First published 2013
Rebecca Musser chronicles her journey from fearful FLDS member to key witness against the church's leadership. Growing up within the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Musser lived in isolation from the outside world, attending Warren Jeffs' Alta Academy while dressed in strict modest clothing. As a teenager, she became the nineteenth wife of 85-year-old Rulon Jeffs, Warren's father. After enduring years of abuse, Musser escaped and attempted to build a new life. The church's continued reach forced her back into the spotlight in 2007, when she testified against Warren Jeffs to protect young girls from forced marriages. Her testimony coincided with the 2008 Texas Rangers raid on the Yearning for Zion Ranch. Musser's courtroom revelations exposed the temple's hidden abuses, resulting in lengthy prison sentences for FLDS leaders and a life sentence for Warren Jeffs. Her story became part of the Netflix docuseries Keep Pray and Obey. This memoir details one woman's transformation from religious captivity to courageous advocate.
Genres: domestic-fiction, abuse, crime, autobiography, cults, biography-memoir, family-drama, christian-living
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: emotional, intimate, suspenseful
Setting: Alta Academy, Yearning for Zion Ranch, Texas
Period: 21st-century
343 pages · Kindle Edition · Grand Central Publishing
Content warnings: abuse, child-abuse, domestic-violence, emotional-abuse, physical-abuse, sexual-assault