I purchased this book on a total whim. I have never been more moved by the written word than I was by this book. Carolyn Jessop is without a doubt one of the rare modern day heroes of this world, and what really shone throughout this book was that despite her endless personal struggles and abuses she was continuously concerned about the welfare of others, even those people who had mistreated her. She fought battle after battle to stand up for what is right in the face of such horrific mental, emotional and physical traumas, and despite having to continuously struggle she was still able to get her message out there and see that justice prevailed.
Carolyn Jessops writing is exceptional. Her words flow in a way that truly engages her readers into the world that she lived in for 17 years; we feel a fraction of what she must have felt, we are able to clearly picture the chaos and feel the fear that must have been a daily part of her life for so long.
On the surface whenever the outside world was ever invited to view the behaviours of the polygamous sects I was always led to believe that everyone was happy with their way of life, that all of their children, despite there being so many, were happy and thriving. It was not until I read this book that you truly realise that perhaps a lot of what we are occasionally privy to is a cleverly constructed facade to keep away a world that they are taught to believe is full of evil influences and evil people.
What I found to be most moving about this work is that despite the abuse that Carolyn Jessop experienced and witnessed, and despite the constant barrage of brainwashing propaganda about the outside world, she was always willing to open her heart to others, to trust and to care about their wellbeing as well as her own.
Carolyn Jessops sole drive throughout this work is the protection of her children, and despite suffering at the hands of her "family", despite numerous complications from her pregnancies, and despite facing times of near starvation and the detrimental effects of little to no health care, she was able to use her wits,instincts and her faith that good would prevail, to not only escape the only world she had ever know, but also to learn how to survive in the real world, and to ultimately help in putting a chink in the armour of the crumbling world in which she had been raised.
This book is not for the faint-hearted, it is a real story of courage and living moment to moment, a story of bravery and the extents a mother will go to to protect her children. This stirring work will truly make you stop, smell the roses of your life and be thankful for everything you have around you.