Book Review: “Escape” By Carolyn Jessop

I saw this book on the shelf of a bookstore around mother's day, I like to scan the books that the store recommends "your mum will love this" and jot them down to grab and read later.

The book is an autobiography of a woman who was raised in the FLDS, married at 18, bared 8 children, shared her husband with 6 other woman and then escaped. I don't read too many autobiography's but the initial story interested me as she was the same age as I am when she had her 8th child, I can't handle 2 so I was interested.

The book made me realise how free my life was and how liberated a woman I am, that I have so many choices and am able to voice my opinion without persecution (although when I do open my mouth I am often told it would have been better to keep it shut).

Growing up here in Australia you rarely hear of polygamy, only over the last few years are the Muslim communities who practice it publicise it. The LDS here have always seemed (to me) like everyone else but with very strong values to their faith. My mother would allow them into our home for tea when they came knocking to sell their "watchtower magazines", gosh even the The Man has let them in on occasion but I guess they never returned as they knew there was no way to convert or save that soul!

So the book is a good read to understand how other people live, how they are brainwashed into beliefs that make them live in fear but that there are some people with the inner strength to know what is right and escape it.

I've researched a little more on the faith and I know the only way I could accept a religion like this would to be born into it and to not know anything else, so when I found this site Christian Polygamy it freaked me out. Do women of this generation want to share there lives with one man and lot's of other woman? Quote "You might be surprised to find out that your best friend would share a husband with you. Good friends are hard to find. Why leave yours behind." I don't believe it is religious at all it is just power hungry men who like to control and have it when they want it! The worst bit of that site that really annoys me, is that when you scroll over the little icon of the woman on her knees, she bows!

In summary, when I read Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography I thought Scientologist were arrogant, self centered freaks and after reading Escape I think Polygamy is sick and berates woman lower then animals.