Book Review: Triumph

My fifth book for the year is called Triumph, and its author is Carolyn Jessop, a former member of the FLDS church (a fundamentalist sect that broke off from the Mormons a long time ago). And for those of you who are wondering, YES, I do have a slight obsession. It all started with Jon Krakauer's Under the Banner of Heaven and grew even more with Stolen Innocence by Elissa Wall. This book was no exception, as it definitely fueled my anger with the group and gave light to a world of evil that is STILL being practices right here in the United States.

Carolyn Jessop writes about her experiences while in the FLDS and after she fled. She wrote another book before this one, Escape, that I did not read. Reviews on Amazon and Barnes & Noble said that this one covers many of the same things, so I picked the newer one to read. Jessop, who was married to Merrill Jessop (who is now in trouble with the law along with Warren Jeffs -- you may have seen them on TV recently) while she was in the FLDS. Together, they have eight children. Carolyn details what it was like being married to a MUCH older man at such a young age and how she lived with several sister wives. She was treated poorly, but unlike most women in the FLDS, she resisted it. She realized that she was worth more than that, and she fought back. She stood up for herself and for her children, which got her into a lot of trouble.

Carolyn Jessop flashes back and forth from the past to the present. She tells what it was like growing up in the FLDS, being married, sneaking out to ork out at Curves, getting a college degree and then teaching, being forced to then turn over her entire salary to her husband. She writes about one of her children being extremely sick and not being allowed to take him to the hospital for treatment. She tells of the heartache she experienced when her oldest daughter, Betty, returned to the FLDS just after turning 18. Jessop's story is full of love, compassion, determination, loss, grief, and most of all WILLPOWER. 

Anyone who is interested in other cultures should read this book. It is a real eye opener about things you would never even BELIEVE happen in our country to this day. Children are being abused. Girls are being forced to marry men sometimes 40+ years their senior. They are turned into birthing machines, and they are worth nothing more than that. Women are made to feel horrible about themselves and show no emotions. It's difficult to get through some of Jessop's accounts, but it is a worthwhile read. I highly recommend this book, but I do enjoy almost every book I come across. 

This evening, I went to Barnes & Noble to purchase Jodi Picoult's new book, Lone Wolf. It came out yesterday, and since she is my favorite author, I had to buy the book as soon as possible. It is the first book I have bought that doesn't go on my Nook in quite some time, and I am ecstatic to delve into it. I will write a review when I finish it. 

Happy reading,

Janelle