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Title: Just Send Me Word

Subtitle: A True Story of Love and Survival in the Gulag

Author: Orlando Figes

Narrator: James Langton

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 6 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-22-12

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 18 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

"I went to get the letters for our friends, and couldn't help but feel a little envious, I didn't expect anything for myself. And suddenly-there was my name, and, as if it was alive, your handwriting."

In 1946, after five years as a prisoner - first as a Soviet POW in Nazi concentration camps, then as a deportee (falsely accused of treason) in the Arctic Gulag - 29-year-old Lev Mishchenko unexpectedly received a letter from Sveta, the sweetheart he had hardly dared hope was still alive. Amazingly, over the next eight years, the lovers managed to exchange more than 1,500 messages and even to smuggle Sveta herself into the camp for secret meetings. Their recently discovered correspondence is the only known real-time record of life in Stalin's Gulag, unmediated and uncensored.

Orlando Figes, author of Natasha's Dance, draws on Lev and Sveta's letters as well as KGB archives and recent interviews to brilliantly reconstruct the broader world in which their story unfolded. With the powerful narrative drive of a novel, Just Send Me Word reveals a passion and endurance that triumphed over the tragic forces of history.

Critic Reviews:

"[Figes] fine narrative pacing enhances this moving, memorable story." (

Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

Just send Me Word

Would you listen to Just Send Me Word again? Why?

Absolutel! This book not only details the love story of Lev and Sveta but also deals with some of the political aspects of Russia that I was not familiar with. It also was quite obviously not exclusively a love storyl but a stoy of resilliance, trust, and a powerful network of friends and family, ordinary people.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Lev and Sveta. Keeping their love alive when it obviously presented such risk, particularly for Sveta. Also, all of the friends and family who helped along the way.

Have you listened to any of James Langtons other performances before? How does this one compare?

I haven't listened to any of his other books, but perhaps I will listen to one that takes place in England. It took some geting used to, hearing Russian language and streets and events from an Englishman...

Any additional comments?

An incredibly important book detailing the history of Russia, and highlighting the story of two lovers who beat the odds.

Not enough information

Would you consider the audio edition of Just Send Me Word to be better than the print version?

Can't compare, but the audio edition was very good.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The emotional relationship between the protagonists was most interesting, but it was not enough. It was unrealistic to me that there was no comment (in these uncensored letters) about Stalin, the repressions, politics. That would have been most interesting.

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Title: My Story, My Song

Subtitle: Mother-Daughter Reflections on Life and Faith

Author: Lucimarian Roberts, Robin Roberts, Missy Buchanan

Narrator: Robin Miles, Robin Roberts

Format: Unabridged

Length: 3 hrs and 39 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-13-12

Publisher: Oasis Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 14 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Good Morning America viewers have come to know and love Lucimarian Roberts, the 88-year-old mother of coanchor Robin Roberts. On the day after Hurricane Katrina blew through the Gulf Coast, they watched Robin, standing amid the remnants of her hometown, recount the desperate search for her mother - and her return to safety.

Robin was not surprised to learn that even as the winds howled and floodwaters rose, Lucimarian sang hymns. Today, Lucimarian Roberts can recite lyrics to hundreds of hymns and spirituals. She credits hymns for helping her, a black woman born in 1924, live faithfully through the turbulent times of the Great Depression, segregation, and racial prejudice even as the wife of a U.S. Air Force officer.

This memoir shares pivotal moments in Lucimarian Roberts intriguing life, revealing how God has sustained her with strength and hope. Daughter Robin reflects at the close of each chapter, with her own voice, on her remarkable mothers character and influence.

Special features include five musical tracks, all played and sung by Lucimarian Roberts. Among these tracks is the hymn "When We All Get to Heaven", performed by three of the Roberts women: Dorothy, Robin, and Lucimarian. PDF material includes photos of the Roberts family throughout the years.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.

Members Reviews:

book about faith

I bought the book because I like Robin Roberts but didn't read what the book was about. I assumed it was more to do with the kids growing up. I'm not religious so I had no interest in listening to hymns being sung. That being said I'm sure that is what got them through the times of segregation with such a possessive attitude.

It is a positive book so if you are of a religious faith and like listening to hymns this book is for you.

I WILL ASK LOTS OF FOLKS TO LISTEN VERY LOVING &PO

EXCELLENT

MUST READ/LISTEN

POSITIVE

SO MUCH LOVE AND TEACHING

FAMILY HISTORY

HELP TO LIVE WITH LOVING PARENTS

BE YOURSELF

Very Inspirational

This was a very "nice" book. I understand the logic behind it totally-however, I thought it was a book about Robin and her Mom. It more centered around her Moms story, which made good sense. It was a very inspirational story of someone who learned at an early age to work hard, be grateful and you can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens you and a good family. Loved the hymns at the end.

Not quite what I was looking for, but I did enjoy it.

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Title: Taken on Trust

Author: Terry Waite

Narrator: Terry Waite

Format: Unabridged

Length: 17 hrs and 35 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-31-12

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Held captive from January 1987 to November 1991, for much of the time in solitary confinement, Terry Waite wrote his autobiography in his head. Here is his own heart-rending account of an existence robbed of companionship and of emotional, physical, and mental stimulation. He describes how his recollections of life from childhood onwards helped him endure a life of monotony and fear in captivity and reveals the inner strengths, which enabled him to survive his captors often savage treatment. He tells of his resolve never to have any regrets, any false sentimentality, and any self-pity.

Taken on Trust is a deeply moving self-portrait of the man behind the headlines. It has become one of the classic accounts of mans survival at the limits of human endurance. Read by the author.

Members Reviews:

I really enjoyed it. It was truly inspirational how Terry Waite ...

I was dubious about this book before I read it as I was afraid it would be too depressing. It wasn't! I really enjoyed it. It was truly inspirational how Terry Waite discovered in the bleakest of prisons meaning and purpose. I thoroughly enjoyed the style of the writing where the author moves from his time in captivity to his past and back again. The memory of this book will stay with me for a long time.

Five Stars

Hardcover book like new. Price very reasonable. Very satisfied. Also arrived on time.

Excellent

I met Terry on a cruise and fell in love with his honesty, integrity and steadfastness. His book reflects his personal character traits.

A must read book mirroring Lebanon's ordeal...

This is a personal ordeal worth reading.

We have seen how many `hostages' looked pale and washed out as they had been released from captivity.

Their predicament was equal to that of the Lebanese people. It was indeed a mirror image.

The storm broke in Lebanon, and in Beirut in particular on 13 April 1975, ever since we heard the boom of artillery fires in short days and long nights.

Foreign factions were `simply' fighting each other; directly or by proxy, on our land. The land that had once been a quiet haven in a turbulent Middle East.

The guns of the warring factions changed the face of Lebanon in the hope that one day it would also change the face of the Middle East.

Unknown names of dead bodies leapt up into the Newspapers headlines every morning.

Against us was ranged the perpetual argument propagated by the international press, to add insult to our injuries, that the war was `a fight between Christians and Muslims Lebanese'. This was phoney-baloney and utterly fraudulent. This was offensive, pretending ignorance with nefarious ends. Very few told the world the significant fact that this was a war by proxy.

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Title: Boy Alone

Subtitle: A Brother's Memoir

Author: Karl Taro Greenfeld

Narrator: William Dufris

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 56 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-30-11

Publisher: HarperCollins

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Karl Taro Greenfeld knew from an early age that his little brother, Noah, was not like other children. He was unable to communicate verbally or tie his shoes, and despite his angelic demeanor was prone to violent outbursts. No doctor, social worker, or specialist could pinpoint what was wrong with Noah beyond a general diagnosis: autism. The boys' parents dedicated their lives to caring for their younger son? A challenging, often painful experience that their father detailed in a bestselling trilogy of books.

Boy Alone is Karl Taro Greenfeld's unforgettable memoir of growing up in Noah's shadow, revealing the complex mix of rage, confusion, and love that defined the author's childhood? A beautiful, haunting, and wholly original exploration of what it means to be a family, a brother, a person.

Members Reviews:

Fly Like an Eagle

"Time keeps on slipping, slipping, slipping,

Into the future.

I want to fly like an eagle, till I'm free.

Fly like an eagle, let my spirit carry me."

----Steve Miller Band, 1976

At last! For years I have hoped Karl Greenfeld would share his experiences of growing up with his younger brother, Noah, whom Karl describes as "the most famous autistic child in the United States." Karl's father, Josh Greenfeld wrote a trilogy of brutally honest books about life raising his boys. The Noah Trilogy, as "A Child Called Noah," "A Place For Noah" and "A Client Called Noah" have been called have helped unmask the myth of saintly families like Marie Killilea of the âKarenâ trilogy fame who cheerfully sacrifice all for a member with multiple challenges. The Karen books ("Karen," "With Love From Karen" and "Wren") make me tired as nobody is that saintly and unselfish. The Karen trilogy has for decades created an idyllic mash up of "Father Knows Best" and "Donna Reed Show" meet cerebral palsy. The books and baby boomer sitcoms create the fantasy of Platinum Standard families who leave readers and viewers feeling that they could not live up to what the Karen trilogy portrayed. Josh Greenfeld's books are refreshingly brutal in their unabashed honesty.

Before and After Zachariah: A Family Story About a Different Kind of Courage, which began as an article in the January 1980 issue of "Redbook" and was later expanded into book form mentions "A Place For Noah" by describing the "patchwork after school programs of the day care center." This book also describes the plight of the multiply challenged and the dire need for good placements.

Karl, long relegated to the background because of his younger brother's great needs has finally taken his turn at bat. Born in Japan on November 26 1964, some 18 months before Noah's birth on July 1, 1966, Karl describes his life in the New York suburb of Croton, unaware of a life before and without Noah. He describes his life with Noah; as boys he said he and Noah did not grow up together; they grew alongside one another.

In 1978 "60 Minutes" aired a segment about life with Noah; a follow up to Noah's story was broadcast in 1998. It is interesting that Karl said in 1978 that he did not want to be on television because, according to him, "he hadn't done anything" and that the story was really about Noah.

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Title: The Club No One Wanted to Join

Subtitle: Madoff Victims in Their Own Words

Author: Twenty-nine Authors

Narrator: Diane Havens

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 57 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-02-11

Publisher: Alexandra Roth Book Project LLC

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 12 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

It has been the public's perception that Madoff investors were all extremely wealthy and all belonged to exclusive clubs. This perception has been reinforced by the media and the powers that be. The truth is, with very few exceptions, such as Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Picower, and Stanley Chais, most were average, small-time investors. They did not belong to exclusive private clubs or any other fancy clubs. They lived an average American life; they worked hard, contributed to society and saved for their retirement years. But in the end that was not enough. No one, it turns out, could protect them from the worst financial criminal in history, Bernard L. Madoff. As a result, they were all thrown tragically into one club none of them ever expected to join: the "club" of victims. This is their story.

This is the first book of its kind about the Madoff Ponzi scheme, in which 29 Madoff investors band together to tell their story without an intermediary, directly to the public and in their own words. Baring private details and exposing the truth about who the real victims are, they don't hold back as to who really enabled the scheme to continue for 40 years. Listeners need to know what the authorities would rather keep from them, or else they are destined to become the next victims. The book's message is: this can happen to anyone.

The authors are men and women just like the average listener. They come from all walks of life - blue collar, white collar- from all parts of the country and at different life stages. These are working-class families, ex-multi-millionaires, professionals, artists, and retirees. They come from Florida, Minnesota, Vermont, New York, New Jersey, California, Pennsylvania, Texas, and other states. They come from different ethnic and religious backgrounds. In short they are regular people, Americans who got sucked into a Ponzi scheme that even the federal government has yet to solve. They all have one thing in common: they were robbed of their life savings by the worst financial criminal in history, Bernard L. Madoff. It is time that the public learns the truth.

This is a story of financial devastation, of lessons learned, of hope and rebirth. It has been more than a year since the fraud came to light and the survivors are now ready to share their experience and the hard-learned lessons with the public.

Though the financial disaster caused major transformations in their lives, transformations which are still ongoing, their spirit has not been broken.

As one of the authors in this book summed up eloquently, "There will always be meaningful work to be done, more fun to be had, and lots more people to love." And in the end, that is the message of hope the authors wish to convey.

Members Reviews:

A story everyone should hear

Would you consider the audio edition of The Club No One Wanted to Join to be better than the print version?

Yes.

What other book might you compare The Club No One Wanted to Join to and why?

Any book that doesn't go for the obvious but looks at a part of the story that so much of the mainstream media missed and shows the much wider impact this fraud had on everyday people.

What does Diane Havens bring to the story that you wouldnt experience if you just read the book?

She brings the storytellers alive, as though they are sitting in the room with you.

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Title: For the Love of Norton

Subtitle: The Cat Who Taught His Human to Live

Author: Peter Gethers

Narrator: Jeff Harding

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 5 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-07-11

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 5 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

There are only three things a cat needs for a fine life - good food, a comfortable bed, and universal praise and love. Luckily - after converting his human, Peter, from cat hater to cat lover - Norton has plenty of all three. And they're about to get better, as his Peter and girlfriend Janice decide to up sticks and spend a year in rural France.

Norton in Provence is like - well - the cat who got the cream, whether he is hunting for mice in the rambling garden, hanging out with the local stray cats in the sun-drenched town square or being treated to delicacies in fine restaurants. And with Norton by his side, Peter finds that his Gallic neighbours welcome their new guests with open arms.

Over the course of the year, Peter learns how to sit back, relax and enjoy the pleasures of a simple life. In addition to being the internationally bestselling author of A Cat Called Norton,Peter Gethers has written two novels and, using the pseudonym Russell Andrews, five bestselling thrillers. In his spare time, he is a book editor and runs a film company.

Members Reviews:

Another good read

It's also a good read but not as charming as the first one. Then again, Norton is a exceptional cat. Once you know that, nothing is quite so surprising any more. Also a bit more showbiz narcissism from the author. Still good for a lot of feline humour, though.

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Title: Miracle in the Mine

Subtitle: One Man's Story of Strength and Survival in the Chilean Mines

Author: Jose Henriquez

Narrator: Blas Kisic

Format: Unabridged

Length: 3 hrs and 4 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-25-11

Publisher: Zondervan

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

On October 13, 2010, millions of television viewers on five continents literally stopped everything to watch the amazing rescue of 33 men trapped underground in the mine of San Jose de Copiapo in northern Chile. What had seemed at first a hopeless tragedy later became a triumph of human effort, courage, perseverance, and expertise.

For 17 excruciating days no one knew whether any of the miners had survived the collapse of the mine shaft, nor were the surviving miners aware of any rescue attempts. They spent a total of 69 days trapped underground. And it was there, in that frightening cavern, that one man took on the responsibility of encouraging the others and use the tragedy as an opportunity to share his faith.

Miracle in the Mine is the story of Jose Henriquez. The testimony of a man who was no stranger to danger even before he found himself trapped 2,300 feet under the earth in the San Jose mine. A man who has unequivocally demonstrated his integrity, courage, and moral strength both before, during, and after the mining accident, and who is now using this experience to inspire the world.

Members Reviews:

strong, faithful , awesome

:)))))) ))))))) )))))))))) )))))))) ))))))))) ))))))) ))))) love it , faithfully true thru it all.

Now for the movie :))))))))))))))))))) )))))))))))))

Giving God The Glory

A true story of faith overcoming great difficulties as one of the miners helped the others on a spiritual journey while trapped in an underground mine for over 30 days.

Awful

Like listening to someone reading from google translate. The worst book I've ever bought on here. Relentless religious tripe. One for the bin

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Title: My Name Is Victoria

Subtitle: The Extraordinary Struggle of One Woman to Reclaim Her True Identity

Author: Victoria Donde, Magda Bogin (translator)

Narrator: Adriana Sananes, Jonathan Davis

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 44 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-18-11

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Argentina's coup d'tat in 1976 led to one of the bloodiest dictatorships in its history - 30,000 people were abducted, tortured, and subsequently "disappeared". In addition, hundreds of babies born to pregnant political prisoners were stolen from their doomed mothers and given to families with military ties or who were collaborators of the regime.

Anala was one of those children, raised without suspecting that she was adopted. At 27, she learned that her name wasn't what she believed it to be, that her parents weren't her real parents, and that the farce conceived by the dictatorship had managed to survive through more than two decades of democracy.

In My Name Is Victoria, it is no longer Anala, but Victoria who tells us her story, in her own words: the life of a young and thriving middle-class woman from the outskirts of Buenos Aires with strong political convictions. Growing up, she thought she was the black sheep of the family, with ideas diametrically opposed to her parents'. It wasn't until she discovered the truth about her origins and the shocking revelation of her uncle's involvement in her parents' murder and in her kidnapping and adoption that she was able to fully embrace her legacy. Today, as the youngest member of congress in Argentina, she has reclaimed her identity and her real name: Victoria Donda. This is Victoria's story, from the moment her parents were abducted to the day she was elected to parliament.

Members Reviews:

Strange story!

This is rather boring and yet interesting in it's own way. I would not recommend it to others.. Someone might like it.

A mystery for one of the "disappeared"

Argentine politics for most of the 20th century was byzantine, characterized by wild swings in government between rightists and leftists. Right-wing coups, left-wing dictatorships, take-overs by military junta, political radicalization, repressive crackdowns on personal liberties, personality cults, (most notably Juan Peron and Eva Peron), to name a few. It's no wonder that most Americans don't have much understanding of Argentina, its history, culture or political structure. It is quite confusing.

This mottled history provides the backdrop for Victoria Dondo's memoir, "I am Victoria." Raised as an adopted child named Analia by a suburban Buenos Aires family, as she grew into adolescence, she increasingly went her own way. Was it merely adolescent rebellion against her conservative Catholic parents? Or was there more to it?

Her saga is a combination of embracing a new identity as she came to realize that her background as she had believed it to be wasn't "the whole truth." By her mid-twenties, as she pursued her own interests she found herself increasingly at odds with her parents, particularly her adoptive father. Through a series of circumstances and events described in the book, Dondo discovers she is the offspring of "desaparecidos," or the "disappeared," as the term translates into English.

Her biological parents were leftist activists at a time in the late 1970's when the rightist government was at its most radical, basically eliminating anyone who protested too loudly. Neither of her parents were criminals or terrorists.

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Title: Seaworthy: Adrift with William Willis in the Golden Age of Rafting

Author: T. R. Pearson

Narrator: Brian Holsopple

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 47 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-19-11

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 12 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Welcome to the daring, thrilling, and downright strange adventures of William Willis, one of the world's original extreme sportsmen. Driven by an unfettered appetite for personal challenge and a yen for the path of most resistance, Willis mounted a single-handed and wholly unlikely rescue in the jungles of French Guiana and then twice crossed the broad Pacific on rafts of his own design, with only housecats and a parrot for companionship.

His first voyage, atop a 10-ton balsa monstrosity, was undertaken in 1954 when Willis was 60. His second raft, having crossed 11,000 miles from Peru, found the north shore of Australia shortly after Willis's 70th birthday.

A marvel of vigor and fitness, William Willis was a connoisseur of ordeal, all but orchestrating short rations, ship-wreck conditions, and crushing solitude on his trans-Pacific voyages. He'd been inspired by Kon-Tiki, Thor Heyerdahl's bid to prove that a primitive raft could negotiate the open ocean. Willis's trips confirmed that a primitive man could as well. Willis survived on rye flour and seawater, sang to keep his spirits up, communicated with his wife via telepathy, suffered from bouts of temporary blindness, and eased the intermittent pain of a double hernia by looping a halyard around his ankles and dangling upside-down from his mast.

Rich with vivid detail and wry humor, Seaworthy is the story of a sailor you've probably never heard of but need to know. In an age when countless rafts were adrift on the waters of the world, their crews out to shore up one theory of ethno-migration or tear down another, Willis's challenges remained refreshingly personal. His methods were eccentric, his accomplishments little short of remarkable. Don't miss the chance to meet this singular monk of the sea.

Critic Reviews:

"Pearson tells this incredible adventure tale in a breezy but gripping style, steeped in the lore of the sea and the perverse wisdom of a real-life ancient mariner." (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

Amazing

I've listened to this audiobook a number of times now.

William Willis did more before he was 23 than I've done in my whole life.

Every time I listen to the story I can't believe what he achieved back in those days, although I just don't think he'd be able to do all that stuff nowadays, or it would at least be nowhere near as exciting.

Very well read, fantastic story and just reviewing it is making me want to start listening to it again.

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Title: Escape

Author: Carolyn Jessop, Laura Palmer

Narrator: Alison Fraser

Format: Abridged

Length: 4 hrs and 54 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-11-11

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 7 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Carolyn was miserable for years and wanted out, but she knew that if she tried to leave and got caught, her children would be taken away from her. But in 2003, Carolyn chose freedom over fear and fled her home with her eight children. Escape exposes a world tantamount to a prison camp, created by religious fanatics. Against this background, Carolyn Jessop's flight takes on an extraordinary, inspiring power. She became the first woman ever granted full custody of her children in a contested suit involving the FLDS, and in 2006, her reports to the Utah attorney general on church abuses formed a crucial part of the case that led to the arrest of its notorious leader, Warren Jeffs.

Members Reviews:

Disturbing and Triumphant

I couldn't put this book down. It is almost unbelievable that the FLDS cult exists in the 21st century in America. Carolyn Jessop's book certainly reveals the cult mentality. Her intelligence, education, and determination saved her and her children. It is truly an amazing book. The descriptions of the abuse she both witnessed and experienced personally were hard to read, but her triumphant escape is empowering.

Mesmerizing

Since it's such a vast departure from mainstream monogamy, polygamy has intrigued me for as long as I can remember. The raid in Texas earlier this year fueled my fire. Prior to reading "Escape," I also read "His Favorite Wife," and "Shattered Dreams." While I enjoyed reading both of the other books, "Escape" is vastly different and in a good way. Somehow in this book, you feel like you're more a part of what's going on - you can almost feel like you're there with Carolyn Jessop as she tells the story of her life.

What the reader discovers is that polygamy is not what it appears to be. It's much less about consenting adults who choose to live a particular lifestyle than it is about the complete oppression of the female gender under the guise of eternal salvation. From birth, the children who are unfortunate to be born into this cult are indoctrinated a/k/a "brainwashed" to conform to the cult's bizarre beliefs. Some of it was incredibly hard to digest... the word "fun" was outlawed! The color red was outlawed! Compliments were discouraged! Child abuse was encouraged! Affection between a mother and her child was a punishable offense. Children were taught that they did not belong to their mothers, but to the prophet Warren Jeffs, and that he had complete control over their destiny. In exchange for their absolute subservience, followers were promised eternal salvation. Women have no rights whatsoever in any aspect of their lives. On the other hand, men have absolute power, but only as long as they remain in favor by staying in compliance with Jeffs. The author was fortunate enough to crave knowledge and to grow up prior to Jeffs coming to full power. Because of this she was able to acquire a college education, but she fought for it. I think this is what gave her the edge to do what she needed to do to escape. Knowledge is power, and that is why Jeffs eventually outlawed public school and decreed that children were to stay home.

Warren Jeffs is a barbaric and sinister leader. He led by fear and intimidation. Children could be taken from their mothers at any time, and wives and children could be reassigned to another man on Jeffs' whim.