Customer Reviews

Lost Boy

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Brent Jeffs is part of a Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) royal family. The FLDS is a splinter group that, decades ago, broke away from mainstream Mormonism over the issue of polygamy, and Brent's grandfather Rulon Jeffs became the church's prophet in 1986. His son (Brent's uncle), Warren Jeffs, an incredibly evil man who almost destroyed Brent's family, succeeded Rulon Jeffs in that all-powerful position.

"Lost Boy" is Brent's eye-opening account of what it was like to grow up in that cult under the leadership of his uncle. Brent Jeffs was raised in a polygamous family, one that included three sister-wives and something like twenty brothers, sisters, half-brothers and half-sisters. His mother was the first to marry Brent's father but she eventually lost her family leadership role when a younger, more aggressive wife became her husband's favorite. That her husband's second wife was her own blood sister made the loss of stature and affection even more difficult for Brent's mother to accept. The second wife would be followed by a third, this time a sixteen-year-old, but his mother's younger sister would maintain her hold on Brent's father for years to come.

Brent vividly describes the frustrations involved in growing up inside a polygamous family, the petty jealousies and rivalries between the wives and the children and the constant struggle to get the attention of a father who could not possibly pay adequate attention to the emotional needs of all of his children. It was this lack of parental awareness that allowed Warren Jeffs to get away with sexually abusing Brent and two of his older brothers when each was around the age of five.

Warren Jeffs, during the period in which he abused the boys, was the most dangerous kind of pervert there is: a pervert with absolute power over his victims and their families. His power to excommunicate church members, a process in which they would lose their homes and their jobs before being forced to live in a world for which they were unprepared, made his crimes not only possible, but easy.

The book's title, "Lost Boy," refers to the several hundred teenage boys Warren Jeffs kicked out of the community because he saw them as rivals for the hands of their young female peers, girls and young women Warren and his followers wanted to add to their own collection of wives. Many of the excommunicated boys, such as Brent himself, turned to drugs and alcohol to survive the world into which they were suddenly tossed. Some of the least prepared, usually the ones with no family members already on the outside, were forced into male prostitution in order to survive on their own.

Brent Jeffs, despite his tough transition, found the courage to confront his Uncle Warren Jeffs in a courtroom. He survived his early years, seems to be doing well these days, and "Lost Boy" is his very personal story of the horror he faced as a child. Surprisingly, however, the book is written in such a dry style that it is difficult to emotionally bond with the author despite his willingness to share his deepest secrets. The writing is straightforward to the degree that it becomes flat and somewhat repetitive at times, a tendency that slows down the pace at which one expects a story like this one to be told. But this is an important story and Brent Jeffs must be commended for having the courage, first, to stand up to the pervert who so deeply damaged him and his family and, second, to share his story with the rest of us.

Hard as it was to read, I finished this book in one day. Told with a tenderness mixed with outrage, Brent Jeffs' reflections on growing up in the FLDS opens a window to the secret teachings that hold such sway over ignorant but well-intended "faithful" FLDS households. Knowing nothing else, and kept confined in compounds of like-minded believers whose main duties are to be obedient to the prophet's teachings and to "stay sweet" (i.e. go along to get along), it is hard to garner the courage to leave when one knows leaving means loss of family contact and eternal damnation - not easy consequences to bear for leaving the only lifestyle and belief system one has ever known. The saving grace in Jeff's book comes from his brutal honesty tempered by a compassion which, thankfully, the crimes committed against him and others in this sect by those in authority over them could not stamp out. Paramount is his mother's constant love and his father's ultimate decision to choose his family over his church. It is a riviting tale exposing the heartache of polygamos marriage and the sick society that accompanies it. The trial and ultimate conviction of Warren Jeffs is hardly recompence for the damage done to Brent Jeffs and other "lost boys." Highly recommend this book.

I was pretty happy when I found out that I was being sent a copy of LOST BOY by Brent W. Jeffs with Maia Szalavitz as part of the Library Thing Early Reviewer Program. I am a regular viewer of the HBO series Big Love, and I'm strangely fascinated with the beliefs of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (FLDS.) I knew this book was going to be one of those tell-all books, but I had no idea just how amazing Brent Jeffs' story is.

It's difficult to say that I could actually enjoy a book like this, so I'll say that I found it very interesting and almost unbelievable. When I use the term "unbelievable," I don't mean that I didn't find the book truthful; rather I am just blown away by Brent Jeffs' story. As I read this book, I was utterly disgusted by how much damage Warren Jeffs did to so many people. I almost hate to admit this, but one of the main reasons I wanted to read this book was to get details about Warren Jeffs. I'm not going to go into specifics here because I don't want to give away too much of Jeffs' story; however, suffice it to say, that the mental and physical abuse that took place in this church is horrific.

I guess what amazed me most about this book was that ultimately, it wasn't just a sensationalized account of Warren Jeffs and the FLDS. As sad as this book was (and it is very, very sad), I actually found this book to be uplifting. I have so much respect for Brent Jeffs. I am amazed by how he was able to work through his problems (unlike so many members of his family) and eventually find love and happiness. I can't imagine even surviving what Brent Jeffs went though, but that he was able to open up and share his story with so many others is remarkably brave to me. Even when he decided to go after Warren Jeffs, his motives were about saving others -- he didn't do it for financial gain.

I also thought it was very interesting how the author portrayed his parents. Despite their questionable parenting skills, he shows them as loving parents who were caught up in a bad situation. It was clear that he has a good relationship with both of his parents and loves them despite their lack of support when he was young. He also showed how difficult the FLDS rules were for his parents to follow, and I eventually found myself feeling sorry for them (once I got over my anger for certain aspects of their behavior.) I think the love of his family and his respect for his parents helped him work through his abuse and start a new life.

I was a little bit surprised that Brent Jeffs wrote this book with another author because at times, I didn't really think the writing was polished. I thought the first part of the book was much rougher than the second. I'm not sure if the writing detracted from my appreciation of the book because it read like Brent Jeffs was telling his story to me -- maybe that was the authors' and editors' intent. All I'm saying is that I was surprised to find that someone helped him write it.

If your book club enjoys reading non-fiction or memoirs, then LOST BOY might be a good fit for your group. I was slightly surprised that there is a reading guide available for this book, but the more I think about it, the more I can see the value in discussing this book. I thought the discussion questions were very thought-provoking, and I think it would be very interesting to hear my friends' opinions on Brent Jeffs and his family. In fact, as I was reading this book, I kept telling my family and friends things that happened in this book because I so wanted to talk about it with someone!

On Sundays the children and grandchildren would gather at their (Prophets) grandfathers house for special Sundays. There would be food, singing, praise and a special treat from Uncle Warren. He would take some of the 5/6yr old boys into a bathroom and rape them while 2 of his brothers stood guard. Some times the brothers (uncles) joined in.

Yes ....Sundays were special days.

By the time that Brent's parents found out about Warren 2 of their 4 molested sons would be dead. There is no count of how many children were raped. Warren also had access to all the cults children at the Alta school. There could be hundreds.

Brent has come out into the open about it..his years as a lost boy are over. He is married and has a child. He has a mission now to help other lost boys, talk about the FLDS church and Warren.

Life inside the cult is hard and their are so many children & wives that daily living is only concerned with getting every one fed & dressed. Their emotional lives are ignored.

It is not an easy book to read. None of these books about polygamy are easy to read. It is so hard to understand that this kind of life still goes on in today's world. It is so backward. So wrong, so cruel, so lonely and confining.

Lets all hope that Warren Jeffs rots in prison and never never steps outside again. How did he become the leader of 10,000 people? He stole the leadership from his dying father.

I have read several books about the girls..now it is time to hear the boys side.

Brent.......GOD BLESS YOU & YOUR FAMILY.

I think the title of my review says it all. The book is incredible, the religion is dangerous. Any religion that promotes an unstable environment for families is dangerous. I can see why boys would be at risk in a religion that allows plural marriages. What do you think might happen in a religion run by a sick pedophile that speaks directly to God? Read the book and find out.

I sincerely regret the pain and suffering that Brent Jeffs went through as a child in the FLDS polygamist group. I read this book in hopes of understanding more about what it was like to be raised in such an environment. I got a clear picture of the brainwashing that can occur, and how absolute power can and probably will corrupt absolutely.

The story is a harrowing one, and the life he lived is something no child should ever have to endure.

The book itself was not that interesting, I hate to say -- I skimmed most of it as I was looking for the human elements, not the political or religious ones. What struck me most was the sense these kids have that what they are taught is absolutely true, and if they rebel in the slightest, they are threatened with eternal damnation.

I was more interested in his coping mechanisms and in his adjustment to the outside world, but I felt those elements were given short shrift. The book felt incomplete, like only part of the story was told.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was very interesting throughout his story and so sad for anyone to have to live through what he did. I highly recommend this book, it was quite enjoyable and hard to put down once I started it.

Lost Boy is an easy but most informative read. It is written in
first person and in a way that is soft spoken. Young Brent Jeffs, the author, tells it from his heart and the reader can feel his honesty. It is the testimony of a loving family whose life was manipulated by a a "man-made" belief system that stripped them of all human dignity and independence. The saddest part was that Brent's family, such as it was with many family members, were decent and caring peope, but who were deceived by a charismatic and obsessed self-proclaimed prophet, in the name of Warren Jeffs.
The family of young Brent showed great courage in their escape from this self-serving religious sect. But most remarkably was the courage and fortitude of Brent, who found the will and strength to cross over into the world of self-determination.
I found his story to be forthcoming and inspirational. Brent Jeffs is an admirable young man. I read his book in a short time because it is easy to read. It makes one appreciate the freedom of the mind to make one's own decisions about their journey in life.

A deep inside look at the fears, pain and confusion of one of the Lost Boys - this one a nephew of the leader of this cult. It was a gripping story from start to finish and I understand a lot more now about the lives of these people.

Although I have nothing against the Mormon faith, I am against abuse of power. And yet again we have a very honest look at the total abuse of power within the FLDS. It may be hard to read, but it was one thousand times harder to live thrugh it. I for one, am very glad that Brent Jeffs did survive to tell his story. Others in his family were not as lucky. I'm sure even now there are family members who think what he has done is so wrong. I believe, like Brent Jeffs, it will help them in the long run.