Lost Boy

by Brent W. Jeffs and Maia Szalavitz

Book Overview

In the polygamous Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (FLDS), girls can become valuable property as plural wives, but boys are expendable, even a liability. In this powerful and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0767931777
• ISBN13: 9780767931779
• Release Date: May 2009
• Publisher: Broadway Books
• Length: 241 Pages
• Weight: 1.16 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.4" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

Emotional, profound, inside info

If you’re wanting go to read about the FLDS but also get an idea of how it was ran, this is the one to start with. You can get a closer look at what he was like.

Lost Boy is a revealing story of the trouble in the FLDS.

Lost Boy is such a sad story of sexual abuse and what happens to people when they are kept in isolation and subjugation. People leaving this cult must indeed be very strong people to want lead a new life of freedom.

Sadly But Remarkably Englightening

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.

The Lost Boy - A sad but inspirational story

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.

A very honest honest look at the FLDS

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.

Preying on Ignorance, Fear and Innocence

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.