Stolen Innocence
Encyclopedia
Stolen Innocence: My Story of Growing Up in a Polygamous Sect, Becoming a Teenage Bride, and Breaking Free of Warren Jeffs is an autobiography by Elissa Wall detailing her childhood in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
(FLDS) and subsequent later life outside of the church. The novel describes Wall's marriage at age 14 to her 19 year old cousin; a marriage that was arranged by the FLDS' president and prophet, Warren Jeffs
. Wall describes the traumatic marriage which she claims included frequent rapes, miscarriages and abuse. At 18, Wall left the FLDS and married another former member. The novel describes her testimony in the trial which convicted Warren Jeffs for two counts of being an accomplice to rape.
The autobiography was written by Elissa Wall (born July 7, 1986), who spent most of her childhood part of a polygamous family living in Salt Lake City attending the FLDS-run Alta Academy. Wall describes her family living situation as tense and at age 13, her mother was reassigned to marry another man and the family moved to Hildale, Utah
, which Wall says further complicated familial relationships, especially once several of her brothers and sisters left or were expelled from the church. Once married, Wall says she was made to leave school and to submit entirely to her husband, who sexually and psychologically abused her during their four year marriage. As her marriage with her cousin fell apart, Wall says that she became involved with her future husband Lamont Barlow, who encouraged her to leave the church with him. They have two children together.
On July 27, 2010, the conviction of Warren Jeffs as an accomplice to Wall's rape was overturned because "instructions given to jurors were erroneous."
felt that book was too long and that the narrative proceeded at too slow a pace. He was also critical of the reconstructed conversations that appear in the book, describing them as often sounding "contrived". The book reached number six on the New York Times best seller list. The film rights were optioned by Sharp Independent and Killer Films in 2008.
Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is one of the largest Mormon fundamentalist denominations and one of the largest organizations in the United States whose members practice polygamy. The FLDS Church emerged in the early twentieth century when its founding members left...
(FLDS) and subsequent later life outside of the church. The novel describes Wall's marriage at age 14 to her 19 year old cousin; a marriage that was arranged by the FLDS' president and prophet, Warren Jeffs
Warren Jeffs
Warren Steed Jeffs was the president of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints . In 2011, Jeffs was convicted of two felony counts of child sexual assault....
. Wall describes the traumatic marriage which she claims included frequent rapes, miscarriages and abuse. At 18, Wall left the FLDS and married another former member. The novel describes her testimony in the trial which convicted Warren Jeffs for two counts of being an accomplice to rape.
The autobiography was written by Elissa Wall (born July 7, 1986), who spent most of her childhood part of a polygamous family living in Salt Lake City attending the FLDS-run Alta Academy. Wall describes her family living situation as tense and at age 13, her mother was reassigned to marry another man and the family moved to Hildale, Utah
Hildale, Utah
Hildale is a city in Washington County, Utah, United States. The population was 2,726 at the 2010 census.Hildale is a twin city to the more well-known Colorado City, Arizona, both of which straddle the border between Utah and Arizona. Hildale is the headquarters of the Fundamentalist Church of...
, which Wall says further complicated familial relationships, especially once several of her brothers and sisters left or were expelled from the church. Once married, Wall says she was made to leave school and to submit entirely to her husband, who sexually and psychologically abused her during their four year marriage. As her marriage with her cousin fell apart, Wall says that she became involved with her future husband Lamont Barlow, who encouraged her to leave the church with him. They have two children together.
On July 27, 2010, the conviction of Warren Jeffs as an accomplice to Wall's rape was overturned because "instructions given to jurors were erroneous."
Reception
Fritz Lanham of the Houston ChronicleHouston Chronicle
The Houston Chronicle is the largest daily newspaper in Texas, USA, headquartered in the Houston Chronicle Building in Downtown Houston. , it is the ninth-largest newspaper by circulation in the United States...
felt that book was too long and that the narrative proceeded at too slow a pace. He was also critical of the reconstructed conversations that appear in the book, describing them as often sounding "contrived". The book reached number six on the New York Times best seller list. The film rights were optioned by Sharp Independent and Killer Films in 2008.