Broken Promise
The story of a man growing up in Bountiful and living under 'The One Man Rule.'
📘 About This Book
Born into the Fundamentalist Latter-Day Saint (FLDS) community of Bountiful, British Columbia, Jon Blackmore grew up believing that his church was the sole path to salvation, the only people destined to survive an impending apocalypse. But salvation required more than just faith. It also demanded perfect obedience to God’s chosen representatives on Earth—the church’s prophet and the local bishop. Wielding absolute control over every aspect of their followers’ lives—spiritually, socially, and financially—Bishop Winston Blackmore, backed by God’s so-called prophet in the United States, ruled his followers with an iron fist. The people of Bountiful were driven into a life of near-enslavement, where refusal to comply with their leaders’ demands—which included surrendering children to forced labor or entering “plural marriages”—meant excommunication from the church and eternal damnation. This memoir chronicles Jon’s journey from devout believer to conflicted follower to questioning skeptic as his leaders’ increasingly bold and outrageous antics cause his community and his church to unravel, putting the future of Jon’s own family in peril.
📖 Summary
Broken Promise by Jon Blackmore is a compelling and deeply personal 2025 autobiography that exposes the stark realities of growing up inside the secretive Fundamentalist Latter-Day Saint community of Bountiful, British Columbia. Spanning 234 pages, the book offers readers an unfiltered look into a closed society where absolute power, fear, and religious zealotry dictated every facet of daily existence. Jon Blackmore entered the world believing with absolute certainty that his church was the solitary pathway to salvation and the only group destined to endure the coming apocalypse. However, he soon learned that this promised salvation carried an exorbitant cost, requiring total, unyielding obedience to earthly religious authorities rather than simply faith in God. Within Bountiful, power rested entirely in the hands of the local bishop, Winston Blackmore, who operated in alignment with the church's prophet located in the United States. Together, these leaders maintained absolute control over the spiritual, social, and financial lives of their followers, creating an environment that closely resembled near-enslavement. Followers were expected to comply with every directive issued from the pulpit, no matter how severe or intrusive. The narrative details how this regime enforced compliance through various means, including the devastating demand that parents surrender their children to forced labor and other extreme lifestyle mandates. Refusal to submit meant facing spiritual ostracization, social ruin, and the terrifying prospect of missing out on eternal survival. Jon Blackmore's memoir chronicles his journey through this oppressive system, capturing the agonizing conflict between familial loyalty, community conditioning, and the burgeoning realization that the promises made by his leaders were fundamentally broken. Through his eyes, readers witness the psychological toll of authoritarian religious control, the mechanics of high-demand groups, and the immense courage required to question a lifelong belief system. Broken Promise stands as a powerful testament to human resilience, shedding light on a dark chapter of Canadian history and offering a cautionary tale about the dangers of unchecked religious authority and absolute obedience.
🎯 Key Lessons
⚖️ Pros & Cons
✅ Pros
Provides a rare, firsthand account of life inside the secretive Bountiful FLDS community.
Offers deep emotional insight into the psychological struggles of leaving a cult.
Highlights the dangers of unchecked authoritarian religious leadership.
Written with raw honesty and a compelling narrative voice.
⚠️ Cons
The subject matter involves heavy, disturbing themes that may be difficult for some readers.
The book's relatively short length leaves certain aspects of the broader community history unexplored.
❓ FAQ
Who wrote Broken Promise? +
Broken Promise was written by Jon Blackmore, who grew up inside the Bountiful community.
What is the primary setting of the book? +
The book is primarily set in the Fundamentalist Latter-Day Saint community of Bountiful, British Columbia.
Who held absolute control over the people of Bountiful? +
Bishop Winston Blackmore, backed by the church's prophet in the United States, ruled the community with an iron fist.
How many pages are in the book? +
Broken Promise contains 234 pages.
What genre does this book belong to? +
It belongs to the biography and autobiography genre.
