I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
One man’s journey to escape a dangerous religious group he was born and raised in and the harrowing experience of trying to save his own children in the process comes to life in former FLDS member Wallace Jeff’s novel, Destroying Their God. The book, (written also by Shauna Packer and Sherry Taylor), shows the terrifying process of being indoctrinated into a harmful doomsday religion and how despite a lifetime of indoctrination he managed to escape the group, but not without both physical and emotional scars. Here’s the official synopsis:
In 1991, Wallace Jeffs was coerced to become an FLDS polygamist.
In 2011, Wallace rebelled against the sect, and the FBI helped him reclaim his kidnapped children.
Then an “accident” put Wallace into a forty-five-day coma.
Growing up as half-brother to future Fundamentalist Latter-Day Saint prophet Warren Jeffs, Wallace tried to follow FLDS teachings. After he built a successful business, the church required him to marry a second wife. Wallace fathered twenty children, but he never felt comfortable with polygamy or many other FLDS beliefs.
As his prophet-brother increasingly manipulated him, Wallace started hearing about FLDS atrocities. On the day the FBI arrested Warren Jeffs for child rape, the prophet was en route to reclaim Wallace’s second wife for himself. Wallace defied the prophet and soon ended up in a coma. Though Wallace feared FLDS sabotage caused his car crash, he kept fighting the sect.
With today’s movement against male abusers, Wallace’s story reminds us that power and position don’t corrupt all men. In 2018, Wallace found resolution by marrying an LDS woman in the Salt Lake Temple. At the same time, he renews our concern for the thousands who still live under FLDS control, including some of Wallace’s own children.
This is one of the most tragic, heartbreaking yet important reads of 2018. This is the kind of story people can connect with on multiple levels. For me, I’ve always been angry about all of the innocent people who’s lives are destroyed by religious cults and curious how the indoctrination process claims so many lives. As a non-religious person, I was always curious how people could get so ingrained into a religion’s policies no matter how strange or ridiculous they seemed to the rest of the world. Thanks to the incredible bravery of Wallace Jeffs defying his brother and the church he spent a lifetime serving, the world at large can garner a far better understanding of indoctrination as a whole.
The book goes into incredible and tragic detail on the religion and it’s actions. From the strange laws that dictated their appearance and interactions with the rest of the world, to the inner workings of polygamy and the apocalyptic beliefs that drove people to do or allow unspeakable things to occur. The book also allows readers to get better insight into the behavior and mindset of the sick religious leader who is deemed “prophet” in this religion, and that’s Warren Jeffs. Wallace and this incredible writing team showcase the rise of this criminal, whom his brother describes as “the most evil person to walk the earth”. From his early years being groomed to be the religion’s poster boy, to his sick pleasures and the mind games he played with the followers, including his own brother.
Overall this was an amazing book to read. Definitely one of the best books of 2018, Wallace Jeffs, Shauna Packer and Sherry Taylor have brought to life an emotional, heartbreaking and yet vital tale of escaping a toxic environment. You also get to see how he learns how to integrate himself into society years later than most and the physical and emotional struggle of one father who’s love for his children gave him the strength to fight the only group he’d called family to save his kids. This is a must read book, so be sure to grab your copy in eBook, audiobook or paperback formats on June 6th, 2018!
Rating: 10/10
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