
Breaking Free
How I Escaped Polygamy, the FLDS Cult, and My Father, Warren Jeffs
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Narrated by:
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Rachel Jeffs
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By:
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Rachel Jeffs
About this listen
In this searing memoir of survival in the spirit of Stolen Innocence, the daughter of Warren Jeffs, the self-proclaimed Prophet of the FLDS Church, takes you deep inside the secretive polygamist Mormon fundamentalist cult run by her family and how she escaped it.
Born into the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Rachel Jeffs was raised in a strict patriarchal culture defined by subordinate sister wives and men they must obey. No one in this radical splinter sect of the Mormon Church was more powerful or terrifying than its leader, Warren Jeffs - Rachel's father.
Living outside mainstream Mormonism and federal law, Jeffs arranged marriages between underage girls and middle-aged and elderly members of his congregation. In 2006 he gained international notoriety when the FBI placed him on its 10 Most Wanted List. Though he is serving a life sentence for child sexual assault, Jeffs' iron grip on the church remains firm and his edicts to his followers increasingly restrictive and bizarre.
In Breaking Free, Rachel blows the lid off this taciturn community made famous by John Krakauer's best-selling Under the Banner of Heaven to offer a harrowing look at her life with Warren Jeffs and the years of physical and emotional abuse she suffered. Sexually assaulted, compelled into an arranged polygamous marriage, locked away in "houses of hiding" as punishment for perceived transgressions, and physically separated from her children, Rachel, Jeffs' first plural daughter by his second of more than 50 wives, eventually found the courage to leave the church in 2015. But Breaking Free is not only her story - Rachel's experiences illuminate those of her family and the countless others who remain trapped in the strange world she left behind.
A shocking and mesmerizing memoir of faith, abuse, courage, and freedom, Breaking Free is an exposé of religious extremism and a beacon of hope for anyone trying to overcome personal obstacles.
Rachel Jeffs grew up in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the polygamous Mormon sect, which she escaped in 2015. Rachel lives in Idaho with her five children and two dogs.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
©2017 Rachel Jeffs (P)2017 HarperCollins PublishersListeners also enjoyed...
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The Despicable Truth Behind Scientology
- By Tim on 02-07-13
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Church of Lies
- By: Flora Jessop, Paul T. Brown
- Narrated by: Eve Bianco
- Length: 10 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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"I was one of 28 children born to my dad and his three wives. Indoctrinated to believe that the outside world was evil, and that I resided among the righteous, I was destined to marry a man chosen for me by the Prophet. I would then live in harmony with my sister-wives, bear many children, and obey and serve my future husband in this life and throughout eternity. But my innocence didn't last long." Flora goes on from there to tell the dramatic true story of how she ultimately escaped and has been rescuing women and children from the FLDS.
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So sad!
- By Granny of 9 on 08-02-20
By: Flora Jessop, and others
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Stolen Innocence
- My Story of Growing Up in a Polygamous Sect, Becoming a Teenage Bride, and Breaking Free of Warren Jeffs
- By: Elissa Wall, Lisa Pulitzer
- Narrated by: Renée Raudman
- Length: 15 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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In September 2007, Elissa Wall, the star witness against polygamous sect leader Warren Jeffs, gave captivating testimony of how Jeffs forced her to marry her first cousin at age 14. This harrowing account proved to be the most compelling evidence against Jeffs, showing the harsh realities of this closed community and the lengths to which Jeffs went in order to control the sect's women. Now, in this courageous memoir, Wall tells the incredible story of how she emerged from the confines of the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints and helped bring one of America's most notorious criminals to justice.
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Chris from Cedar City, UT USA
- By Christine on 06-14-08
By: Elissa Wall, and others
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Girl Hidden: A Memoir
- By: Jesse Rene Gibbs
- Narrated by: Lessa Lamb
- Length: 10 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Echoing among the Blue Ridge Mountains were the cries of newborn babies that disappeared into the night. The screams of children nearly drowned out by the sound of crickets. A girl, hidden and waiting to be found, terrified, and confused. The fireflies sparkling in the woods, bringing light to darkled places.
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Beautiful Story
- By JMAR001 on 04-13-22
By: Jesse Rene Gibbs
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Triumph
- Life after the Cult - a Survivor's Lessons
- By: Carolyn Jessop, Laura Palmer
- Narrated by: Ann Marie Lee
- Length: 9 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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In 2003, Carolyn Jessop, a lifelong member of the extremist Mormon sect the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS), gathered up her eight children, including her profoundly disabled four-year-old son, and escaped in the middle of the night to freedom. After detailing the shocking conditions of FLDS and her harrowing flight in her memoir, Escape, Carolyn reveled in her newfound identity as a bestselling author, a devoted mom, and a loving companion to the wonderful man in her life. She thought she had put her past firmly behind her.
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Helped me to look at the raid differently.
- By Karen on 10-19-12
By: Carolyn Jessop, and others
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My Story
- By: Elizabeth Smart, Chris Stewart
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Smart
- Length: 9 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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On June 5, 2002, 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart, the daughter of a close-knit Mormon family, was taken from her home in the middle of the night by religious fanatic, Brian David Mitchell and his wife, Wanda Barzee. She was kept chained, dressed in disguise, repeatedly raped, and told she and her family would be killed if she tried to escape. After her rescue on March 12, 2003, she rejoined her family and worked to pick up the pieces of her life.
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Defining Strength, Faith, and Inspiration
- By Mel on 10-08-13
By: Elizabeth Smart, and others
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Don't Call It a Cult
- The Shocking Story of Keith Raniere and the Women of NXIVM
- By: Sarah Berman
- Narrated by: Ewa Wolniczek
- Length: 10 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Investigative journalist Sarah Berman explores the shocking practices of NXIVM, a cult run by Keith Raniere and many enablers. Through the accounts of central NXIVM figures, Berman uncovers how dozens of women seeking creative coaching and networking opportunities instead were blackmailed, literally branded, near-starved, and enslaved. Don't Call It a Cult is a riveting account of NXIVM's rise to power, its ability to evade prosecution for decades, and the investigation that finally revealed its dark secrets to the world.
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Detailed (best for those already interested)
- By JR on 05-02-21
By: Sarah Berman
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Texas Raid
- My Experience of the Texas Raid on the YFZ Ranch
- By: Ammon Jeffs
- Narrated by: Virtual Voice
- Length: 5 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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This is the story of the 2008 raid on the Yearning For Zion ranch by Texas and Federal Authorities told from the perspective of the most marginalized group of people caught up in the raid. This is the story of the boys. The world looked on with unease and morbid interest, hoping the children would be “saved” from this fundamental religious sect they’d been born into. But even though the boys were children, they were treated as “perpetrators in training” and were forcibly detained at Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch by CPS. This is their story of fear, hope, resilience, and faith. A ...
By: Ammon Jeffs
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Counting the Cost
- By: Jill Duggar, Derick Dillard - contributor, Craig Borlase - contributor
- Narrated by: Jill Duggar
- Length: 7 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Jill and Derick knew a normal life wasn’t possible for them. As a star on the popular TLC reality show 19 Kids and Counting, Jill grew up in front of viewers who were fascinated by her family’s way of life. She was the responsible, second daughter of Jim Bob and Michelle’s nineteen kids; always with a baby on her hip and happy to wear the modest ankle-length dresses with throat-high necklines.
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A Naive Account from a Reality TV Personality
- By Lora Kyle on 09-12-23
By: Jill Duggar, and others
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Destroying Their God
- How I Fought My Evil Half-Brother to Save My Children
- By: Wallace Jeffs, Shauna Packer, Sherry Taylor
- Narrated by: Erik Johnson
- Length: 8 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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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 45-day coma. Growing up as half-brother to future Fundamentalist Latter-Day Saint prophet Warren Jeffs, Wallace tried to follow FLDS teachings.... As his prophet-brother increasingly manipulated him, Wallace started hearing about FLDS atrocities.... Wallace defied the prophet and soon ended up in a coma.
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Interesting from the very beginning until the end
- By Shandor on 05-09-23
By: Wallace Jeffs, and others
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Answer Them Nothing
- Bringing Down the Polygamous Empire of Warren Jeffs
- By: Debra Weyermann
- Narrated by: Kate Marcin
- Length: 16 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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When police raided the Short Creek compound of the Fundamental Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in 1953, it soon became a political and publicity nightmare and eventually cost the governor of Arizona his job. From that point on, skittish public officials allowed the polygamist sect to practice its tenants unmolested for the next 50 years and turned a blind eye to child abandonment, kidnapping, statutory rape, incest, and massive tax and welfare fraud. But then Warren Jeffs, a new FLDS prophet, escalated the sect’s crimes to near madness.
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Adequate but not impressive
- By Dorothy Wimsey on 04-20-19
By: Debra Weyermann
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Give Me Back My Children
- Sarah C Allred, Book 1
- By: Sarah Allred, Ellen Taylor
- Narrated by: Annlan Tran
- Length: 9 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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She only wanted to be a mother to her own children - FLDS Cult leader had other plans. Sarah was born in 1979 in the FLDS compound. At 18, Sarah entered into an arranged marriage to Richard S Allred who was the grandson and personal bodyguard to leader Rulon Jeffs, and later Warren Jeffs. Sarah was the first of five wives and was often used to set the example. Sarah's husband was given Warren's prized daughter as his third wife who became Warren's source to control Sarah's family. As the Leadership adjusted, her world turned upside down.
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Yikes
- By Dar on 11-04-24
By: Sarah Allred, and others
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Nowhere to Hide
- By: Hannah Morgan
- Narrated by: Una Byrne
- Length: 10 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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A shocking true story that reveals how one woman was tormented to the very depths of despair by her husband through coercive control and continual physical and sexual abuse. Broken in mind, body and spirit and completely isolated from the rest of the world, Hannah thinks she’ll never find the strength to escape, until one day an opportunity arrives....
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AS THE ADULT DAUGHTER OF AN ABUSED MOTHER
- By Kathy Weber on 04-23-21
By: Hannah Morgan
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Unspeakable
- Surviving My Childhood and Finding My Voice
- By: Jessica Willis Fisher
- Narrated by: Jessica Fisher
- Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Using the written word as her witness statement, Jessica Willis Fisher tells a lacerating story of finding her voice after two decades of silence and an unforgettable story of risk and faith.
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"Don't tell" culture exposed
- By Angela on 11-03-22
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Cult Insanity
- A Memoir of Polygamy, Prophets, and Blood Atonement
- By: Irene Spencer
- Narrated by: Laural Merlington
- Length: 10 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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In Cult Insanity, Spencer reveals the outrageous behavior of her brother-in-law Ervil---a self-proclaimed prophet who determined he was called to set the house of God in order---and how he terrorized their colony. Claiming to be God's avenger and to have a license to kill in the name of God, Ervil ordered the murders of friends and family members, eliminating all those who challenged his authority. Cult Insanity is a riveting, terrifying memoir of polygamist life under the tyranny of a madman.
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Not as good as the First
- By Debra A on 12-07-09
By: Irene Spencer
Sad, happy, awe inspiring, story of an amazing woman
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compelling
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Simply an amazing story
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Interesting, sad, wanted to keep listening.
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honest and disturbing
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Gripping, Honest, and Inspirational.
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Absolutely could NOT turn it off
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finished in a day.
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A powerful story
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Good book.
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