A Teenager's Tears: When Parents Convert to Polygamy [Paperback]

A growing number of people enter polygamy each year. Travel that world through a modern day family that leaves traditional Mormonism and enters polygamy, the father excited, the mother and teenagers deeply troubled. Meet the adult and teenage cliques of the governing "ellte" families, the "second-class" families, the "obedient" women who believe they must be subservient in every way, and finally the strong-willed women who use their intrinsic powers to develop a life of freedom and choice within the group. Meet the men and their different uses of religious power over the women whose lives they control -- and those they only think they control. In the end will these teenagers and their mother give up the "good life" they have created -- and their very freedom?

Laura Chapman, who grew up in the Colorado City Polygamist Group as the 25th child of 31 children, has been featured on CBS/48Hours, ABC 20/20, and In The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and in London newspapers. Believing education critical to understanding life and with double degrees in Sociology and Human Development, and a minor in Psychology, Mrs. Chapman is deeply concerned with the Colorado City group forcing all their children to withdraw from public schools.

"Llewellyn accomplishes the incredible task of exposing the many diverse dynamics of Utah polygamist groups and their members in A Teenagers Tears. The characters of the women, children, men and self-proclaimed apostles are both astounding and precise. The display of male privilege, abuse of power in leadership, and struggles within families, is triumphantly accurate. The "feminists" within the groups, however, are still captured in the basic belief thatwithout a man there is no heavenly glory in the hereafter".

Rena Mackert, formerly of the Colorado City Polygamist Group, appeared on A & E's "Inside Polygamy" documentary, "Mr. Llewellyn has effectively presented the fears of a young girl entering a lifestyle she does not understand. An e

Individuals and families considering polygamy need to know the positives and the negatives before they make their decision. An unbiased point of view is almost impossible to find because polygamists are adamantly in favor of it, non-polygamists are adamantly opposed to it. So what is it really like, for men, women, and children. Should polygamy is legalized to remove the secrecy that can create dire consequences. Examine the positives and the negatives in John Llewellyn’s (a former polygamist) account, which is inspired by actual events.

Investigator John R. Llewellyn was a deputy sheriff for twenty-three years in the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office. Considered an expert, he spent a number of years in prolonged investigation of polygamy cults. He was often placed on loan to do special investigations for the County Attorney, District Attorney, and Attorney General.

Conducting the preliminary investigation of mass murderer Ervil LeBaron, who was convicted of ordering the murder of Dr. Rulon C. Allred in 1977, Deputy Llewellyn complied an extensive intelligence profile of the infamous polygamist. He also assisted French, British, and local television companies—all wanting to film documentaries—in making contact with appropriate members of polygamous groups. Mr. Llewellyn writes feature articles on the subject for newspapers and magazines.

The author pioneered the Morals Squad of the Sheriff Department, which handled the investigation of polygamous complaints. He also wrote a sex crimes manual for the Utah State Police Academy, where he taught Sex Crime Investigation, Interview, and Interrogation.

So compelling was the polygamist position that Mr. Llewellyn finally became one and associated with the Allred Group after he retired from the Sheriff's Office. But when he discovered the corruption that was going on, he disassociated himself from the group, and is no longer involved.

Llewellyn also wrote Murder of a Prophet: Dark Side of Utah Polygamy. He has written several feature articles for Utah's The Event Newsweekly, Fate Magazine and a historical article about heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey that will appear in the May-June issue of Salt Lake Magazine.