Scan barcode
bucket's review
3.0
Received for free through Goodreads First Reads
I was surprised to learn that Brent is just one year older than me! This was different than most things I read - not literary at all, but very interesting and also extremely painful at points. It is clear that Brent is full of hope and that he's made it through, which allows there to be positive notes throughout. The writing itself is okay, better than I expected actually. I can't judge this piece alongside literature though, as it is really about sharing Brent's story and getting his message out there.
Themes: FLDS, fundamentalism, family, power corrupts, the effects of trauma, polygamy, patriarchy, fear
I was surprised to learn that Brent is just one year older than me! This was different than most things I read - not literary at all, but very interesting and also extremely painful at points. It is clear that Brent is full of hope and that he's made it through, which allows there to be positive notes throughout. The writing itself is okay, better than I expected actually. I can't judge this piece alongside literature though, as it is really about sharing Brent's story and getting his message out there.
Themes: FLDS, fundamentalism, family, power corrupts, the effects of trauma, polygamy, patriarchy, fear
michaelkerr's review
3.0
This absorbing, sometimes harrowing memoir recounts the life of a boy born into a fundamentalist Mormon sect. His candid observations provide a window into a strange world of polygamy, unquestioned obedience, corruption stemming from absolute power and the nature of fundamentalism itself. Jeffs’ journey out of this restrictive world is a page-turner that illuminates a central theme of the 21st century – conflict based in religious belief.
ihaveitchyfingersforthatbooksy's review
5.0
After reading Escape, by Carolyn Jessop, where she does make mention of the Lost Boys phenomenon, it was fascinating to read the perspective of a man who grew up in that world, nephew to the cult leader. Instead of the perspective of a sister wife, we get the perspective of a child raised by sister wives with siblings and half-siblings. He paints a vivid picture, with childhood moments of joy, as well as terror and trauma, and the effects growing up in that world has on his family long after his childhood days. Highly recommended.
More...