Monday, December 8, 2008

Book #74: The Nineteenth Wife

Title: The Nineteenth Wife
Author: David Ebershoff

First of all, if you're LDS and uncomfortable (or sticking your head in the sand) about our church's history with polygamy, then this probably isn't the book for you. It's really two stories-- a modern-day story of a young man trying to get his mom out of jail after she was arrested for murdering his polygamous father. The other story is about Ann Eliza Young, widely known as Brigham Young's 19th wife, who left him after several years of marriage and spent most of the rest of her life campaigning against polygamy and the Mormons. Ebershoff's portrayal of Brigham Young is pretty harsh, but if you're not wary of reading another viewpoint (albeit fictionalized) of our history, it's very well-written and thought-provoking.

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