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Escape

Written by: Carolyn Jessop, Laura Palmer
Narrated by: Ann Marie Lee
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Buy Now for $26.22

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About this listen

 When she was 18 years old, Carolyn Jessop was coerced into an arranged marriage with a total stranger - a man 32 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. Over the next 15 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 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. But in 2003 Carolyn chose freedom over fear and fled her home with her eight children.

Escape exposes a world that is tantamount to a prison camp, created by religious fanatics. Against this background, Carolyn Jessop's flight takes on an extraordinary, inspiring power. 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 its notorious leader, Warren Jeffs.

©2007 Visionary Classics, LLC (P)2007 Books on Tape Religious Religious Studies Women Marriage Mormon

What the critics say

"The story Carolyn Jessop tells is so weird and shocking that one hesitates to believe a sect like this, with 10,000 polygamous followers, could really exist in 21st-century America. But Jessop's courageous, heart-wrenching account is absolutely factual. This riveting book reminds us that truth can indeed be much, much stranger than fiction." (Jon Krakauer, author of Into Thin Air and Into the Wild)
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This is an amazing book!! I would definitely recommend it to other people to listen to it!!

Amazing!!!!!!!

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The story is heartbreaking and raw! Our lives are determined by our birth family and Carolyn Jessop had no choice born into polygamy. No freedom. Her experiences are so vivid, I could not stop listening.
Hard to listen to the truth about Carolyn not being able to protect herself from abuse or her children. She is a hero! I love that she managed to escape this horrible cult life. I love that her children are doing well. My eyes filled with tears hearing how her children’s lives improved. Sad to hear that Betty returned. Her husband was a monster!
I will listen to this book a second time ! Thank you for telling the world your story! May you have love and peace in your life going forward!

I love memoirs! This is one of the best !

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Riveting story and great narattor. The author is such a brave woman and I'm so glad that she shared her story.

Great Listen

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Just when you think it can’t get any worse it does! I enjoyed the narration and the story is unbelievable. If you’re interested in cults or polygamy I highly recommend this listen.

Shock

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I couldn't leave this book. listened every day. wonderful True Story and loved listening to the reader.

Best book I've ever read

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