Stolen Innocence (Wall)

Book Reviews
Wall’s story couldn’t be more timely. Her descriptions of the polygamous sect’s rigidity are shocking, but what’s most fascinating is the immensely likeable author’s struggle to reconcile her longing for happiness with her terror of it’s consequences.
People

(Audio version.) Elissa Wall tells of her escape from the controversial polygamist sect the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) and its totalitarian leader, Warren Jeffs. After much soul-searching, Wall was instrumental in getting Jeffs imprisoned for his involvement in the marriages of underage girls, including her own forced marriage at the age of 14. Narrator Renee Raudman speaks in an immature-sounding voice as one would read to a child. Her soft and sometimes whispered tones contrast with the horrific experiences being described. Assuming the role of the young girl, Raudman recounts traumatic psychological insults such as familial dismemberments and the sexual violation of children. The juxtaposition of Raudman's narrative equanimity and the young girl's shocking experiences creates an arresting audio experience.
AudioFile