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michaelcrane

Michael's Book Babble

I'm an indie author and a scribbler of inane babble. I talk about books I've read/liked. Or at least, that's the plan.

 

Most of the reviews will be considered "mini-reviews." Usually, it's mostly my reaction to what I've been reading. There are people who are far better at doing full and helpful reviews. But I still have fun doing them, and hope you enjoy them!

The House of Gold and this Effin' Book pt. 2

Stolen Innocence: My Story of Growing Up in a Polygamous Sect, Becoming a Teenage Bride, and Breaking Free of Warren Jeffs - Elissa Wall, Lisa Pulitzer

Disclaimer: Lots, and lots of cursing during this review. Even more so than usual for me. A lot of anger, too. Just a heads up!

 

Okay, goofy title. It's a throwback to one of my favorite concept albums, which is Stone Sour's The House of Gold and Bones. And I couldn't think of a better title than the one from my previous post.

 

Before I start, I need to point out that this is not an attack on anybody's faith or religion. The aim of the book, and my review, is the wrongful mental imprisonment of any human being, whether they be male or female. And I say mental imprisonment because the people who were stuck in compounds like these are led to believe there is no way out for them, and that they must keep sweet no matter what.

 

And the aim of this review and the book, is how, how, how fucking wrong it is for underage forced marriages, and rapes that are ignored because the thought process is that the men are always right, and they can do no wrong. They can take their wives by force, even if they say no over and over again.

 

Yeah, there's going to be some fucking strong language. Material like this can only get that sort of a reaction/response from me.

 

The story is of Elissa Wall, and how at age 14 she was forced to marry her first cousin by Warren Jeffs (who at that point was the self-declared "mouthpiece" of the Prophet and would ultimately become the head honcho after his father's passing). Elissa tells us of her childhood (if you can even call it that), her painful marriage which had her raped repeatedly over and over again by her first cousin husband scumbag extraordinaire. And as painful as the story is, we do get some much needed closure, even though many developments are still pending.

 

This is not an easy fucking book to read/listen to. And let's not dance around the issue here. She was raped. Pure and fucking simple. She told her appointed husband many, many times that she did not want to have "relations" of any sort. She told members of her family, and even Warren Jeffs. For the most part, her cries were ignored and she was told to obey. Even by her own fucking mother.

 

Sorry. Lots of swears. I can't help it. I really fucking can't.

 

Even though this is by no means a pleasant story, it's a damned important one. Again, this is not an attack on any religion. It's the idea of forcing women to wed early and against their wills. Elissa wasn't given the chance to be a child, and she has to live with that for the rest of her life. I thank her for sharing her story with the world.

 

Renee Raudman does a fine job reading the material, and she fully captures the feelings of Elissa. At first I thought it was a little over the top, but soon enough I realized and appreciated what she was doing with her reading.

 

A very tough, tough read and listen. But an important one, too.

 

5 stars