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Religion & Spirituality. True Crime. Nonfiction. Despite considerable press coverage and a lengthy trial, the full story of the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints has remained largely untold. Only one man can reveal the whole, astounding truth: Sam Brower, the private investigator who devoted years of his life to breaking open the secret practices of the FLDS and bringing Warren Jeffs and his inner circle to justice. In Prophet's Prey, Brower implicates Jeff in his own words, bringing to light the contents of Jeffs's personal priesthood journal, discovered in a hidden underground vault, and revealing to readers the shocking inside world of FLDS members, whose trust he earned and who showed him the staggering truth of their lives.Prophet's Prey offers the gripping, behind-the-scenes account of a bizarre world from the only man who knows the full story.… (more)
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Mormon church.
As an author, Brower is skilled at presenting the detailed factual
I had not been aware of the extent of corruption in government officials, as is well covered by Brower. The most disheartening fact to me is that despite the convictions of several members, this group continues its abuse of children and women. Jeffs was in the news again this month, January 2012, for having his telephone privileges suspended. Yes, that's right, he was using telephone and other methods of communication to continue his role as head of this organization. I believe that calls for a "WTF?!"
This is a very readable and interesting book, not easy to put down. However, I recommend that you have something uplifting to read after you DO put this one down.
I was a little apprehensive about this book being too laden with facts and figures to be interesting
I really had no idea of the background history about this sect, the FLDS (considered apostate by mainstream Mormanism). Sam Brower writes an interesting, albeit chilling account of this pseudo-religious leader and those who follow his every command. I found myself shaking my head in disbelief many times as I read this book; parts of it sickened me, especially the photos of Jeffs with his 12-year-old bride (having turned 12 only 24 days before this "spiritual" marriage).
How is something like this possible in our country at this point in history? It's possible because lots of people looked the other way, or were afraid, or maybe some just didn't want to get involved, or wanted to have numerous under age wives, or did not want their family split up and their wives and/or children re-assigned to a different family, or any number of things, that I will never understand. But then, I was not subjected to the kind of upbringing that the people involved with Warren Jeffs' brand of religion were exposed to; if they displeased Jeffs in any way, or if he felt challenged, or just because he felt like it, they could and would be shunned by the entire community, kicked out of their homes, driven out of town, treated like pariahs, as well as many young men getting kicked out of their own community for no apparent reason other than getting old enough to rival the old goats for wives, into a world that was foreign to them, and on and on. Where does it stop?
The sad answer is, it most likely never stops completely. Once in awhile someone like Warren Jeffs gets caught in his scheming manipulation, once in awhile someone like Sam Brower comes along who cares enough to doggedly pursue it, however a lot of these crimes are still being commited, in a twisted attempt to make the world believe they are practicing a ligitimate religious cause.
This is an excellent book, the author worked very hard to publish it, and hopefully it will help shed some light into the darkest corners of a misbegotten "faith."
There are to many ways to list how Browers depiction of FLDS (at least the denomination led by Jeffs) is terrifying. Their treatment of women is abominable and violates all major women's rights legislation that has been put into place in the last 150 years. This is sickening since the states of Utah, Arizona and New Mexico were amongst the first states (well really still territories at the time but still part of the U.S) to allow women the vote.
The abuses of children illustrated by Brower makes me physically ill especially since in many cases state employees affiliated with this religious cult (cult-definition any group which splits off from the practices of the main religion due to outre or unusual practices or dogma) ignored complaints of abuse or tried to sweep abuses under the carpet.
Despite the fact that it was disturbing this book was well written, well thought out and interesting. Brower's understanding of the thinking behind FLDS and the people involved in the case is excellent. I can't say this book was enjoyable since the topic is such as serious and controversial issue but it was good
I have read Jon Krakauer's Under the Banner of Heaven and Irene Spencer's Shattered Dreams, so I came into Prophet's Prey knowing quite a bit about FLDS already. This book differs from those, however, in that it is written in a decidedly modern tone, all facts rather than narrative or flowery language. Sam Brower, the author, has worked as a PI investigating FLDS for many years, and his book is full of stories and information that were new to me. In particular, he focuses on Warren Jeffs, the "prophet" who is now in jail.
I can't say that I "enjoyed" the book — every story was more horrific than the last — but this is a well-written book that brings to light all the horrifying things that have taken place in the cult, and perhaps even worse, all the law enforcement and social service agencies that have repeatedly turned blind eyes to the suffering of women and young adults in this community.
My only complaint about the book might be that we don't see much of Sam Brower in it. Occasionally, he will comment on how instances of child abuse and sexual slavery hit him hard, as he is a father, but rarely do his personal feelings show. This makes sense given his no-nonsense attitude as a PI. However, since Brower is a Mormon himself, I was curious to know how his faith informed his views of the cult. For instance, much of the language and prophecy used by Jeffs and the FLDS comes from the Book of Mormon. The idea, mentioned in the book, that people should grow their gardens and store food in case of the apocalypse, is a belief held by mainstream LDS members. How did it affect him to see his own beliefs twisted this way? It could have added something very interesting to the book.
Overall, I give this 4.5/5.0 stars. Definitely a read for those interested in the FLDS or modern cults in general.
One facet that Brower reports on that I have yet to read in other accounts is the detailed account of the circumstances surrounding Jeff's arrest and incarceration. I found this part of the book to be darkly interesting, Brower really gives the reader an understanding of just how depraved and unstable Warren Jeffs can be.
My only criticism is that the author sometimes writes in cliches and is fond of overusing dramatic statements. The events portrayed in this book are exciting enough, no need to use short, dramatic statements to add excitement.
Overall, I think the book was excellent and would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in the FLDS.
I found that the writing in Prophet's Prey was a bit clunky. It tended to shift around around a lot and while this is common in most non-fiction books, other authors tend to alternate it between chapters. However, Brower shifted around a lot within the actual chapters. When he wasn't shifting around within the chapters, he was repeating what was said in the previous chapters. It was particularly annoying when he kept plugging in other authors' works. One, maybe two times, I can deal with it. But he mentioned that Jon Krakauer was the author of Under the Banner of Heaven and that Carolyn Jessop wrote Escape about her time in the FLDS, 3 or 4 times. It was grating.
I also found that Prophet's Prey dragged a fair bit. It was much more noticeable since the book is relatively short. Again, it could have been because a fair lot of the book was repeated, but I thought that for a book that short, it should have been a breeze to get through, yet it wasn't. In fact, while I sort of liked Prophet's Prey while I was reading it, I would still put it down for days at a time and just not bother to pick it up for a while.
So, in the end, I found Prophet's Prey to be merely okay. Sam Brower's accomplishments with trying to bring Warren Jeffs to justice are awe-inspiring. However, the way that Prophet's Prey was written left a bit to be desired for me. I don't think it can hold a candle to Jon Krakauer's Under the Banner of Heaven and I found that book to be more comprehensive when it came to talking about the history of the FLDS.
Before reading this, I was aware of the headline stuff relating to Warren Jeffs and his FDLS religious group. After reading this, I realize the little I knew was twisted or ignored by the media. This book is an incredible read. I had to keep reminding myself that this is real, not fiction. Sam Brower takes us on an unbelievable journey into the heart of the FDLS, a warped offshoot of the Mormon religion. This is a powerful book written by a man I have immense respect for.
The other thing that I realized while reading this book is how much of the fictional story Big Love was based in reality. I had always thought most of the Juniper Creek story line was the imagination of the writers. Time after time, I recognized characters and situations that paralleled the TV show. Fans of Big Love will enjoy connecting the dots.
Whether or not you have read information on this group in the past, this is a worthwhile read. Becoming informed may help to stop the abusive ways of this group.
This book holds so many repulsive tales of
The horrifying thing is that Warren Jeffs treated the dogs better than the members of his cult. At least the dogs had a chance to get away.
After having read Elissa Wall's memoir about the abuse she suffered in Warren Jeffs' FLDS, I was interested in reading more about the group and its leader. I think that Sam Brower does a good job of
Sometimes there are just too many names to keep up with, and sometimes the book felt like it dragged some (especially towards the end, at least for me), but I think this book is a worthwhile read. It's just amazing to me to think that there is actually a group like this in America, the land of the free, where young girls are married off to older men, young boys are cast away to keep them from "stealing" away those young girls from the older men, and the "law enforcement" within the town completely disregards the law of the land when it goes against Jeffs' desires and decrees. It's just sickening to think about, especially since I don't live far away from one of Jeffs' "safe houses."
This was a very eye opening book, I learned much more about the FLDS than I knew before. It did bog down a bit in the middle but I just reminded myself that this was a 7 year investigation and that Sam Brower was extremely thorough. It is sad to see how CPS dropped the ball on the majority of these children and sent them back to their abusers, which is what they are no matter how brainwashed willing these girls may have been. This FLDS sect is not a religion that should be left alone for their beliefs this one is a full out Cult with the maniacal mad man at the helm, sexual abuse, kidnapping and quite possibly murder and attempted murder.
Sam Brower’s account of his investigation is one everyone should read as it doesn’t gloss over anything , in this straight-forward account Sam reveals not only what the FLDS did to its own but how they threatened and stalked him. He also reveals who helped and who hurt the cases against this cult, which was also very interesting.
The investigation into this FLDS cult did put some awful men in jail and brought national attention to what was going on inside the “walls” of this cult but, I think the worst part is, through it all not much has changed in their little world, the men who went to jail are seen as martyrs and are still in power from their jail cells. I just hope as Sam does that one day the hierarchy will admit it was wrong and the abuse will stop but for now who knows what is still going on there.
4 Stars
To read the book is to be transported to a frightening place where American law is purposefully ignored and abandoned.
Unfortunately, many in the legal system are not afraid to take the money and defend child rape in the name of religious freedom. Twelve years old , raped on a
The cruelty that defines this society, and the insane power of Warren Jeffs and his fellow criminals, no longer surprises me. Sam Brower makes it real.