Recommendations based on Escapeby Carolyn Jessop

* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans

  1. Stolen Innocence: My Story of Growing Up in a Polygamous Sect, Becoming a Teenage Bride, and Breaking Free of Warren Jeffs

    by Elissa Wall
    A memoir of a woman's experience growing up in a polygamous sect, being forced into marriage at 14, and ultimately escaping the cult.

    Stolen Innocence is the gripping New York Times bestselling memoir of Elissa Wall, the courageous former member of Utah’s infamous FLDS polygamist sect whose powerful courtroom testimony helped ... (Goodreads)

  2. The Witness Wore Red: The 19th Wife Who Brought Polygamous Cult Leaders to Justice

    by Rebecca Musser
    A memoir of a woman who escaped a polygamous cult and testified against its leaders, leading to their conviction.

    Rebecca Musser grew up in fear, concealing her family's polygamous lifestyle from the "dangerous" outside world. Covered head-to-toe in strict, modest clothing, she received a rigorous education at ... (Barnes & Noble)

  3. Lucky

    by Alice Sebold
    A young woman's story of survival and resilience after being violently attacked.

    In a memoir hailed for its searing candor and wit, Alice Sebold reveals how her life was utterly transformed when, as an eighteen-year-old college freshman, she was brutally raped and beaten in a ... (Goodreads)

  4. Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith

    by Jon Krakauer
    An exploration of the fundamentalist Mormon faith, its history, and the power of religious extremism.

    A Story of Violent Faith A multilayered, bone-chilling narrative of messianic delusion, savage violence, polygamy, and unyielding faith. This is vintage Krakauer, an utterly compelling work of ... (Goodreads)

  5. Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace ... One School at a Time

    by Greg Mortenson
    A man's mission to build schools in remote areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan to promote peace.

    The astonishing, uplifting story of a real-life Indiana Jones and his humanitarian campaign to use education to combat terrorism in the Taliban’s backyard Anyone who despairs of the individual’s ... (Goodreads)

  6. A Stolen Life

    by Jaycee Dugard
    A woman's harrowing account of being kidnapped and held captive for 18 years.

    On 10 June 1991, eleven-year-old Jaycee Dugard was abducted from a school bus stop within sight of her home in Tahoe, California. It was the last her family and friends saw of her for over eighteen ... (Goodreads)

  7. Kabul Beauty School: An American Woman Goes Behind the Veil

    by Deborah Rodriguez
    An American hairdresser opens a beauty school in Kabul, Afghanistan, and discovers the power of female friendship and the challenges of living in a war-torn country.

    Soon after the fall of the Taliban, in 2001, Deborah Rodriguez went to Afghanistan as part of a group offering humanitarian aid to this war-torn nation. Surrounded by men and women whose skills–as ... (Barnes & Noble)

  8. Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back

    by Todd Burpo
    A young boy's spiritual journey of dying and visiting Heaven, and the aftermath of his visions.

    Unglaublich oder erstaunlich? Urteilen Sie selbst: Colton ist vier Jahre alt, als er lebensgefährlich erkrankt und operiert werden muss. Er überlebt um Haaresbreite. Später erzählt er seinen Eltern, ... (Goodreads)

  9. Half Broke Horses

    by Jeannette Walls
    A novel based on the life of the author's grandmother, Lily Casey Smith, a resilient and adventurous woman who overcomes numerous obstacles in the American West.

    Jeannette Walls's memoir The Glass Castle was "nothing short of spectacular" (Entertainment Weekly). Now, in Half Broke Horses, she brings us the story of her grandmother, told in a first-person ... (Goodreads)

  10. A Child Called "It"

    by Dave Pelzer
    True story of a child's unbearable suffering at the hands of an abusive parent.

    Also see: Alternate Cover Editions for this ISBN [ACE], ACE #1, This book chronicles the unforgettable account of one of the most severe child abuse cases in California history. It is the story of ... (Goodreads)

  11. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life

    by Barbara Kingsolver
    A family's journey to eat locally grown, sustainable food.

    Author Barbara Kingsolver and her family abandoned the industrial-food pipeline to live a rural life—vowing that, for one year, they'd only buy food raised in their own neighborhood, grow it ... (Goodreads)

  12. Marley and Me: Life and Love With the World's Worst Dog

    by John Grogan
    A heartfelt journey of a family and their beloved, but mischievous, dog.

    John and Jenny were just beginning their life together. They were young and in love, with a perfect little house and not a care in the world. Then they brought home Marley, a wiggly yellow furball of ... (Goodreads)

  13. In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex

    by Nathaniel Philbrick
    True account of a whaling ship's disastrous voyage and the survivors' struggle for survival.

    "With its huge, scarred head halfway out of the water and its tail beating the ocean into a white-water wake more than forty feet across, the whale approached the ship at twice its original speed - ... (Goodreads)

  14. When You Are Engulfed in Flames

    by David Sedaris
    Humorous reflections on everyday life, navigating the absurdities of the human condition.

    It's early autumn 1964. Two straight-A students head off to school, and when only one of them returns home Chesney Yelverton is coaxed from retirement and assigned to what proves to be the most ... (Goodreads)

  15. Orange Is the New Black

    by Piper Kerman
    A memoir of a woman's experiences in prison, exploring the effects of incarceration.

    With her career, live-in boyfriend and loving family, Piper Kerman barely resembles the rebellious young woman who got mixed up with drug runners and delivered a suitcase of drug money to Europe over ... (Goodreads)

  16. Marie Antoinette: The Journey

    by Antonia Fraser
    A biography of Marie Antoinette, from her childhood in Austria to her reign as Queen of France and eventual execution during the French Revolution.

    Marie Antoinette's dramatic life-story continues to arouse mixed emotions. To many people, she is still 'la reine méchante', whose extravagance and frivolity helped to bring down the French monarchy; ... (Goodreads)

  17. Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders

    by Vincent Bugliosi
    A detailed account of the Manson Family and their brutal murders, as well as the trial that followed.

    Prosecuting attorney in the Manson trial, Vincent Bugliosi held a unique insider's position in one of the most baffling and horrifying cases of the twentieth century: the cold-blooded Tate-LaBianca ... (Goodreads)

  18. Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly

    by Anthony Bourdain
    A humorous and unflinching account of life in restaurant kitchens, exploring the culture and camaraderie of the culinary world.

    A deliciously funny, delectably shocking banquet of wild-but-true tales of life in the culinary trade from Chef Anthony Bourdain, laying out his more than a quarter-century of drugs, sex, and haute ... (Goodreads)

  19. Beyond Belief: My Secret Life Inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape

    by Jenna Miscavige Hill
    True story of a woman's escape from the oppressive and dangerous world of Scientology.

    Jenna Miscavige was raised to obey. As niece of the Church of Scientology's leader David Miscavige, she grew up at the center of this controversial organization. At 21, she made a break, risking ... (Goodreads)

  20. The Happiness Project: Or Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun

    by Gretchen Rubin
    A memoir of a woman's year-long journey to find happiness by making small changes in her daily life.

    #1 New York Times Bestseller “An enlightening, laugh-aloud read. . . . Filled with open, honest glimpses into [Rubin’s] real life, woven together with constant doses of humor.” —,Christian Science ... (Barnes & Noble)

  21. Not Without My Daughter

    by Betty Mahmoody
    A woman's dramatic fight for freedom from an oppressive husband in a foreign land.

    It was August 3, 1984. Moody, Betty, and Mahtob had spent two days traveling from their home in Detroit to Moody's native country of Iran. In preparation for their arrival, Betty, at Moody's request, ... (Wikipedia)

  22. The Hiding Place: The Triumphant True Story of Corrie Ten Boom

    by Corrie ten Boom
    A remarkable testament to faith and courage in the face of unfathomable odds and unspeakable horrors.

    The book begins with the ten Boom family celebrating the 100th anniversary of the family business; they sell and repair watches under the family's elderly father, Casper ten Boom . The business takes ... (Wikipedia)

  23. The Stranger Beside Me: Ted Bundy: The Shocking Inside Story

    by Ann Rule
    Uncovering the hidden identity of serial killer Ted Bundy and the events leading up to his arrest.

    The first few chapters following the brief introduction about Bundy's birth and family describe Rule's friendship with Bundy, her first impressions of him, and her reluctance to consider the evidence ... (Wikipedia)

  24. The Lost Continent: Travels in Small Town America

    by Bill Bryson
    A humorous journey through rural America, exploring its secrets and idiosyncrasies.

    'I come from Des Moines. Somebody had to' And, as soon as Bill Bryson was old enough, he left. Des Moines couldn't hold him, but it did lure him back. After ten years in England, he returned to the ... (Goodreads)

  25. The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics

    by Daniel James Brown
    An inspiring story of a rowing crew battling against the odds to win gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

    This novel is about the University of Washington eight-oared crew that represented the United States in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, and narrowly beat out Italy and Germany to win the gold medal. The ... (Wikipedia)

  26. Sickened: The Memoir of a Munchausen by Proxy Childhood

    by Julie Gregory
    A harrowing account of a young girl's life under the abuse of her mother's Munchausen by Proxy syndrome.

    A young girl is perched on the cold chrome of yet another doctor’s examining table, missing yet another day of school. Just twelve, she’s tall, skinny, and weak. It’s four o’clock, and she hasn’t ... (Goodreads)

  27. Running with Scissors

    by Augusten Burroughs
    An autobiographical story of a young boy's difficult upbringing and his unconventional family.

    Running with Scissors covers the period of Burroughs' adolescent years, beginning at age 12 after a brief overview of his life as a child. Burroughs spends his early childhood in a clean and orderly ... (Wikipedia)

  28. Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland

    by Amanda Berry
    True story of a woman taken captive and her struggle to stay alive and be reunited with her family.

    Two women kidnapped by infamous Cleveland school-bus driver Ariel Castro share the stories of their abductions, captivity, and dramatic escape, On May 6, 2013, Amanda Berry made headlines around the ... (Goodreads)

  29. Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness

    by Susannah Cahalan
    A journalist's journey of survival and recovery from a rare autoimmune disorder.

    An award-winning memoir and instant New York Times bestseller that goes far beyond its riveting medical mystery, Brain on Fire is the powerful account of one woman’s struggle to recapture her ... (Goodreads)

  30. The Road Less Traveled: A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values and Spiritual Growth

    by M. Scott Peck
    A guide to personal growth and spiritual development, emphasizing the importance of discipline, love, and grace in achieving a fulfilling life.

    The Road Less Traveled: A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values and Spiritual Growth 316 pp. "Psychotherapy is all things to all people in this mega-selling pop-psychology watershed, which ... (Goodreads)