Stolen Innocence - by Elissa Wall & Lisa Pulitzer (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

"Both creepy...and quite moving."

"Wall's story couldn't be more timely."

Stolen Innocence is the gripping New York Times bestselling memoir of Elissa Wall, the courageous former member of Utah's infamous FLDS polygamist sect whose powerful courtroom testimony helped convict controversial sect leader Warren Jeffs in September 2007. At once shocking, heartbreaking, and inspiring, Wall's story of subjugation and survival exposes the darkness at the root of this rebel offshoot of the Mormon faith.

How does a teenage girl escape a powerful polygamist cult and find the courage to bring its prophet to justice?

• Arranged Marriage at Fourteen: Forced to marry her nineteen-year-old first cousin, Elissa begins a terrifying journey as a child bride, one from which she knows she must escape.
• Life Inside the FLDS: A world of plural marriage, pioneer dresses, and the absolute rule of the prophet, where girls are taught to 'keep sweet' no matter the personal cost.
• A True Story of Courage: From a terrified girl to a powerful witness, discover the unflinching bravery of a woman who risked everything for her freedom and the truth.
• Courtroom Testimony: Read the gripping, firsthand account of the testimony that helped convict one of America's most wanted fugitives and brought the dark secrets of the FLDS into the light.

From the Back Cover

In September 2007, a packed courtroom in St. George, Utah, sat hushed as Elissa Wall, the star witness against polygamous sect leader Warren Jeffs, gave captivating testimony of how Jeffs had forced her to marry her first cousin at age fourteen. This harrowing and vivid account proved to be the most compelling evidence against Jeffs, showing the harsh realities of this closed community and the lengths that Jeffs went to control the women in it. Now, in this courageous memoir, Elissa Wall tells the incredible and inspirational story of her time in the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints (FLDS), detailing how she emerged from its confines to help bring one of America's most notorious criminals to justice.

Review Quotes

"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

"Wall's story is both creepy...and quite moving." - New York Times Book Review