"Weyermann's well-researched muckracking is colorful and gripping . . . a disturbing account of how a religious quasi-dictatorship can flourish on American soil." —Publishers Weekly
"The book is undeniably unsettling—the author doesn't pull any punches in her descriptions of the FLDS' illegal acts—but it's also definitely worth reading as a reminder of the horrors that can go on in our own backyards." —Booklist
"A worthy read . . . Weyermann writes crisply." —Phoenix New Times
"Weyermann's powerful exposé on the FLDS' origins, its subsequent rise to power and how it held court over the U.S. political system is essential reading as the struggle for justice continues today. A masterful exploration of one of America's most shameful secrets." —Kirkus Reviews
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. Activists watched in horror as he used his limitless authority and the resources of a tax-supported community-in essence, a feudal empire on the Utah/Arizona border-to devastate thousands of lives on cruel whims, marrying girls as young as 11 to 60-year-old men and driving off teenage “lost boys” who Jeffs felt threatened his authority.
Answer Them Nothing is the chilling story of the victims, activists, prosecutors, judges, cops, and attorneys who in 2001 began the struggle to dismantle the FLDS empire and bring Jeffs and his henchmen to justice. It is a mesmerizing journey into one of America's darkest corners, a story that stretches over three states and deep into history of the powerful Mormon Church.
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. Activists watched in horror as he used his limitless authority and the resources of a tax-supported community-in essence, a feudal empire on the Utah/Arizona border-to devastate thousands of lives on cruel whims, marrying girls as young as 11 to 60-year-old men and driving off teenage “lost boys” who Jeffs felt threatened his authority.
Answer Them Nothing is the chilling story of the victims, activists, prosecutors, judges, cops, and attorneys who in 2001 began the struggle to dismantle the FLDS empire and bring Jeffs and his henchmen to justice. It is a mesmerizing journey into one of America's darkest corners, a story that stretches over three states and deep into history of the powerful Mormon Church.
Editorial Reviews
Product Details
BN ID: | 2940172640094 |
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Publisher: | Brilliance Audio |
Publication date: | 10/23/2018 |
Edition description: | Unabridged |
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