Go Web Young Man

05/19/08 – Carolyn Jessop’s Escape is the true story of the author’s life in a polygamist cult followed by her eventual flight to freedom. I started the book one afternoon and was finished the following evening. Her descriptions of the perverse and abusive culture in which she lived had me spending each free moment finding out what would happen next. Sadly, all of the drama in her life makes for a riveting page turner.

Three aspects of Jessop’s story stand out to me: 1) the cultural isolation of her community, 2) the role of sex in her polygamist marriage and 3) the rivalries that existed between her and her “sister-wives.”

Colorado City, Arizona - An FLDS Enclave
Jessop’s story takes place in Colorado City, Arizona, a small town in the northwest corner of Arizona. It was founded in 1913 by members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS)^[1]. The FLDS first came into prominence in the 1930s when its founding members left the mainline Mormon church in order to continue their practice of polygamy^[2].

According to Jessop’s account, Colorado City is a world all its own. She tells how girls are raised to value becoming one of a man’s three or more wives. Women in the community drive cars with expired or missing tags so they’ll be stopped and returned should they try to escape. In her church, members are taught that the practice of plural marriage has been ordained by God, and practicing it is necessary in order for a man to receive the highest form of salvation. Her religion seems tailor made to exalt men and subordinate women.

The Role of Sex in Jessop’s Polygamist Marriage
Jessop relates that women in the FLDS are taught that their husband will have the power to exalt or reject them in the afterlife. Therefore, it is imperative that FLDS women please their husband so that he will choose them in the life to come. This amounts to the wives in Jessop’s marriage vying for the attention and favor of their husband.

Introducing sex into this equation results in its being little more than a commodity. The wives use it to have influence over their husband, and the husband exerts his power by deciding who he will have sex with. Ultimately, the wives’ ability to use sex to their advantage is fleeting in the face of their husband’s power in the afterlife.

“Sister-Wife” Rivalries
In theory, wives in FLDS plural marriages are to view each other as “sister-wives,” yet Jessop’s depiction shows this certainly is not the case in her family. Intense rivalries develop and the women are subject to mental and physical abuse from each other as well as from their husband. There is fierce competition between them for “favored wife” status.

I was struck by the absolute insanity of it all. While their religion espouses a virtuous life dedicated to doing the will of God, in practice there is no resemblance to that ideal. I am able to sympathize with Carolyn as she realizes she is living in a hell on earth.

Conclusion
The book begins with the thrilling escape of Jessop and her eight children. Then she takes you back to the beginning and shows what it is like to grow up as a woman in the FLDS. Her story is so surreal that it is hard to believe that it takes place in the modern day United States.

Jessop’s Escape provides a revealing look into FLDS culture amidst the tragedy and triumph of one woman’s life. Should you decide to read this book, I imagine that you too will also find a hard time putting it down.

Footnotes

[1] Colorado City, Arizona - Wikipedia
[2] Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints