Book 9 - Shattered Dreams

Shattered Dreams, written by Irene Spencer. 406 pages. Synopsis from BN.com:

Just as A Mormon Mother is the standout memoir of a 19th-century polygamous woman's life, this autobiography offers the compelling voice of a contemporary plural wife's experiences. Daughter of a second wife, Spencer was raised strictly in "the Principle" as it was lived secretly and illegally by fringe communities of Mormon "fundamentalists"-groups that split off from the LDS Church when it abandoned polygamy more than a century ago. In spite of her mother's warnings and the devotion of a boyfriend with monogamist intentions, Spencer followed her religious convictions-that living in polygamy was essential for eternal salvation-and became a second wife herself at the age of 16 in 1953. It's hard to tell which is more devastating in this memoir: the strains of husband-sharing with-ultimately-nine other wives, or the unremitting poverty that came with maintaining so many households and 56 children. Spencer's writing is lively and full of engaging dialogue, and her life is nothing short of astonishing. After 28 years of polygamous marriage, Spencer has lived the last 19 years in monogamy. Her story will be emotional and shocking, but many readers will resonate with the universal question the memoir raises: how to reconcile inherited religious beliefs when they grate against social norms and the deepest desires of the heart. (Aug. 22)

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It was very interesting to read another book, written by someone in the same family. Last week I finished Favorite Wife, written by the 6th wife of Verlan LeBaron. Shattered Dreams was written by the same man's 2nd wife. So, interesting to see two different perspectives. What I found the most interesting, was that from the very beginning, Irene was a rebelious little thing, never fully onboard with polygamy. She sought a divorce several times during her marriage to Verlan, and was constantly making her own decsions. Decisions that blantatly went against not only her husbands wishes, but the rules of her religion. Another eye opener if you want to really see how these women live - in complete poverty, not even seeing their husbands but a few times a month - if that...

Book Count : 9

Word Count : 2849

Book 8 - Favorite Wife

Favorite Wife, written by Susan Ray Schmidt. 406 pages. This book (like many others that I have read) was about this womans experience growing up, marrying, living and escaping from a polygamous community. Of course, I enjoyed it:) Here is a summary from BN.com:

A RIVETING MEMOIR OF LIFE INSIDE ONE OF NORTH AMERICA’S
MOST NOTORIOUS POLYGAMOUS CULTS She had no choice in the matter—none of the girls did. Her mission was to give birth to and raise many children in devoted service to a shared husband. Susan was fifteen years old when she became the sixth wife of Verlan LeBaron, one of the leaders of a rogue Mormon cult, who was engaged in a blood feud with his brother that from 1972 to 1988 claimed up to two dozen lives.

In this gripping and eloquent book, Susan Ray Schmidt tells the story of growing up on the inside and of her ultimate escape with her children from an oppressive and violent life. Delving more deeply into this mysterious underworld than any previous work, Favorite Wife is a powerful account of the affairs of the heart, coming of age under exceptional circumstances, and the tough choices that are sometimes painfully necessary to preserve human dignity.

There was a HUGE difference between this book, and the others that I have read about real life polygamy. The books I have read in the past were about the FLDS, the large polygamous community that we all know about up in the US. The group whose *prophey* was/is Warren Jeffs. This book, was about a different group, in Mexico. This groups prophet was Joel LeBaron, and was called the Church of the Firstborn of the Fulness of Times. From the very beginning, I was shocked by the (apparant) differences between the two groups. This group allowed women to wear pants, and relatively modern clothing (the book was set in the late 60's-mid 70's.) The author did not touch on abuse, so I assume is was not a HUGE problem, as it is in the FLDS. And the big one (for me at least,) is that, for the most part, the women choose who they want to marry... Of course, there are exceptions, like when someone pushed a girl to get married to a certain person - but this was not (to my understanding) the accepted norm. Susan had a dream, and chose (at age 15) to marry, and become the 6th wife of Verlan LeBaron. From the very beggining of her marriage, she realized that her life was not going to be all that she thought it would be... In the end, when she did leave, there did not appear to be any crazy fight for her return or anything. It seems like the people in this group do have alot more freedom than in the FLDS. They are still under some pretty freaky indoctrination... but still... I have another book here, titled Shattered Dreams: My Life as a Polygamist's Wife which is written by Susan's ex-sister wife, the 2nd wife of Verlan LeBaron. Should be another interesting read... It never really occured to me that there were more polygamous groups than just the FLDS...

Book Count : 8

Word Count : 2443