the household (p 47) rather than attend "reform" (think forced labor church camp for naughty kids). Mom promptly ditches him by the side of the highway. Months later, after a series of warnings and punishments, God, through his mouthpiece Warren Jeffs, deems Douglas unworthy and "reassigns" Sharon and her children to a man with already over 15 wives and twice as many children. Fortunately, (p 101) God transforms the tainted blood and DNA of reassignees to match that of the worthy fatherly successor. By the time Sharon Wall learns that her daughter is to be married at fourteen, she knows just what to do: throw her to the wolves (after writing the obligatory complaint letter). (p 149) "This must be the will of God and the prophet," Mom tells her future rape victime daughter. Elissa respectfully, repeatedly questions the decision, but is ultimately forced to submit to the demands of the FLDS and, in spite of zero knowledge about the birds and the bees, the amorous advances of her first-cousin husband. Expectedly, Mother and absent BioFather do nothing. Fortunately, she saves herself with a little help from a friend.
Ms. Wall's story is compelling, but the writing of a middle-school educated girl is expectedly amateurish and stiff. In fact, the attempts at using challenging vocabulary and complicated phrasing only make things worse, (p 66) "...assuage my own overwhelming loneliness," (p 123) "A sick, heavy feeling crawled into my stomach...," (p 128) "...she cautioned, interrupting my stream of consciousness," (p 146) "...deep melancholy had taken over my mind," (p 154) "Sad thoughts permeated my mind and put me in a somber daze." Stolen Innocence won't be winning any literary awards, but it is an honest, forthright, firsthand account of one girl's memories of life within the FLDS. Good companion reads: Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer, The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood and The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis.
 WOW May 31, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
This is a page turner. Having lived in the west for many years there are rumors of Polygamist families here and there. Amazing to see into the world of one such group. This was more than a book about religion however. It is an excellent study about how absolute power can corrupt absolutly. It also illustrates the principal of forgivness and love. What Elisse endured and still endures to this day is horrendous. That she is able to encourage the reader to offer kindness to the polygamists that we see around town shows that her heart is in the right place and there is not an ounce of guile in her. Knowing a little about the culture I hope that she and her family are able to be safe. She has been very brave to come out with her story and get this menace out of society even for 10 years.
Fascinating and scary July 2, 2008
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
This book, like Carolyn Jessop's "Escape," was hard to put down. I found this book even more disturbing than Jessop's, however. It is amazing to me that people live this way in the United States in this day and age-unbelievable. This seems like something that should have been going on in a remote part of the world 200 years ago. Bravo to the people who question this so-called religion and have the courage to leave. It's a shame what the children of the FLDS have to deal with- and what their so-called parents allow them to suffer. The unwavering love Elissa Wall holds for her mother after all she has been through, without the support of her mother, is hard to comprehend. This book shows how truly gullible people can be, and how evil others are who prey on people under the guise and false "teachings" all based on religion and religious beliefs. Very scary. This book disturbed me and made me very sad at the same time. I congratulate Elissa Wall and her family members who got the heck out of there. Most of the adults of the FLDS should either be in prison, or in a psychological facilities. Out there doesn't even begin to describe them. Being gullible is no excuse for some of the things that are described. I feel sorry for those children and everyone who still believes that the FLDS is the way to live. It's nothing but a breeding ground for acceptable abuse of many kinds and levels. The women in particular need to get educated and open their eyes. They're being used and treated like pieces of meat and nothing more. Criminal.
 Stolen Innocence - the best former FLDS story so far... July 8, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
This is the 4th book about polygamy I've read just since hearing all about the FLDS in the news recently. I have been fascinated by the stories and found it hard to believe that pologamy is still being practiced in 2008. I had no idea. Amazing.
Of all 4 books I have read so far, I would have to rate this book #1 and definitely far, far better than "escape" by Carlolyn Jessop (whom also was from the FLDS group). I wasted my money on that book, and as a result, waited to get this one from the library as I didn't want to throw away my money again. In fact, I almost didn't read this one at all. But in the end, I was too curious not to read it. I'm glad I did. This book is much much better written and I didn't notice any contradictions in the book.
This child of 14 had far more reasons to feel betrayed and upset. She was abused many times by her husband. I never really got the feeling anywhere in the book that she was trying to lay blame on everyone else, just her abuser and the men who helped him continue his abuse. In fact, several times she mentions how there are good people in this cult. This book seems to be much more honest. Even when there were fights in her family with the other Mothers in her growing up years, she was always able to see their side of the story and not totally lay the blame on them. Remarkable, especially for a child so young.
Also, given the fact that she tried multiple times (by requesting meetings with the "prophet" and pleading her case to her Mother and Step-Father) to prevent and later to get out of her forced marriage, especially at the tender age of 14 spoke a great deal about her. If I had been in the same shoes, I know, at age 14, that I would not have had the courage to stand up to the "prophet" as she did. What she did was remarkable and proves she did all she could at that tender age to try somehow, someway to get out of that marriage.
I agree with another reviewer that this book doesn't deal as much with pologamy as sexual abuse, however, she does give many details about her own family growing up with 3 Mothers. I think it was horrible how Warren Jeffs kept separating their Father from his family and just "gave" his wives and children to other men. That is outrageous.
I read the book in one afternoon, I couldn't lay it down it was so interesting. And, thankfully, this book didn't leave me with the impression that she thought she was above everyone else in their cult, and she never tried to run the others down. In fact, my only impression when finishing the book was that I wanted to weep for her. I hope she and her current husband find continued healing and that somehow she can reunite with her Mother and sisters again.
A cut above the other pologamy books I've read, and several notches above "Escape".
Very good book. Well worth reading.
Breaking Free May 29, 2008
3 out of 6 found this review helpful
STOLEN INNOCENCE is the third book I've read recently about polygamous wives belonging to Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints (FLDS). Unlike Irene Spencer's Shattered Dreams or Susan Ray Schmdt's His Favorite Wife-this book is more forthcoming about the belief that a woman's salvation -"ticket to heaven" depends upon doing exactly what she is told to do by male church leaders and an appointed husband. Regardless if you are actually an acting out female adolescent - the FLDS solution is not counseling it is marriage at 14 to your first counsin! The whole book is more about sexual/physical/mental child abuse than polygamous marriage since Elissa is a 14 yr old first wife of an abusing man without other wives.
The 431 pages are printed in extremely small font and difficult to follow. Sometimes the prose reminded me of something written in shorthand where another person tried to transcribe bad notes. Lags in places, does not provide helpful detail in other sections. I expected more.
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