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

Product Description:


In September 2007, a packed courtroom in St. George, Utah, sat hushed as Elissa Wall, the star witness against polygamous sect leader Warren Jeffs, gave captivating testimony of how Jeffs forced her to marry her first cousin at age fourteen. This harrowing and vivid account proved to be the most compelling evidence against Jeffs, showing the harsh realities of this closed community and the lengths to which Jeffs went in order to control the sect's women.



Now, in this courageous memoir, Elissa Wall tells the incredible and inspirational story of how she emerged from the confines of the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) and helped bring one of America's most notorious criminals to justice. Offering a child's perspective on life in the FLDS, Wall discusses her tumultuous youth, explaining how her family's turbulent past intersected with her strong will and identified her as a girl who needed to be controlled through marriage. Detailing how Warren Jeffs's influence over the church twisted its already rigid beliefs in dangerous new directions, Wall portrays the inescapable mind-set and unrelenting pressure that forced her to wed despite her repeated protests that she was too young.



Once she was married, Wall's childhood shattered as she was obligated to follow Jeffs's directives and submit to her husband in "mind, body, and soul." With little money and no knowledge of the outside world, she was trapped and forced to endure the pain and abuse of her loveless relationship, which eventually pushed her to spend nights sleeping in her truck rather than face the tormentor in her bed.



Yet even in those bleak times, she retained a sliver of hope that one day she would find a way out, and one snowy night that came in the form of a rugged stranger named Lamont Barlow. Their chance encounter set in motion a friendship and eventual romance that gave her the strength she needed to break free from her past and sever the chains of the church.



But though she was out of the FLDS, Wall would still have to face Jeffs—this time in court. In Stolen Innocence, she delves into the difficult months on the outside that led her to come forward against him, working with prosecutors on one of the biggest criminal cases in Utah's history, so that other girls still inside the church might be spared her cruel fate.



More than a tale of survival and freedom, Stolen Innocence is the story of one heroic woman who stood up for what was right and reclaimed her life.

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Customer Reviews

Rating: - Women born into slavery
This book broke my heart. I am so glad that Elissa Wall got herself away from that cult, but the reality is, if she had had children she may not have been so lucky. No one should be allowed to take an innocent child and raise it to be a slave of the church. I purchased this book on cd and I thought it was read very well with perfect palpable emotions coming through throughout. There were times when I found myself crying. This book was a real eye opener. A tragic tale of one mans greed for ultimate ... Read More
Rating: - Fascinating Book
I really enjoyed this book. It is a true eye opener. I usually like to read true stories, especially about people who live their lives completely different than me, so I can see into their world. Well, this book certainly did that for me. Elissa did a wonderful job in taking us into the FLDS world from her childhood all the way up into her adulthood when she left. It was easy to read and follow.
I would recommend this book to anyone who reads true stories.
My heart goes out to all the ... Read More
Rating: - Great book
I thought that this was a great book.I couldn't put it down and actually finished it in about a day.I could tell that Ms. Wall was not trying to be vindictive or mean, she was just stating her perspective.Fabulous read.
Rating: - WOW
This was the best book! I think I started to read this book b/c of Oprah's recent visit to the compound in Texas and all those recent events.I could not put this book down!I'm recently new to this world of reading "grown-up" books and I found other aspects of my life being put on hold so that I could read this book.I couldn't imagine living this life that Elissa Wall was forced to live. As someone not in the FLDS you wonder how the people think what they are doing in right, but that is part of ... Read More
Rating: - Inconsistent Perspective, Fascinating Tale.
A fascinating tale, but the author never finds a consistent voice. For example, her tale of her wedding day is interrupted by explanations of why she is smiling in photographs, which is quite confusing until you later learn that these are introduced at trial as evidence that she was happy that day. Indeed, much of the book seems to be a defense of her later testimony, which is wholly unnecessary; there is enough truth there that her constant attempts at persuasiveness detract from the genuineness of ... Read More