Stolen Innoncence by Elissa Wall and Lisa Pulitzer tells the story of a 14-year-old girl in the FLDS religion who was forced to marry her 19-year-old cousin. Wall and her family were very much entwined in the religion, having periodic direct contact with the leaders, Rulon and Warren Jeffs. The Wall family was labeled as rebellious by the leadership, as some of Elissa's siblings chose to leave FLDS. Her family was broken up, and she, her mom and her two younger sisters were sent to live with Fred Jessop, an important leader in the church. Soon after, Jessop told Elissa that she would soon be married. Elissa was matched with her cousin, who she could not stand. She tried to protest to Warren and Rulon, but was told that it was the prophet's will that the marriage happen, so it did.
As soon as she was married, Elissa began to be subjected to abuse by her husband. She began looking for ways to escape, such as spending time with her mother, visiting her sister in Canada, or simply driving and staying out all night just to avoid her husband. It was on one of these drives that she met the love of her life, when he helped her out of trouble while she was stuck in the desert.
Wall's story is very compelling - she begins to understand that the way of life that she has been following is not fair and that she can reject it and still be a good person. It also provides firsthand insight into the pure evil of Warren Jeffs.
Luckily, Wall's story has had a happy ending so far. Unfortunately, there are many others still in similar situations.
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