Brent W. Jeffs is an American author, advocate, and former member of the influential Jeffs family in the

Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS Church) is a religious sect of the fundamentalist Mormon denominations whose members practice polygamy. The fundamentalist Mormon movement emerged in the early 20th century, ...

(FLDS Church). Brent wrote the memoir ''Lost Boy'' with author

Maia Szalavitz Maia Pearl Szalavitz (born March 29, 1965) is an American reporter and author who focuses on science, public policy and addiction treatment. Early life and education Maia Szalavitz was born March 29, 1965. She was raised in upstate New York. She ...

, which was released on May 19, 2009. The book is a depiction of life within the FLDS Church and his ostracism from the organization at a young age. The title of the book comes from the term "

the lost boys ''The Lost Boys'' is a 1987 American supernatural black comedy horror film directed by Joel Schumacher, produced by Harvey Bernhard with a screenplay written by Jeffrey Boam, Janice Fischer and James Jeremias, from a story by Fischer and Jerem ...

", which refers to the many young men expelled from the FLDS Church. Jeffs is a grandson of FLDS prophet

Rulon Jeffs Rulon may refer to: Persons with the surname Rulon: *Kelly Rulon (born 1984), 2004 Olympian in water polo Persons with the given name Rulon: *Rulon C. Allred (1906-1977), leader of the Apostolic United Brethren *Rulon Davis (born 1982), defensive ...

, nephew to imprisoned FLDS prophet Warren Jeffs and leader Lyle Jeffs, and his mother is the daughter of another non-FLDS prophet as well. Brent was born to Ward Jeffs, son of Rulon. Ward had three wives, two of whom were sisters. Between these marriages, Brent had nineteen siblings. Ward eventually left the church, leaving Brent in the FLDS community per Brent's request. Eventually, Brent left the compound and moved into a small apartment with four of his older brothers, where they experimented with alcohol, drug use, and partying. In 2004, Brent named Warren as the perpetrator in a civil lawsuit seeking damages for

sexual abuse Sexual abuse or sex abuse, also referred to as molestation, is abusive sexual behavior by one person upon another. It is often perpetrated using force or by taking advantage of another. Molestation often refers to an instance of sexual assa ...

he had suffered as a boy. ''Lost Boy'' depicts much of the sexual abuse that was inflicted upon him beginning at ages five or six. The memoir also includes abuse from Warren's brothers and other family members. Brent has appeared on the

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

radio show ''

Fresh Air ''Fresh Air'' is an American radio talk show broadcast on National Public Radio stations across the United States since 1985. It is produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The show's host is Terry Gross. , the show was syndicated to 6 ...

'', hosted by interviewer Teri Gross, the television show ''Polygamy: What Love Is This?'', ''

Hannity ''Hannity'' is an American conservative television political talk program on Fox News hosted by Sean Hannity. Episodes air live at 9:00 p.m. from Monday through Thursday, while episodes that air on Fridays are pre-recorded, with a repeat ...

,'' and '' Dr. Phil'', with each appearance having to do with the FLDS and

polygamy Crimes Polygamy (from Late Greek (') "state of marriage to many spouses") is the practice of marrying multiple spouses. When a man is married to more than one wife at the same time, sociologists call this polygyny. When a woman is married ...

. In each appearance, Brent discussed the dangers of the FLDS lifestyle and abuse from Warren and other influential FLDS Church leaders. Since releasing his memoir, Brent has married and had a daughter. They live in

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jeffs, Brent W. American Latter Day Saints Place of birth missing (living people) People excommunicated by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Living people Sexual abuse victim advocates Year of birth missing (living people) Mormon fundamentalists American male writers People from Salt Lake City

See also

References