Polygamy!

It's been a while since I've read this book, but it's one of my top recommended memoirs.
(DISCLAIMER: I don't remember all the nitty gritty details of this book, so I referenced this Time article to jog my memory http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1675126,00.html)

This book is really fascinating because it opens the doors on a subject that we (or at least I) don't really know much about...polygamy. Keep in mind this isn't the polygamy that you see on Sister Wives on TLC, but is more about the "old school" polygamy that is borderline cult-like. This is polygamy as it relates to Warren Jeffs. Warren Jeffs is the supposed "prophet" for the religious sect Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS). He was notably placed on the FBI's Most Wanted List for rape, incest, bigamy, etc. I'm not sure how many wives and kids he had, but his dad had about 60 kids and 19-20 wives....so I imagine Warren's number was up there as well.



Carolyn Jessop was the 4th wife to Merril Jessop, who was the right hand man to Warren Jeffs. She was 18 year old when she married Merril (who was 50). This book was her vehicle to airing the so-called "dirty laundry" of what her life in a polygamist community was like. Everything that Carolyn Jessop tells us seems so outrageous and unbelievable...almost something out of a bad fairy tale.

The most eye-opening thing for me is the competition between the wives. If you watch a show like Sister Wives, you see that they're all very loving and friendly with each other. But in the book, the husband would pick his favorite wife of the moment (typically the wife who provided the most for him). Whoever the favorite was would get money, clothes, etc. If you were the unpopular wife, then the husband would threaten to take away her children and would not give her money for food.

The book was really well written and suspenseful at times...it's hard to believe that this is a memoir and not a piece of fiction because some of the subject matter is so unreal. I don't read books like this very often, so it was an interesting break from my normal book routine.
Rank: A!

TIDBIT: I read that they're making a movie out of this book. Supposedly Katherine Heigl is going to play Carolyn Jessop. That sounds like a poor casting move to me.

TIDBIT #2: If you're looking to read about polygamy, but want a lighter take on it...I suggest reading The Lonely Polygamist by Brady Udall. It's a satirical, family drama about a polygamist family. The character development was really outstanding in this book.
Rank: B