Escape

By: Carolyn Jessop, Laura Palmer

Narrated by: Ann Marie Lee

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

Critic reviews

"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)

Egad, what a story!

Now I know more than I ever wanted to know. I just can't wrap my arms around the idea that this is taking place right now and in our country. And, it's always the women and children that are the victims. This one is really haunting me. It's not a pity party, although I don't know how she could not feel sorry for herself. I'd be wallowing in self pity if it were me. It's told in a very neutral tone. She answers, "Why, why, why?" satisfactorily. There's an interview with her editor at the end where she speaks of freedom with such appreciation it makes you realize that's something we take for granted. Go for it!

No words

I loved this book; parts are incredibly hard to hear. The emotional abuse these people endure is disgusting, but what a strong woman she is unlike many of the others there. The manipulation and backlash among wives is unbelievable. Knowing she accomplished something and her life is better was what kept me going. I am so proud of her actions. I will be reading hey next book. What an eye opener.

escape

I really enjoyed the book. I learned so much after the FLDS. I have watched the news when they arrested Warren Jeff. Carolyn, was very brave and smart. I hope her daughter Betty comes back. If she doesn't, she has done everything she could as a mom to save her. I wish her good luck with her life.

Loved it

This one was worth it! New perspective on the FLDS, and cults in general. This is truly about a woman's fight for freedom against tyranny.

6 out of 10

Narrorator was not my favorite. She sounds like she was trying to sound young. While an inspiring story, at times it came across as a little bit like "Real Housewives."

Horrific battles overcome!

I was horrified and shocked at the exposure of what these women, young girls and even young boys and some of the men are forced to endure and survive, if they can! Some don’t survive mentally if they survive physically, I was amazed at Carolyn’s persistence to go on when others might have given up when faced with such seemingly insurmountable odds. I am so proud of Carolyn for fighting through for herself and for her children! She is literally one tough mother!

Terrific story of guts and determination

What did you love best about Escape?

The honesty & the story behind everything. I have become a bit of a "student" fascinated with this lifestyle. I knew Warren Jeffs was a whacko, but never realized how truly insane he is! This story was terrific as told by a survivor & I was so happy when she escaped & intrigued to hear her story of recovery & what it took for the children to come around to a "normal" life. (What most of us consider normal, at least)

What was one of the most memorable moments of Escape?

Just the elation of when they were out. The freedom & excitement to know they were out, but still concerned about being hunted by the sect. With every twist & turn, the celebrations & the next thing her husband threw in her face, I found myself saying "You son-of-a-bitch" from time to time.

Which character – as performed by Ann Marie Lee – was your favorite?

Carolyn herself - she did a great job of narration & was pleasant to listen to.

Any additional comments?

Very excited to read her follow up "Triumph"

Really enjoyed the story from beginning to end

It was a good listen and the pace and tone of the narrator, Ann Marie Lee, was good for both settling down or going about my tasks. The storyline was told in a thorough yet respectful of others regard that I feel like I have a much deeper understanding from an empathetic and sympathetic regard for that CULTure (emphasis because that is the entire monologue throughout the book) I feel it was nice to have an insider perspective to consider when looking from the outside. I would say anyone who likes female authored/narrated titles, someone wanting to learn about the set group of people, or just looking for encouragement if you have left yourself, even someone wanting an easy to follow, but documentary as a story is told, would enjoy this book. The partial autobiography was insightful and I’m glad to know more about the author(s), the background from which they come, and to hear a book with a nearly flawless good outcome in the end. It was ALMOST all positive in the end.

Powerful

much more real and even and believable than the more bitter and forced LEAVING THE SAINTS. One only wonders why she dragged eight kids through all of that as long as she did.

inside the FLDS

A really engaging memoir of the author's years in the FLDS church and her participation in a plural marriage with a prominent older member of the church. It's amazing to think of all the insular sub-cultures in the US, and how different the world seems to them than it does to outsiders. At times the story seemed a bit sensationalized, and at other times as though the author was letting her therapist tell the story rather than telling it herself, as the self she was when she experienced her time in the FLDS and her departure from it. Rightly or wrongly, I assigned all this to her co-author. Still, I was left with the unsettled feeling that Carolyn Jessop's experience hovers ambiguously between two extremely different accounts of it: the one the FLDS would tell, and the one that Jessop's "rescuers" in the larger American culture would tell. For me, that was the whole point of it, how dramatically your own experiences can shift underneath you depending on what framework you use to interpret them. I was left wondering where Jessop would be now, and how she would think about her life, if the FLDS's leadership hadn't gotten so freaky.