2 comments about Colorado City Polygamists: An Inside Look for the Outsider.

1. Ben Bistline's history of the First Ward of Colorado City is unique excursion into a secretive group dedicated to a non-mainstream set of beliefs and practice. The Colorado City Polygamists is the shorter version of this history and is more suited to the general (and in particular) non-LDS reader. While a background in restorationist religious history is useful it is not essential to enjoying this insider view of the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints (or FLDS). The book is full of names and events of the 20th century development of a utopian group dedicated to a practice now shunned by the mainstream LDS church. For a student of American utopian experiments this story has the typical and sad end of most American experiments in group living with the rise of charismatic and erratic leader leading the people into the wilderness in the nominal pursuit of purity and truth. Do not look for sensational from this book but a respectful yet tough telling of the inside religious story of a eccentric group of American utopians.



2. This is a very interesting book which helps explain why the polygamists believe what the do. It would have been helpful if there was a guide that stated the various peoples names and who they are.

4 comments about The Holy Secret.

1. Too often we go through life not really understanding why certain things are important in our life. This book opened my eyes into how to appreciate and internalize the things that are holy. The scriptures are more interesting to me. The sacrament is more meaningful. And I look forward to attending the temple often.



2. I enjoyed this book even more than reading The Peacegiver. While the Peacegiver invited me to consider the role of the Atonement in the context of love and forgiveness in my closest relationships, The Holy Secret gently invited me to consider holiness in the context of my covenant relationship with Diety. Do I truly love holy things? If not, why not? What can I do about it?
   
   The book skillfully introduces many concepts and principles in an engaging story of man facing this question and his quest to gain a love of holy things.
   
   Using a story as the main teaching method provided me with a very effective way to grasp the concepts being taught. Seeing myself in the story invited me to place of deep pondering and self-discovery which quite naturally evolved into changes in my attitude and daily life going forward.



3. This book engages the LDS reader on several levels, challenging us to go deeper and get more from fundamental practices of our faith. We learn with the protagonist how to get more from our worship and study. Then beyond that we find how learing and applying 'The Holy Secret' can heal as well as nurture not only ourselves, but a much wider circle than we might ever have considered. The final two chapters were surprising in their deeper implications and applications of the secret revealed.



4. This book was chosen as this months literacy selection for my church. I found it breathtaking in scope for such a small book. Why don't they teach this in sunday school? Why aren't we learning to view the scriptures in this way? We are told to "search" the scriptures, but what does that really mean?
   James Ferrell gently tells us; how many of us are missing the point in our own supposed holiness, and are, infact, rejecting what we should be embracing in our search for the divine. His insights into the scriptures are both deep and satisfying.
   Although the story is in a fictional setting, the relevance transcends the fiction into a very personal realm. The instruction and guidence on scripture study is compelling and priceless. A wonderful lesson in "Be thou humble", and opening your life to the Spirit, your family, and your fellow man.

5 comments about Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling.

1. This book is both well researched and dense in detail while still being easily readable. Mr. Bushman presents the point of view from LDS church history along with extensive outside references and notes the prevailing criticisms. If you want to read both sides of the story on this controversial man this is the book for you.
   
   I am a practicing LDS member but was interested in reading an unvarnished history. I believe Bushman has achieved that while still maintaining his belief in this man as a prophet.



2. I bought this book because I wanted to know more about Joseph Smith. I wanted to know why Mormons enthusiastically attest to their faith in him as a prophet of God. I'd done a little internet research but was frustrated by all the "noise" i.e. expressions of feeling, positive or negative, rather than fact.
   
   I learned of two books regarded seriously as historical: Bushman's Rough Stone Rolling and Fawn Brodie's No Man Know My History. Reviews say notwithstanding that both are good factual historical works both are biased: Fawn Brodie is apparently against Joseph Smith and Bushman is for Joseph Smith (Bushman is a Mormon). I haven't read Fawn Brodie's book yet and am still considering whether to or not.
   
   In Rough Stone Rolling Bushman is open about his bias. Page after page Bushman puts a spin of events in Joseph Smith's life that, despite controversy, leaves the reader thinking Joseph Smith could really be a prophet of God anyway. For example Bushman explains how Joseph as an adolescent and young man used his "gift" to try to find buried treasure. Joseph is portrayed as having a desire for wealth (owing to his family's indigent circumstances), but that this irreverent desire had to be overcome before God would allow Joseph Smith to become a prophet.
   
   In the end the reader is left to decide for themselves whether they believe Joseph Smith really did the work of God or not. I liked wondering whether it is true. I am glad I read this book. I believe I have gained a better understanding of the human condition. I recommend this book to anyone for or against Mormonism if they want more than just noise, i.e. if they want the truth.



3. Having previously read Fawn Brodie's No Man Knows My History: The Life of Joseph Smith, I read this one to get the believer's view. Bushman is at his best describing the evolution of Smith's thinking and revelations. Although the book is long, it is well written and authoritative. It gives a deeper understanding of Smith's religious philosophy than does Brodie's book.
   To his credit, Bushman confronts many of the crucial controversies surrounding Smith. From my non-believer's perspective, however, the defenses of Smith are not remotely convincing. Some examples:
   1. DNA analysis shows without question that the American Indians came from east Asia. This fact is in direct contradiction of the traditional LDS view that Native Americans are lost Israelites. Bushman argues that Smith may have been writing about a small tribe somewhere in New York, or about people outside North America altogether. Within a few pages, Bushman has forgotten about this controversy altogether, and happily describes the Book of Mormon as a history of the American Indians.
   2. Smith made the huge mistake of reproducing parts of the hieroglyphics he claims to have interpreted as the "Book of Abraham." These documents have been translated by scholars and have nothing to do with Abraham. Bushman (pp. 291-2) puts forth the argument that Smith's translation may not have been a true translation, but instead may have been a divine revelation simply inspired by the presence of the scrolls. Bushman suggests the same for the Book of Mormon. This is a truly shocking stance for an LDS believer to take: if Smith's "translations" weren't translations, why should anyone believe that his revelations were divinely inspired? Ironically, Bushman's view here sounds much like Brodie's: Not anticipating that scholars would use the Rosetta stone to translate hieroglyphics, Smith imagined that bogus translations would not be found out.
   3. Smith repeatedly lied about whether he and the Saints were practicing polygamy. Bushman's defense of Smith in this context reminds me of Bill Clinton's statements regarding Monica Lewinsky: Smith held a secret definition of the term "polygamy," and thus felt free to mislead (or lie) with impunity. The facts, as reported by both Brodie and Bushman, support the conclusion that Smith coerced women into his bed by arguing that their eternal salvation was at stake. The stain of Smith's lustful "revelation" regarding polygamy continues to haunt the LDS, which claims to recoil from earthly polygamy but argues that men (not women) get to have harems in heaven.
   Despite these complaints, I recommend this book to non-believers who are patient enough to get through it. I feel that I have much greater insight into the LDS mindset than I did before.



4. I also am studying the Mormons. Should I venture to say - studying the way God has provided a candle accross a night football field.
   
   Neuroplaticity - brain change from environment input. Brain grey/white thickness, hippocamus reshape/theta(memory - locations, scenes, color, smells, sounds), two stage memories ("visions"), pattern recognition (visions-imprint/representations)... Being a neural engineer putting probes in the ventral stream (cortex), getting image/time correlation through V1->V4. Lay speak- how does sight/sound get understood/retained?
   
   My thinking is Joeseph was on a very fast track. A lot of large stuff (Palmyra canal/ambitious family, Harmony, Harris etc., etc.) No societal concerns(read rouge?) being in poverty,but with extensivly developed genetic brain (6 generations?). I think God, please excuse the familiarity, replaced the distant candel with a spotlight strapped to his head, and used him until Joeseph burned out. He lost Emma, sad. God appears to have provided 30 vision channels, thick copper wires to Joeseph, with vision dumps.
   
   These concepts are overwhelming, even I hae a very hard time accepting this, and jumping off this cliff, letting God catch me in the responsibility net. 10 million mormons with priesthood responsibile for saving 5 billion Chinese, Hindus etc, I think I am quite comfy in my no responsibility 1 hour a week protesteant world. I can see why God cracked open the door to this lightning rod man... :)



5. Excellent book. Tells the story of a human being, with all the foibles and weaknesses that entails, who was learning to lead people in religion.

5 comments about Daughter of the Saints: Growing Up In Polygamy.

1. I tore through this memoir in a couple of days. I could not put it down. This woman's account of her life as a fugitive and a "trouble maker" is incredible and heartwrenching. It's so much more interesting to me if I know someone actually went through this. I can't imagine ever living in the kind of poverty this family did, or having to share my father or see my mother's hidden tears when her husband went off with another wife (or 6) a few nights a week. Allred does a pretty thorough job going through the genealogy and geographic movements of her family and it only serves to bring the tale even more to life. I'm sure I could go read newspaper articles about all she mentioned, and read the very journal Byron wrote in his travels. It's great to be able to trace everything all over the US and watch the world change around the family and the church and yet nothing ever really changes for them. I very much recommend this book to anyone looking to find out more about this controversial issue. See it from the eyes of a young girl lost in a sea of many.



2. The narrative of this work is touchingly honest and entirely realistic. I've read a few books during my Utah vacation, all about polygamy, and this one is the most tasteful and the most relevant as a complete story of how this lifestyle affects one's being. Highly recommended, more compelling and meaningful than the sensationalist Krakour [?] text.



3. This is the second book I have read about polygamy. This is completely foreign to my Protestant upbringing. I have seen people caught in a cult situation before. My neighbors when I was a young child were not allowed to celebrate Christmas, salute the flag, or celebrate any other holidays.
   I will not mention there religion. Inside their home terrible things were happening to their children. I didn't find out about it until I was a grown woman.
   
   This is the type of thing that Dorothy Solomon is talking about. She had a good mother. She was aware that the other children called them names. She knew other children had only one set of parents. Her father was married to 7 women. She believed as she was taught. She believed in polygamy. As she grows older she sees the sorrow in the women around her who are not honored by this state of affairs. Her parents had been arrested and they had to go into hiding as children. She even discusses incest in such an environment. It obviously is not a good environment for a woman to feel any equality with a man in. When more groups form a terrible thing happens to her father. The book is fascinating. A real page turner.
   She horrifies her family by joining the regular Church of the Latter Day Saints. She marries only once and has children. She is a strong person.
   Thank you for showing us a world that most will never see. You have without a doubt helped other women trapped in this situation.



4. This has been an excellent book to read. I was looking for material to inform myself better about polygamy. I found "Daughter of the Saints" and could hardly put it down until I finished. The author is so real, and has such a beautiful way of writing her feelings that it really got to me. I love the balance that comes out of all the narrative--the good and the bad. I admire the courage to tell these experiences, and to be so honest about it to us the readers. I learned a lot from this book, and really enjoyed it. It was a memoir that made me live the scenes. I found a deeper understanding for polygamy without having to read scandalous material, or a document biased completely towards the negative or positive aspects of it. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about polygamy--what better way than to read a book by someone who has lived it.



5. This is the same book as "Predators, Prey, and Other Kinfolk: Growing up in Polgamy" by the same author. I didn't know that and bought both of them.
   
   Ms. Solomon is telling her story here and I do recommend you read it. I found the book boring and tedious in places and found myself wanting to skip ahead to get to the "meat" of the story. However, I read every page. It's good though to read her experience in polygamy.
   
   I found myself asking questions about the underpinnings of Mormonism and it's relation to polygamy, (and in a general way the notion of religious beliefs around the world.) Reading through the writings of Joseph Smith, Mormonism's founder, I got a definite idea of what he thought about polygamy. About 50 or so years later the Mormon church, under state and federal pressure, made certain declarations regarding polygamy. In light of the several (now) books on polygamy by ex-members of various splinter groups, and with events regarding the FLDS in Texas, it does make one wonder who is following the true, revealed, laws of Mormonism. If you find this an interesting question, you may wish to read some of those original writings on your own and come to your own conclusion.

No comments about When Men Become Gods: Mormon Polygamist Warren Jeffs, His Cult of Fear, and the Women Who Fought Back.

5 comments about God's Brothel: The Extortion of Sex for Salvation in Contemporary Mormon and Christian Fundamentalist Polygamy and the Stories of 18.

1. 
   
   I was very impressed with the research into the various groups who practice Pologmy worldwide. This book has a map showing where these groups are thoughout the USA, and if they are Christian, Muslim or Fundamentalist Morman. She does explain that the Modern LDS church DOES NOT condone Pologamy, and explains why some groups continue to believe that this is the only way to heaven.
   
   The first part of this book is a history of Pologamy, and gives a summary of many groups and how and why they got started. She makes it very clear that this is not just a "Morman" occurance, but rather widely practiced in many religions.
   
   The second part contains 18 stories of women and girls from various groups who have chosen to withdrawal from this lifestyle, and have begun to speak out what their experience were, and how it affected them and their families. It is an eye-opening group of stories, allowing the reader inside the walls of the groups.
   
   The people who become involved in these groups come to a believe that this lifestyle will be an escape from the stressful way the modern American lives. It appears to be a close knit family, pulling their money together, avoiding outside stressors, and living a Godly life in order to obtain lasting life in the hear-after.
   
   Perhaps there are many groups who do practice the above: however, what this book tells is the stories where the system has gone corrupt, forcing girls as young as 12 into marriages, demanding they have a child a year, discarding males, and using the public welfare system to support the children. Education is withheld, and attempting to leave the groups can become a deadly game for the women and children.
   
   I recommend this book for anyone interested in studying this lifestyle because it tells stories of all religious pologmany groups, and you hear the actual stories of 18



2. The subject matter is highly disturbing and a must read for anyone who thinks that this sort of horror only goes on in backwards third world countries. The writing is uneven but the content makes up for it's faults. I was angry for days.



3. I finally got this book after reading other books dealing with these problems and all internet articles I could find for three years regarding the fundamentalist Mormons in the US and Canada.
   
   I do not understand why a lot more has not been done to stop such outrageous practices as have been well documented by this author. I was in Utah a few years ago, prior to doing the reading I have since done, and there I saw headlines regarding the childbride problem and actual communities I now know are polygamist enclaves. (I noticed the poverty and backwardness in some areas and already had assumed the isolation and deprivation of polygamy could be the cause.)
   
   It is sickening to know that US citizens, born here for generations back, are suffering in all these ways because the states involved will not prosecute when "religious beliefs" cross the other existing laws made to protect the innocent and naive. This book should be required for all Utah and Arizona legislators, and unfortunately, also now Texas, Colorado, Canada, Montana, and Wyoming. This is a dreadful thing to allow to continue in our great nation.



4. I read this book yesterday, and several others over the last few months. They all provided the basic background for polygny in the US, primarily stemming from the roots of Mormonism. Carolyn Jessop's "Escape" was by far the most thorough and informative. The 18 individual stories in this book are very disturbing, and I do applaud these women for finally breaking away. BUT--I still have many unanswered questions and concerns about the women in these situations--both those who left and many others who did not. Many of these 18 women consciously and willingly joined the lifestyles, and even bounced from one bad situation to another before finally leaving.
   
   Overall the motivation of the males is obvious--power and dominance over weaker individuals. The men essentially are given free reign to physically, emotionally, and sexually abuse anyone in their household, and many take full advantage of the opportunities.
   
   The motivations of the females, however, are not clear, and this book did little to help me sort those out--it just made me madder. The maternal instinct is incredibly powerful, but for many of these women it is apparently either not present or not strong enough to combat their personal quest for religious salvation. This book (and none of the others I have read) does not attempt to explain the psychology that contributes to these mothers allowing their children to be abused.
   
   All that said, it is a book worth reading if only to get a better understanding of the scope of the problem, and the kinds of women involved in the lifestyle.



5. This is about Bible-based fundamentalist polygamy. This is a hot topic associated with the current best seller Escape and also Jon Krakauer sensational Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith. Those books convey polygamy is a euphemism for cults that promote child rape and women enslavement.
   
   The author discloses a map showing Mormons and Christian fundamentalist polygamist communities spread all over the U.S. and Mexico. Some members live in major cities besides Salt Lake City such as Las Vegas, San Francisco, and Sacramento. Fundamentalists LDS (Mormons following the original scriptures of Joseph Smith) are fragmented among tens of groups. Those groups split apart to create new groups in other areas. They are lead by self appointed leaders who claim being direct descendents of either Joseph Smith or Jesus.
   
   These self-proclaimed prophets are delusional. They rewrite the history of the world to fit their mad self glorification (pg 157). They have apocalyptic visions of the return of Christ. Some proclaim communicating with beings from other planets (pg 156). Others lead anti-government militia and believe the government controls the weather (pg. 169). A few have been arrested and placed in azylum.
   
   Groups splitting results from rivalries. A rival breaks away from a group to start his own, declares himself a prophet. The splitting gets violent with killings under the guise of religious "blood atonement." Such killings are also aimed at members trying to escape.
   
   The author suggests that the ills of fundamentalist polygamy emanate from Joseph Smith scriptures. She quotes his `Doctrine and Covenants': "And if he have ten virgins..., he cannot commit adultery, for they belong to him,... if one... of the ten virgins..., shall be with another man, she has committed adultery, and shall be destroyed..." Those words engendered communities that both the author and Jon Krakauer compare to the Taliban.
   
   The author covers the history of the Mormon Church and how mainstream Mormons renounced polygamy only under military attacks from the Feds. To this day she indicates that in Utah State and police authorities make efforts to avoid prosecuting polygamy and related crimes (child molesting and rape, etc...). As polygamists referring to Utah authorities say "That prosecution dog don't hunt."
   
   Such communities are disasters for males too. If the average male has 5 wives, this means 80% of the males are ousted to maintain this unnatural 5-to-1 female/male multiple. What happens to the 80% of males? The author states on page 50 "they are driven away... [or] stay to become worker bees ... or they die mysteriously." On page 181, she reiterates how they die mysteriously of car accidents on rural roads with no traffic.
   
   Such societies are disasters for children. They are deprived from descent education, nutrition, and parenting. They are exploited as child labor to work for free for the businesses managed by those communities. The level of child abuse, beating, molestation, pedophilia, sodomy of young boys, and rape is sickening. On pg. 171: "My father began raping me when I was eight years old. My mother sexually abused all of us..." Herpes among very young children related to sexual abuse is common. Girls as young as nine are ordered to marry relatives sometimes in their fifties. They bear children soon after risking their own lives in the process. They never receive adequate medical care. They are taken out of school at a young age to ensure their total economic dependence.
   
   From a genetic standpoint, this lifestyle is insane. The level of in-breeding through inter-marriages is unprecedented in the U.S. The rate of Down syndrome, autism, dwarfism, and deformities in many of those communities is sky high. Down Syndrome is hoped for by expectant parents because such individuals are compliant and bring in larger government benefits (pg. 173). Community leaders attribute those deformities as God's punishments to wives that have not been subservient. They don't know that procreating through incest, uncle and nieces, and brothers and sisters is not good.
   
   The health of women is entirely subjugated to procreation. Women are ordered to produce a child per year regardless of their health condition. Women often have more than 10 children with little means to support any. On page 126, a testimonial describes a woman dying of brain cancer who gave birth against the advice of the doctors. She died during childbirth. Child birth is undertaken without any descent health care support. On page 136: "Brenda's pregnancy ended in miscarriage, and she hemorrhaged for four hours with out any medical attention." Treatment of women amounts to persecution (pg. 163: `Her husband had mutilated her genitals ... with fishing wire.'
   
   From an economic standpoint, those communities are failures. They live in some form of totalitarian communism whereby all economic resources and assets are owned by the Church. The individual laborers (mainly wives and children) keep nothing. Economic subsistence is solely reliant on State and Federal subsidies. Those communities are all adept in extracting the maximum government benefits totaling in the hundreds of millions of dollars. And, they are proud of this feat. They call it "bleeding the beast" as an effort to bring the government down.
   
   The testimonials of the 18 women who survived polygamy are nauseating. This passage comes to mind: `When Laura was four, one of her stepbrothers tied her to a bedpost and attempted to rape her... After I was crying, my father told me he would slap me until I stopped crying, which he proceeded to do... My mother made herself busy in the kitchen so she wouldn't have to watch." Another passage: `on her 16th birthday, her father took her for a ride in his Cadillac because it was time for her "Sexuality Lesson."
   
   The book gives you much more in depth info that I don't come close to cover. This is an important book to read for anyone interested on the subject.

5 comments about Shattered Dreams: My Life as a Polygamist's Wife.

1. This was a great book! Irene details her live from her childhood to the end of her marriage with her polygamist husband. The book is not filled with strong words against polygamy per-se. Instead, Irene shows us, through her life, why polygamy is problematic. I wish it was longer!



2. Especially in view of recent events in Texas, this book is a should-read for everyone. I was a mainstream Mormom for 10 years, and THAT society is patriarchal enough, but what I found utterly chilling is that fundamentalist Mormonism is extraordinarily similar to many aspects of ISLAM. I wish everyone who feels inclined to accept 'freedom of religion' excuses, or who feels sorry for sect mothers in Texas crying for their children, would read this book, and Carolyn Jessop's "Escape" and Susan Ray Schmidt's "His Favorite Wife". Fundamentalist Mormonism takes freedom of religion WAY beyond individual rights, and mothers have a duty to protect their children from all kinds of abuse, and these three books just rip the lid off what really goes on (one of the books also makes clear that among other things, there is rampant, officially-sanctioned cruelty to animals going on for which there should be NO excuse). No great literary style but a great source of information. A Can't-Put-Downer book.



3. I can't say enough good things about this book. It was so enthralling that I read it in two days. A true page turner in every sense of the phrase. I read it and then eagerly passed it on to my book loving sister to read. She loved it as well. Seriously...BUY THIS BOOK!



4. I really enjoyed this book. I couldnt put it down. It was amazing to hear about this womans struggles and hardships. It made me truely appreciate my husband and how blessed we are. I have recomended it to everyone that I know.



5. After the raid on the FLDS camp in Texas (April 2008), I set about to find out what these people and their religion is all about.
   I first read "Escape" by Caroline Jessop and I finally could breathe when she and her children were safe from the perils of living a plural marriage with her husband.
   "Shattered Dreams" was a book that I really got into as I lived and died each calamity of povery, loneliness, and hurt that Irene experienced in her 'marriage' to Verlan
   as he erroneously tried to control his burgeoning family
   until he could get them all into the kingdom of God.
   My heart went out to Verlan because he was living and working in all that he knew and his responsibility to
   each endeavor and to his family was just more than any one human should ever undertake. This is the error of the teaching of plural marriages.
   I probably will not ever get to meet Irene on this earth but thanks to her genuine conversion into Christianity, I know I will be living an eternity of time 'over there' where we both will be and I'd just love to give her a great big hug of love as my Christian sister.
   My word to Irene is this "Sister, enjoy whatever time of life you have on this earth for you have truly earned it and it is good to know that you finally have a person who loves you unconditionally just as Jesus loves us".

5 comments about His Favorite Wife: Trapped in Polygamy.

1. I've been reading a lot about polygamy as all these cases in the media unfold... Under the Banner and Shattered Dreams by Irene Spencer. She was the 2nd wife and Susan was the 5th. The stories are different because, even though they all had children by the same man, they had different living arrangements and marriages. Both are really good books. It makes a great memoir... fascinating.



2. This is an absorbing and fascinating book based on the author's life as she lived it. You do not want to miss this true story! I could not put it down! I was left wanting more and more information about the author's life, her children and the legacy of FLDS cult that dominated her life and so many others. It was easy to read, written in an unaffected manner, sometimes humorous sometimes devastating in its truth. I was drawn into the story and felt like I knew Susan and all those around her. This is a great story that will have you thinking about the true impact of FLDS and the Mormom church especially as current events uncover crimes within the fundamentalist church.



3. This was a good book, but Susan didn't share as much of the emotional side of polygamy as I had hoped. For a better read on the subject, read Shattered Dreams by Irene Spencer. It's definitely worth your money.



4. Susan has written a powerful book. Though not a professional writer, she indeed must have "innate" writing talent to so skillfully tell the story and describe in such an understandable way some of her most sublime feelings. As others have noted, this story has it all. Personal crisis, despair, doubt, strength, adventure, danger, murder, power struggles within the church--really, it's all there. Making the story all the more intriguing is that it is true. She tells her personal story as at age 15 she becomes the 6th (plural) wife of one of the church leaders. Enduring the worst third world poverty at times, yearning for a true marriage, remaining steadfast through extraordinarily difficult circumstances, and finally overcoming the notion that women could not and should not think through their situation themselves are some of her challenges. At one point a power struggle within the church leads to murder and attempted murder of people she knows well. It is a saga of courage, strength, steadfastness, and finally the victory of reason over blind obedience. Her message has appeal for everyone. Another reviewer has said it should be made into a movie, and indeed it would be a fascinating story to see portrayed on the screen. Buy the book, you will not be able to put it down.



5. I bought this and another book about polygamy (Escape by Carolyn Jessop), because of the current situation in El Dorado, Texas, and I hoped to gain some insight from those who have been on the inside.
   
   I couldn't put this book down as I found Susan's story riveting, amazing, unbelievable, interesting, tragic, inspiring, thought provoking, soul searching, and more. It is a very moving story.
   
   I think having some hint of an idea of what goes on "inside" some of these groups helps those of us on the "outside" to be better equipped to understand some of the actions being taken, and pause to give real thought to what is the "right" or "best" thing to do. There are no easy answers or solutions, for sure. Nobody wants to see children taken away from loving mothers, but at the same time, we want to protect woman and children who may not be in the position to protect themselves, particularly when it comes to physical and sexual abuse of children. There are certainly many complex issues in all of this, but I think it is at least time to keep the spot light on until there are thorough investigations.
   
   In any case, I'm so happy that Susan wrote this book. Her story is incredible, and I highly recommend it to anybody who is interested at all in learning more about polygamy. While I thought Jessop's book, Escape, was also very interesting, and more closely related to the group in Texas in time and space~ I definitely found His Favorite Wife to be a much more interesting story and the style more readable for me, too.
   
   I have a feeling I'll be reading a few more books on this subject... after learning Irene has written Shattered Dreams. It goes beyond morbid curiousity, because there are so many real life and spiritual issues that come to light in these books that apply to some degree to all of us.
   
   I'm not in any book clubs, but I would absolutely recommend this book to those of you who are. It would provide a foundation for many interesting discussions~
   
   And I want to know how they ever got all of Verlan's daughters together for a cruise!

5 comments about Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith.

1. I am serious that the History of the Mormon church is years of material for Saturday Night Live.
   Couple of ideas for skits:
   Joseph Smith (founder of the LDS) is married and after a few years his eyes start wandering, so he tells his wife God has told him to take on more wives. The wife is mad and threatens to take on more husbands, Joe doesn't like that, so he tells his wife that God told him that if a wife takes on another man she will go to hell for ever ! Nice.
   
   The locals don't like Joes unfaithfull ways, and drag him out of his bed, into the woods at night with the plan to castarate him - they even had a doctor along. Once Joe is stripped naked, and spread eagle the doctor can't go thru with it, and instead they beat Joe up badly and then tar and feather him.
   
   Currently, various Fundemnetalist mormon church off shoots all have a leader that claim to be ' the mighty and strong one' - that is the guy who is immortal and will be present during the second coming ( or something like that) - well the followers all flip out when their annoited immortal leader dies.
   
   The book covers a double homicide that took place in 1984. The two brothers that commited the crime are arrested, and after one beats the other one while in the same cell, they are put in adjacent cells. some days pass and one brother tells the other brother that God told him that he needs to kill him. So they discuss the best way to do the killing, and decide to have the one to die back up to the bars while the other one strangles him to death. They then proceed to follow thru the plan.
   
   Mormons might feel picked on by this book, but I see it as a book about religion, and what it does to people. There are Mormons that are completely nuts, just like the 9/11 moslem bombers.
   
   Krakauer writes this book in a similar style to Into the Wild. He mentions a couple other books about the LDS which I plan on reading.



2. I am fascinated with different religious sects and I must admit that the Mormon Church has always seemed to be founded on bizarre circumstances by some questionable characters. This book kept my interest and the history of the founders was interesting and disturbing. I soon became confused with the geneology of the family members of the FLDS in Colorado and Utah. No wonder genealogy is so important to the Mormon's how else could the keep up with their blood lines.
   
   I don't think that it is fair to paint todays LDS members with the same brush as the FLDS and the early "church" which I think the author is attempting to do. Unfortunately, the majority who are good citizens with a strong (admirable) sense of family are tainted by the few whackos who make all the news.



3. This book is a must read for anyone interested in reading a non-biased historical account of the Latter Day Saints. The parallel of events which occurred in the development of Mormanism as compared to the development of Islam are of a striking similarity.
   
   Jon Krakauer is truly an amazing author and story teller.



4. Although I am only 30 pages into this book, which takes place primarily in Arizona, the details of previous raids on FLDS compounds are shockingly similar to what is currently happening in Eldorado, TX--including how the press is presenting this group as being persecuted for their religion when in fact, the FDLS is guilty of heinous crimes against its female members, who are little more than breeding stock. What FLDS members present to the networks and media may not be at all what goes on behind those locked and closed doors. Read this book.



5. I have read a lot of books on Mormonism that this is one of the best. That's because the author choose to wrap the story of Mormonism around some of it's best known and most gripping triumphs, tragedies, atrocities, and scandals.
   
   I listened to the Audiobook and, frankly, I could hardly wait to drive to work so I could get through just another chapter. I can't recommend this book highly enough.
   
   Other Audio Books on Mormonism that I have enjoyed include:
   
   Leaving the Saints: How I Lost the Mormons and Found My Faith
   
   Secret Ceremonies
   
   Other books on Mormonism that I recommend include:
   
   The Pattern of The Double-Bind in Mormonism
   
   No Man Knows My History: The Life of Joseph Smith
   
   The Mountain Meadows Massacre
   
   Beyond Mormonism : An Elder's Story
   
   Mormonism, Mama & Me
   
   Who Really Wrote the Book of Mormon?: The Spalding Enigma
   
   Mormonism 101: Examining the Religion of the Latter-day Saints
   
   Mormonism Unveiled: The Life and Confession of John D. Lee, Including the Life of Brigham Young

5 comments about Escape.

1. Especially in view of recent events in Texas, this book is a should-read for everyone. I was a mainstream Mormom for 10 years, and THAT society is patriarchal enough, but what I found utterly chilling is that fundamentalist Mormonism is extraordinarily similar to many aspects of ISLAM. I wish everyone who feels inclined to accept 'freedom of religion' excuses, or who feels sorry for sect mothers in Texas crying for their children, would read this book, and Irene Spenser's "Shattered Dreams" and Susan Ray Schmidt's "His Favorite Wife". Fundamentalist Mormonism takes freedom of religion WAY beyond individual rights, and mothers have a duty to protect their children from all kinds of abuse, and these three books just rip the lid off what really goes on (one of the books also makes clear that among other things, there is rampant, officially-sanctioned cruelty to animals going on for which there should be NO excuse). No great literary style but a great source of information. A Can't-Put-Downer book.



2. The book was a fascinating peek into the polygamous marriage of the author. While the book did provide great insight, it was slow in parts, and hard to believe that the author was always in the right during the many squabbles between the wives in the home. All in all, a good read, but I could not finish the book, and by the end was too worn out from the all monotonous recollections of the infighting in the home to continue to the end.



3. I bough this book after the news of the raid in El dorado, Texas, I never heard before about this kind of cult neither that there is so many people living in polygamy in the US. The book is amazing because it describes so many horrible things that could happen to a person and that you never imagined that could happen in a society like ours. Raised with the idea that your only job in this live is to obey your husband eventhough he is forcing you to do things against your will (like getting married to a man that you've never seen before, 20, 30 or 40 years older than you, you can't take your sick children to the doctor without his permission, allow another woman to constantly abuse your children's because she is your husband favorite wife, having sex to a man whenever he wants like you are a piece of meat that he bought in the supermarket, living a life of abuse that includes hunger for you and your children's) and your second purpose in life is to have babies.
   
   This book will break your heart in so many ways; the love of this mother for her children's is amazing and her determination of having a better live for her and her babies is amazing.
   
   You will also see in the book that she mentions a lot of things that are happening right now, she mentions about a place called Zion (Yearning for Zion is the name of the compound in el Dorado Texas) and she mentions in her book that she was scared that she was going to get separated of her children's if she stayed, actually the head person in the compound in Texas is her Ex-husband.
   



4. As I read 'Escape' I kept having to remind myself that I wasn't reading a work of fiction. I had such a hard time comprehending that the life Carolyn Jessop lived actually took place. Bravo to her for not only escaping the FLDS life but flourishing.



5. I gave this book 2 stars. I am half-way thru it and am about ready to pitch it. I truly wish Carolyn Jessup the best, and a happy life, but I just don't want to read anymore. The wives in the household she married into acted worse than kindergarten kids. Bickering, tattling, sulking, pouting, making scenes in public. It got tiresome to read. And I found the complaints becoming too repetitious after awhile. And- although I didn't finish the book, I am puzzled. This is supposed to be a religious cult, yet in the half that I read, there was no mention of church, prayer, sermons. They were put here on earth to do good works, but all they did was worry about their standing in the community. That was the women. There was no mention of good works which the men did. The men were cruel--- but then, so were the women. I am going to keep the book and I might finish it sometime in the future. But after reading about their trip to Hawaii, I got so disgusted I didn't want to read anymore.