Book Review: Give Me Back My Children by Sarah C. Allred | Surviving the FLDS and Reclaiming Her Family

She only wanted to be a Mother to her own children-FLDS Cult leader had other plans. Sarah was born in 1979 in the FLDS compound. At eighteen, Sarah entered into an arranged marriage to Richard S Allred who was the grandson and personal bodyguard to leader Rulon Jeffs, and later Warren Jeffs. Sarah was the first of five wives and was often used to set the example. Sarah's husband was given Warren's prized daughter as his third wife who became Warren's source to control Sarah's family. As the Leadership adjusted, her world turned upside down. Rich was taken to a secret project to begin "Zion", and only those who are worthy could go. Rich came for her children, but Sarah was not worthy. She wasn't allowed to see or have contact with her children. Sarah came to realize Warren Jeffs was grooming her daughter to eventually become his wife. She wrote a letter, refusing to give permission. While traveling on a four-wheeler, the vehicle flipped and fell on her. She was in the hospital fighting for a month to survive told she would most likely be a paraplegic if she did survive.A few months later, still trying to heal from the accident, Sarah was told God no longer had a use for her. Therefore Sarah was cast out, thrown into a world she was taught to abhor and fear from birth.

Give Me Back My Children by Sarah C. Allred offers a rare and intimate glimpse into the life of an FLDS woman under Warren Jeffs’ control. I thoroughly enjoyed this book because the author displays real spunk, and I immediately appreciated her willingness to add a dose of irreverence—even using a curse word or two—during the early days of her marriage to Richard Allred.

I also appreciated seeing Richard Allred—known as Rich to his wives—through Sarah’s eyes, especially in contrast to Rachel’s description of him in her book. Sarah’s account offers an in-depth look at the jealousy that arises when affection is shown to other wives, as well as the pain of knowing you’re not the favored wife. To Sarah’s credit, she never disparages Rachel—even while admitting her jealousy—and instead praises Rachel for her kindness to the children.

I truly feel for both women; their stories are absolutely heartbreaking. I admire their courage for leaving, especially for the sake of their children. It took immense bravery to share their experiences.

Sarah faced tremendous challenges within the FLDS faith. Considered somewhat of an outsider, she was often treated as less than by most members because her family was not FLDS royalty. The health issues she endured during and after her pregnancies were harrowing, and each time she described another pregnancy, I found myself anxiously waiting for the next hardship to unfold.

Then, she was torn away from her children. Deemed unworthy by the “prophet,” her own husband facilitated her excommunication and actively prevented her from seeing her children for years. Every time she was told she’d finally been found worthy, it was only a matter of time before she was excommunicated again. She would go six months to two years without contact with her children, simply because she was told she was not worthy to raise them. Eventually, Sarah realized she had to leave for her children’s sake. It was only after leaving that she learned about her legal rights and was able to fight to find her children and bring them home.

I would love to read another book by Sarah, as there is little information available about her life after leaving the FLDS, aside from some news articles. These mention her petitioning the court to have her children’s names changed from Jeffs to Allred (they had been named Jeffs at the leader’s directive, though he was not their father), and that some of the children lacked birth certificates or social security numbers.

I recognize that the book could have been more polished, and I understand the reviews that mention this. There are frequent spelling and grammar issues, and the lack of professional editing is noticeable in places. The timeline sometimes feels unclear, and some readers were left wanting more details—especially about what happened after Sarah was banished and how she eventually reunited with her children. While these issues do affect the reading experience, Sarah’s resilience shines through. It’s hard to imagine anyone with empathy overlooking her story simply because of technical faults. She is a true survivor, and honestly? She’s kind of a baddie. I understand the critiques, but sometimes readers need to listen with their hearts, too.

Overall, I think Sarah did an admirable job telling her story with the resources she had—and let’s be real, it took tremendous courage. Again, I’ll say it: she’s a little bit of a baddie. All that to say, you go, Sarah. Keep speaking your truth, and don’t let these monsters win!

I find this book inspiring, and for that reason, I would recommend it to anyone wondering how we keep going when life gets messy and things don’t go our way. I don’t always know how we do it—we just do. Sarah is a beautiful example of how a heart can keep beating when it breaks, and how a mother can keep fighting for her children.

CW / TW:

This piece contains references to:
Kidnapping, Rape, Sexual Assault, Pedophilia, Emotional Abuse, Physical Abuse, Animal Abuse, Death of a Parent, Medical Neglect, Incest

Recommended Age: 18+

About Sarah C. Allred

Sarah C. Allred was born in 1979 on the FLDS compound. At eighteen, she entered into an arranged marriage with Richard S. Allred, the grandson and personal bodyguard to FLDS leader Rulon Jeffs, and later Warren Jeffs. As the first of five wives, Sarah was often used as an example within the community. She is the author of Give Me Back My Children, which shares her powerful journey and sheds light on life inside the FLDS.

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Posted By: msdravenrahl · In: Book Reviews, Deconstruction & Faith Recovery · Tagged With:Faith and Fear, FLDS, Religious Trauma