SisterWife
by Natalie R. Collins
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Paperback (01 April, 2003)
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Reviews (11)

Real Life Demons
Kelsey Waite (nee Sorenson) has been through a lot in her life. Years after running away from an abusive, fundamentalist father who sold her in marriage when she was only 16, Kelsey comes home one day to find that her daughter has been kidnapped and her neighbor murdered. To find her child, Kelsey must return to the place of her nightmares and confront a madman who believes he is God's prophet.
SisterWife (a term that refers to the way multiple wives in polygamous marriages refer to one another) catches your attention right away by starting off inside Kelsey's daughter Tia's mind. Collins switches easily between multiple points of view throughout the story, giving each character their own unique voice and a different perspective on the action.
Although the writing style sometimes threatens to slip into genre romance, Collins has done a beautiful job of portraying therelationship between Kelsey and Quinn. Never forced, the romance is sexy, yet believable and the characters' reactions honest.
In addition, Collins has created one of the most frightening madmen in fiction today, David Stone. The calculating, ruthless nature of his actions paint a portrait of a true sociopath that makes you shiver with the knowledge that he could be out there somewhere.
All in all, SisterWife is a book I would gladly recommend to my friends along with a mug of hot cocoa and several uninterrupted hours!

Novelizing Religious Fanaticism: Sisterwife by N. R. Collins
Kelsey Waite is a single mother doing the best she can and trying desperately to put the abuse she suffered at the hands of her parents and others behind her. She has promised herself as well as her young daughter Tia that she will be a better Mom than her Mom was to her. Thanks to Mrs. Rampton who watches her daughter after school and her Aunt who left her the beachside cottage in her will, as well as to her own inner strength, Kelsey is making it happen each and every day. That is until her daughter, in every parent's nightmare, is taken from school.

Kelsey awakens three days later to find herself in the middle of a living nightmare. The police are stumped, Mrs. Rampton has been brutally murdered and Tia is long gone. The woman who took her claimed to be Kelsey's sister. Much like not having a childhood, Kelsey never had a biological sister. But, she begins to wonder if it could be a "sister" in the form of address towards another woman as used in the Mormon church of her youth. Detective Quinn Anderson is assigned the case and there is something that leads Kelsey to trust him.

She confides her horrifically abusive past to him involving her parents and a fanatical cult offshoot of the Mormon Church.Pushed by his questions, Kelsey attempts to contact her estranged parents only to find out they have been banished from the Mormon Church and have left, in all likelihood joining the fanatical cult. With a cult bent on fulfilling what it sees as biblical prophecy involving the end of the world, Kelsey and Quinn unite in a mission to end the cycle of abuse by bringing Tia back home where she belongs.

Intense and riveting, this is a very suspenseful novel. Different aspects of the Mormon Church and other sub groups within the church are brought forward and explained to the average reader. This is done with style and even handed balance in regards to the Mormon Church and never in a lecturing or condescending tone.

At the same time, the characters are multifaceted and while the culprits are identified early, the complex motivations and the scope of the possible ramifications are not. The reader is left with an intense, entertaining and sometimes very disturbing story featuring characters pushed literally to the edge of madness and physical ability to survive as well as numerous questions regarding religious faith taken to the extreme. If recent real life examples are not enough, this intense fictional tale again explains the horrors of religion when pushed to fanatical extremes by cultists with a self appointed prophet in their midst.

A Compelling Read!
Natalie R. Collins' SISTERWIFE is a compelling read. The book is about a woman who, in order to save her daughter, is forced to go back and face the terrors of her past. SisterWife takes the read deep into religious cults and abuse, but the difficult subjects are handled skillfully by Ms. Collins. There is a love story that really lightens the tone and reminds us all that there is always hope. If you want to read a book that will take you beyond the news coverage to what drives the people involved either directly or on the fridge of these cults, get SISTERWIFE! ... Read more

Isbn: 1894942256
Sales Rank: 307582
Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction / Thrillers   

Under the Banner of Heaven : A Story of Violent Faith
by JON KRAKAUER
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Hardcover (15 July, 2003)
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Editorial Review

In 1984, Ron and Dan Lafferty murdered the wife and infant daughter of their younger brother Allen. The crimes were noteworthy not merely for their brutality but for the brothers' claim that they were acting on direct orders from God. In Under the Banner of Heaven, Jon Krakauer tells the story of the killers and their crime but also explores the shadowy world of Mormon fundamentalism from which the two emerged. The Mormon Church was founded, in part, on the idea that true believers could speak directly with God. But while the mainstream church attempted to be more palatable to the general public by rejecting the controversial tenet of polygamy, fundamentalist splinter groups saw this as apostasy and took to the hills to live what they believed to be a righteous life. When their beliefs are challenged or their patriarchal, cult-like order defied, these still-active groups, according to Krakauer, are capable of fighting back with tremendous violence. While Krakauer's research into the history of the church is admirably extensive, the real power of the book comes from present-day information, notably jailhouse interviews with Dan Lafferty. Far from being the brooding maniac one might expect, Lafferty is chillingly coherent, still insisting that his motive was merely to obey God's command. Krakauer's accounts of the actual murders are graphic and disturbing, but such detail makes the brothers' claim of divine instruction all the more horrifying. In an age where Westerners have trouble comprehending what drives Islamic fundamentalists to kill, Jon Krakauer advises us to look within America's own borders. --John Moe ... Read more

Reviews (486)

Insightful reading,carefully written and researched...
John Krakauer's book "Under the Banner of Heaven" is an intriguing brief summation of the history of the Mormon faith.Mr. Krakauer delivers a well written and well researched book. History itself, in many instances regarding the religion known as the Church of Latter Day Saints, is well documented.The author has done a remarkable job of bringing facts together to provide a better understanding of that religion.The events described help to shed a bit of light on the how and the why of Mormon belief.Though he has been vilified by Mormon's as having a decidely negative and anti-Mormon thrust, Mr. Krakauer's contention is that just simply was not his motivation. The secrets, mysteries and sometimes confounding belief system of this very large American church are beyond understanding completely.But if you wish to know more about this faith (and from a non-Mormon source) be prepared for a riveting read.It is simply inconceivable that Brenda and Baby Erica Lafferty could be murdered by individuals believing they were acting on orders from their god.And these two convicted murderers are actually family members! It truly escapes reason and is very much the point of this book.Mr. Krakauer makes a strong case that fanatical belief in the fundamentals of this church (however misguided) led Dan and Ron Lafferty to the point of murder. It is the kind of plot one finds in a murder mystery, except this time, it really happened.

Not Anti-LDS
Reporting the misuse of religion by some does not mean that an entire group is being blamed. Mr. Krakauer reports the story of a MODERN day tragedy created by fringe zealots with personal motives hiding behind religious fervor. He also recounts an HISTORICAL tragedy of violent acts committed by fringe zealots with personal motives hiding behind religious fervor. Krakauer simply draws a parallel between the behavior of the murderous Lafferty brothers and the murderous thugs responsible for the Meadows Massacre. Both had underpinnings in the misuse of religious thought and power to achieve the goals of man and not God. Thank goodness the modern LDS has tried to distance itself from the inevitable cranks and ner-do-wells who arise anytime exploitation of the weak and powerless is possible. All religions and all human social groups contain members who will act out and do harm in the name of the group without official sanction for their own horrible purposes. I thought Mr. Krakauer did a wonderful job of showing the violent historical incidents committed by PARTS of this particular church and also the violence that was DONE TO the church. Previously, the LDS church has tried to cover the Meadows Massacre from day one by blaming first the Native Americans and then adjusting the story as needed. The modern LDS church cannot be held responsible for the actions of greedy crackpots from a century ago anymore than they can be held directly responsible for those crazy Lafferty boys. Some nut case, somewhere, will always try to justify their actions based on the twisting and turning of some noble ideal. This is indeed a shame, but the reporting of actual events, modern and historical; does not, and should not be seen as a smear of an entire group. Bad people should be brought to justice and good people should be allowed to practice their beliefs unmolested. Sadly, what should be and what is are not always the same. To briefly quote:

Alma 1: 16
Nevertheless, this did not put an end to the spreading of priestcraft through the land; for there were many who loved the vain things of the world, and they went forth preaching false doctrines; and this they did for the sake of riches and honor.
(END QUOTE)

In the end, none of us will ever know if our faith in any religion is justified until the final meeting with our maker. As a Mormon friend once told me, "I believe that which I believe". Well said and well respected.

Fundamentalism at our own backyard
The concept of fundamentalism is usually associated with distant cultures, especially fanatical muslims decided to kill themselves in order to defend religous and intolerant points of view (at least from some perspectives). In this aspect, Krakauer's book is VERY disturbing. He tells us in rich details about fundamentalism, intolerance, physical violence and sectary behaviour based on religious beliefs in our own backyard. The radical mormons described in this book do not wear veils or dress in unusual clothes (may be some odd underwear...). They are our neighbours, they are fine people, they are participant in our communities. But they are also violent fanatical people. They murder, they treat women with cruelty and all that in the name of a god of love. It is very disturbing because there is not much to do. How can we defend ourselves from all that? When will intolerance end in our countries? These are the questions that remain after reading this excelent book which is a recommended read for all that worry with the political and moral evolution of our society. A fine journalistic investigation, a sound historical research: a book very well written. ... Read more

Isbn: 0385509510
Subjects:  1. Christianity - Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Da    2. General    3. Infamous Crimes And Criminals    4. Latter-Day Saints (Mormons)    5. Mormon fundamentalism    6. Murder - General    7. Religion    8. Religion - Mormon / LDS    9. United States - 20th Century (1945 to 2000)    10. History / United States / 20th Century   

Predators, Prey, and Other Kinfolk: Growing Up in Polygamy
by Dorothy Allred Solomon
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Hardcover (July, 2003)
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Editorial Review

The abduction of teenager Elizabeth Smart by a fundamentalist Mormon preacher placed a renewed focus on renegade offshoots of the Church of Latter Day Saints and the culture surrounding the religion in the state of Utah (which, like the church, formally opposes polygamous marriage, though state and religious leaders both seem well aware that the practice continues, and they often turn a blind eye toward it). Like Natalie R. Collins's 2003 novel SisterWife, Dorothy Allred Solomon's Predators, Prey, and Other Kinfolk couldn't seem more topical, but it is an even more powerful book because it has the weight of truth behind it. "I am the daughter of my father's fourth plural wife, twenty-eight of forty-eight children—a middle kid, you might say," her frank memoir begins, and Solomon (a freelance writer who now lives in a happily monogamous marriage in Park City, Utah) maintains a similarly gripping and poignant tone through the book. Her family's story is a fascinating one: Her father, the physician Rulon Allred, was also a fundamentalist preacher and a closet polygamist who went to great lengths to keep his plural marriages and sprawling family a secret from society at large. In 1977, he was shot to death by assassins from a rival fundamentalist sect, the bloody end to a misguided lifestyle that had already taken a severe emotional toll on many around him. His daughter does not hesitate to expose the violent and sexist behavior that permeates many of these cultish offshoots of the Mormon Church, but she does not reduce the believers to one-dimensional caricatures, either, and in the process of sharing a very personal tale, she often steps back to place it all in the much broader context of religion and society, charting the history of the Mormons and the contradictions between ideals and actions on the part of both church and state. --Jim DeRogatis ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Today
Just so you know - members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) who are known to practice polygomy are excommunicated from the church and are not members, anymore.They may continue to practice what they claim to be Mormonism in their homes and call themselves "Mormon" to others in society, but they are stricken from the records of the church and usually do not attend church meetings, anymore, unless they are trying to change their ways and come back unto Christ.True Mormons adhere by the prophets' teachings and do not practice polygomy today.

I feel sorry for the poor woman who wrote this story.It shames me that such twisted people claim to be Mormons and turn so many away from the church.

Best of living history
This memoir is one book that is as intriguing as its cover and title would suggest: the image is that of a butterfly trapped in a jar. The image of the lovely butterfly is obscured by the obvious fact of its captivity and the merest suggestion of an unhappy end (for the butterfly).
So it is with this complex, well-written memoir. Dorothy Allred Solomon describes a her childhood--a warm and loving network of sister-wives and half-brothers and half-sisters webbed together by the patriarch of the clan, her father, naturopathic physician Rulon Allred. Her father is a loving man who supports seven wives and 48 children yet he is often absent from his children's lives, compelled to hide his polygamy even from others of his own denomination. It is a precarious life and history that Solomon describes in this book as she explores both the joy and the tolls that polygamy takes on her own life and extended family. The history of her own solidly polygamous forbears is fascinating and revealing as are her own epiphanies about her life choices and relationships.
This would be an excellent choice for a book group to explore along with Jon Krakauer's "Under the Banner of Heaven."
Sue-Ellen Jones
Fort Collins, Colorado

read this book
Dorothy Allred Solomon has created a work of extraordinary beauty and insight. Her description of the trials and tribulations, but also the joys, of being raised in a family that adheres to the early Mormon practice of plural marriage is one of the most powerful explorations of family and gender relations I have ever read.

This book has particular personal meaning for me because I grew up knowing many descendants and relatives of Rulon Allred, the author's father and the patriarch around whom her family and religious upbringing were based. Solomon achieves something that I think many readers will struggle to understand: she writes about her life in polygamy without trying to force a simplistic moral judgment onto her father and his legacy. Although she herself has abandoned polygamy and expresses many criticisms of its effects on those around her, especially its effects on women, she also holds many loving and happy memories and refuses to issue a blanket condemnation of her upbringing.

As an outsider looking in at friends and acquaintances who live in this same faith community, I have also (albeit to a much smaller extent) experienced Solomon's struggle between the desire to criticize Rulon Allred's form of polygamy for its often negative effects on those who live it and the desire to protect and defend its practitioners from the equally hurtful judgments and intolerance forced upon them by a hostile and even hateful outside world, a world that mocks and refuses to acknowledge any virtue in a lifestyle emphasizing the bonds of faith and family.

As she explores this tension between condemnation and affirmation of her past, her father, and her religion, Solomon offers readers a glimpse into an intensely personal world of doubt, pain, jealousy, and above all love. Her work allows us to judge that world, but demands that we understand it as well. ... Read more

Isbn: 0393049469
Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Christianity - Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Da    6. Latter-Day Saints (Mormons)    7. Mormon Church    8. Mormons    9. Polygamy    10. Religious    11. Religious aspects    12. Social Institutions    13. Solomon, Dorothy Allred    14. United States    15. Women   

No Man Knows My History : The Life of Joseph Smith
by FAWN M. BRODIE
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (01 August, 1995)
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Reviews (117)

No Man Knows My History...
Brodie presents a frank and controversial study of Mormonism, guaranteed to offend conservative minds.

shoddy research
While it was an interesting read, though to be fair quite negative of the Mormons, further research into her sources reveals that she does appear to pull some of them out of thin air.Some of the sources simply do not exist that I can find.A few are quoted accurately. Others are quoted out of context or misquoted entirely.Some are second-hand accounts from people who felt slighted or were disgruntled. Such accounts do not make for very objective research.

I did read Hugh Nibley's rebuttal, and while it is somewhat polemical, it does answer ms. Brodies half-hearted effort to discredit the Mormon church, which she belonged to as a child. While some Mormon practices do seem weird, they are no less peculiar than those of any other faith, such as Islam or even Reformed Presbyterianism.

What strikes me most is the virtual absence of any positive information about the Mormons founder Joseph Smith other than a token "he meant well." Despite her access to official Mormon archives, ms. Brodie failed to bring out any original material from the single most authoritative source. The Mormons have spent tens of thousands acquiring documents, some true and some discredited forgeries, regarding their history, and have perhaps the most complete history of any church, so far as original documentation is concerned.

When reviewing this book, don't simply look at the fact that she cites everything, look into those citations to ensure that they really are accurate, and that they truly exist.

If you are looking to educate yourself about the Mormons, use a balanced approach.Read material from both sides, preferrably that which is written from an objective point of view.I would also recommend reading from Hugh Nibley's extensive writings (particularly "Tinkling Bells and Sounding Brass") if you are interested in Mormon theology.While it is geared for the Mormon believer, it can offer valuable insights to the Mormon church.

Don't take this book at face value.

Walk In Mud,Your Shoes Get Dirty
My entire life has included constant exposure to this attempt to capture,beat and bury poor old Joe Smith.She is a many decade favorite with those who like to throw rocks at all things LDS.Living in VA,in the shadow of Monticello,her horrible,discredited "biography"of our beloved Mr.Jefferson,should show the casual reader that her scholarship is extremely suspect.Reading her book is like going to a Harry Reid/Nancy Pelosi press party for ALL your info on the Bush administration.Her view of Smith is so twisted,so fabricated,so devoid of actual truth, as to make one wonder why anyone would care.But itching ears go for what fits their desires.Many desire to dismiss Smith as a charlatan,fake,fraud-Keep trying.Ain't gonna happen. ... Read more

Isbn: 0679730540
Sales Rank: 15116
Subjects:  1. 1805-1844    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Literary    6. Religious    7. Smith, Joseph,    8. Biography & Autobiography / Literary    9. Smith, Joseph   

Blood of the Prophets: Brigham Young and the Massacre at Mountain Meadows
by Will Bagley
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (01 September, 2002)
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Reviews (22)

A fair account
I really take exception to some of the mindless reviews of this book posted here.There's no denying that Bagley has personal biases.Yet he has portrayed the event in a fair manner.

Bagley's work does a number of things to build upon and hone the work begun by Juanita Brooks, namely:
1)Brings further attention to the unjustified defamation of the Fancher and Baker parties by Utah Mormons.
2)Implicates Brigham Young to a greater extent.
3)Casts John D. Lee in a more balanced light as both a willing participant and a scapegoat.
4)In the spirit of Juanita Brooks, makes the point that the LDS church needs to accept ultimate responsibility and reap the consequences, both positive and negative.The LDS church has not yet found its moment of honesty as to the MMM, although some church leaders are making limited progress in that area.
5)Puts the Paiute's involved in their likely mercenary role as determined by the evidence.
6)Catches the reader up on the most recent developments in mountain meadows preservation.

I'm a Mormon, but I can't deny that Brigham Young most likely wanted to rattle some cages by encouraging an indian attack on the Fancher wagon train.Brigham, as somewhat of a religious fanatic (for good and for bad, let the chips fall where they may) is as culpable as sin in setting up the perfect storm for 120 men, women, and children to be slaughtered in cold blood by obedience-driven Mormons already spooked by the horrors of being driven out of their homes and into the Rocky Mountains.

In the midst of the impending apocalypse, with the fresh death of Parley P. Pratt, with federal troops bearing down on Deseret, Brigham had no qualms with showing the gentiles that Deseret was unsafe by unloading on an emmigrant wagon train, as long as the natives could take the blame.He had nothing against the natives that wasn't couched in faith; they were just filling their place in LDS theology as the "battle-axe of the Lord" (please read the Book of Mormon for details) and he was simply helping them fulfill their manifest destiny.

I find one fact particularly telling.If Brigham and co. felt so bad about the massacre, why didn't he order the immigrants to be given a proper, respectful burial?Instead, the Mormons placed a light coating of dirt over the victims, knowing it wouldn't protect them from scavengers, and basically let 100 dead emmigrants rot out in the open for a few years before the U.S. army arrived on the scene and gave the victims a proper burial.In between that time Mormons visited the site on multiple occasions and were aghast at the corpses with locks of hair rotting away on the meadow.Sickening.That is one hell of a smoking gun right there.

Not to mention the well-documented deliberate cover-up.If Brigham was not involved, then he certainly had nothing to hide.Again, all the evidence says he's guilty as hell, prophet and all.

As much as the LDS church is a positive force in the world, it also has some big skeletons in its closet, and MMM is among its biggest.The church does not transcend its people.If the church requires honesty from its people, it should require honesty from its leaders.Lying for the Lord only impedes forgiveness, understanding, and moral accountability.

Bagley's book is not only fair with the evidence, but it significantly contributes to mountain meadows history by charging all interested parties to come to grips with the reasonable evidence and to take responsibility as the steps to true healing and understanding.

Smoke and Mirrors to Slander Brigham Young
So lets see if this makes sense:

-Mormons are forcibly expelled by Missouri Militia (Gov. Boggs infamous "Extermination Order") in 1838;
-They are again expelled by Illinois Militia in 1846;
-They flee to the desert wastes of the Great Basin where no one else wants to settle, and they struggle to survive;
-Republican John C. Fremont runs for President in 1856 on a platform to abolish "the last vestiges of barbarism", namely slavery and polygamy;
-Democrat James Buchanan is elected President in 1856 and certainly won't do anything about slavery;
-But Buchanan pre-empts the Republican issue against Mormons by finding a pretext of a bogus "Mormon Rebellion" to send the "Utah Expedition" or Johnston's Army to "quell" the insurrection;
-Utah Territorial Governor Brigham Young--fearing (with just cause) the worst--orders what turns out to be a bloodless defense by Mormon Raiders, who force Johnston's Army to winter in Ft. Bridger, Wyoming;
-This delay permits cooler heads in Washington and Salt Lake City to resolve the matter peaceably in 1858;
-It should be obvious the Mormons were esteemed as Indians by the general U.S. population at that time: better to kill them than to deal with them.

Into this context, Will Bagley presumes to channel Governor Brigham Young's thoughts regarding the Mormon's September, 1857 "war strategy" against the hostile U.S. Government/Army.Bagley speculates that Young ordered the massacre of the Fancher wagon train to in some way intimidate the U.S. Government.This is utterly preposterous.Obviously, Bagley believes Gov. Young to be either exceptionally stupid or perhaps suicidal to deliberately give Buchanan and the Army the very pretext necessary to terminate the "Mormon Problem" once and for all.A person so biased to believe such nonsense perhaps can also conjure the tunnel-vision necessary to believe in the tooth fairy.

Bagley's research for the most part is good, if not tedious.His conclusions and analysis are preposterous--particularly the parsing of Gov. Young's order to Iron County to leave the wagon train alone.Bagley's caricature of Mormon Society as not being capable of doing anything with or without direction from Brigham is also groteque, ridiculous and utterly false.Bagley works all the tired Mormon sterotypes possible to rationalize his bias.

As the great-nephew of Juanita Brooks, Bagley's presuming to carry on the truthful inquiry she initiated is a farce.Brooks did not have an axe to grind, as Bagley obviously does.

A Biased Treatment By an Intelligent but Prejudiced Author!
I read this book anticipating an honest and unbiased treatment of an important and tragic event in Utah and Mormon history.However, I was greatly disappointed instead by the biased voice of the author reflected throughout the book, which in numerous instances were unsubstantiated by questionable and unsupported evidences. I frequently examined the end notes supporting the quotes as I read, and found the author's sources were taken from the conclusions drawn by other authors, not direct sources. Many times the author gave quotes without any documentation whatsoever.It was difficult to find additional light and knowledge on this subject when the author's bias was so plainly manifested in his writings.It appeared that Bagley's ulterior motive was to negate the veracity of Brigham Young and the leaders of the LDS Church down to the current church President, Gordon B. Hinckley.In my opinion, this book has little merit for a scholarly study. In other words, let's put it this way: Juanita Brooks -- You're still Number #1!! ... Read more

Isbn: 0806134267
Sales Rank: 304882
Subjects:  1. 1801-1877    2. 19th century    3. Biography    4. Christianity - Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Da    5. History    6. History - General History    7. History: American    8. Latter-Day Saints (Mormons)    9. Mormons    10. Mountain Meadows Massacre, Uta    11. Mountain Meadows Massacre, Utah, 1857    12. United States - 19th Century/Old West    13. United States - State & Local - General    14. United States - State & Local - West    15. Utah    16. Utah - Local History    17. Young, Brigham,    18. Young, Brigham   

Red Water : A Novel
by JUDITH FREEMAN
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (08 April, 2003)
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Reviews (22)

Fantastic Story of the Many Aspects of Love and Devotion
Wow, I read a few of these reviews.Funny how whenever you write something that even touches the edge of religion, the zealots come out.

This is NOT a story about the Mountain Meadow Massacre, though the incident and its characters figure prominently.This is NOT a story about merits or evils of Mormonism, though most of the characters are mormon and deal with their beliefs. Instead Freeman forces us to look at how humans have to come to grips with the complexities of belief and the realities of harsh everyday life.

This is a story centered around a fictionalization of part of the life of John D Lee.Executed for his role in the massacre.But even more than that, it is centrally, a story about women, and how they love.

Emma, the devoted wife who was in love with Lee when he took her as his 8th (well 17th) wife.How she dealt with the love and desire for a man she could not possess for herself but who totally possessed her.How she was bound more to the land and the religion by the man than the other way around.

Ann, who at thirteen married Lee for complex reasons but in the end, was taken by his personality and her own curiosity, shall we say.But who was tormented more by the man whom she lost belief in and the religion she never believed in but was wary of.Lee's memory amd her mixed feelings for him dogged her life even when she had left.Moreso, maybe.

Rachel, who in the end, realized that she was devoted to Lee for what he could promise her in the next life.An eternity next to the sister she idolized and loved.But Rachel's devotion may appear more as love than the love of the others.

There was a certain fascination in this book for me.It is well done and I literally read it in two days almost straight through.The characters are real and their interactions, relationships and differences are real too.Even down to the point where you wonder what private characterizations one character has for the next is based on truth or an unadmitted jealously.

Each part is told by one of the woman and each part represents their personality and fate.Emma's is rich and boisterous and hopeful.Ann's is meandering, lost, with moments of warmth and richness.Rachel's is cold, empty and barren with promises of hard times even among the good.

This is very well written and very well researched.It is a small insight to what mormonism was under the eye of Smith and Young while it was still a living entity.It is also a beautiful insight to some of the most harsh and spectacular places on earth.Finally it is an insight into how women view love and even men.Maybe in the end, that is what I was reading for -- to find a little insight into myself.

If you find it at the yard sale, pick it up, you will read it that night.

This book resembles other
I have read The Wives Of Short Creek and The Ferry Woman by
Gerald Grimmett and feel as if i am reading those books when i flip these pages?

Is it my imagination or has a big city publisher found a writer to compile a small town publishers books to create her own?

Ferry woman will stay on my shelves, this book is yard sale bound.

A history I never knew about
I had this book on the shelf for many months before picking it up to read and I wish I'd picked it up sooner. It is the story of John D. Lee, a Mormon pioneer and leader in the 19th century, and his alleged involvement (and ultimate execution) in the Mountain Meadows Massacre. As I live in northern Arizona, I have met polygamous families and always been fascinated by their lifestyles, but I never knew anything about this event until now. Most interestingly, the story is told from the perspective of three of his nineteen wives.All had different stories (I liked Emma's the best) and perspectives of his involvement and of the Mormon lifestyle in general (at that time). It is obviously a novel, but based upon factual events and thoroughly researched history.I hesitated to read it at first as a Mormon friend of mine thought that the fictional tone of the story took away from the importance of the true facts, but it didn't. This book just whet my appetite to learn more about this period in time, the people who lived it and the tragic massacre that took place on Sept. 11, 1857. I can't wait to read more book about this time in western U.S. history. ... Read more

Isbn: 0385720696
Sales Rank: 66721
Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - Historical    3. Historical - General    4. Literary    5. Literature: Classics    6. Fiction / Literary    7. Reading Group Guide   

Harkening
by Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (01 November, 2002)
list price: $19.95 -- our price: $19.95
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Reviews (12)

Very good stories of home and family
This is a group of stories about family, and the occasional strangeness that goes along with it. A sequel to her novel This is The Place, about growing up Mormon in Utah, these stories are part recollections by older members of the family, and part things that actually happened to the author when she was younger.

During a drive in the country with her parents, the author got to watch an old-fashioned cow milking, up close and personal. Another story took place during the Depression, when any scrap of cloth was saved to be made into some piece of clothing. There are stories about this grandmother or that aunt, moving to Utah as a young woman. Included are tales of family secrets passed from one generation to the next.

Every family has stories like these. I enjoyed reading this book. The stories are very easy to read, touching, poignant and humorous. If this book gets the reader to start thinking about their own family history, it will have succeeded. This is well worth reading.

Poetic Prose
Carolyn Howard-Johnson's second novel "Harkening - A collection of Stories Remembered" is a poetic adventure. Johnson's skill with words, her poetic phraseology turns each narrative into a mini adventure that reads with the rhythm and tempo of a story poem. As with her first novel, "This is The Place" many of the short stories deal with bigotry and the cruelty words can inflict. Still the thread weaving all the memories into a whole is the power of love. Many of Johnson's narratives brought to mind memories of my growing up. "Harkening" is a marvelous, poetic, must-read novel.
Beverly J Scott author of "Righteous Revenge" &amp...

Strikes familiar and resonant chords...
When I was six years old, my family moved from Maine's heavily Protestant coast to one of its just as heavily Roman Catholic mill towns.What strikes me most powerfully about Carolyn Howard-Johnson's "collection of gentle sequels to THIS IS THE PLACE" (her novel of life in 1950s Utah) is how curiously familiar it feels to me - a woman whose entire experience with Utah consists of sitting on the runway for an hour in Salt Lake City, waiting for a transcontinental flight to continue, many years ago.For HARKENING's tales have two common themes running through them, and binding them together:"the child as outsider," and "the family as it really exists vs. the family as it imagines itself to be."

In "Child's Play," a little girl relaxes, chatters freely, forgets to be guarded with her playmate - and soon gives inadvertent offense.And so the author writes:"His face changed and I knew I had blundered."That feeling visits the child over and over, throughout the collection's stories told from her viewpoint.Her religious beliefs differ from those of the highly cohesive majority surrounding her, and she must always remember that she is an outsider.Whenever she forgets, she blunders; and then she must pay her nonconformity's price.Over and over.

"House of Neglect" made me smile in recognition, because although her name was not Nina - I nevertheless had an "Aunt Nina" of my very own.And an "Uncle Theodore," who loved her through half a century and more of unconventional matrimony; buried her with that love still evident; and passed away not long afterward, leaving a house filled with relics for the childless couple's nieces and nephews to distribute among them.Relics, and the memories that go with them.

Memories which, in "Legacy," are "filtered through glasses of one color or another" until neither the author nor her mother (the story's source) can be sure of their accuracy.Which does not rob those memories of their importance, or of their own kind of truth.Family stories take on their own lives, with time and repetition; and this particular truth Howard-Johnson understands very well.

I'll be loaning this book to my own mother next, because she is sure to recognize the situation described in its prologue.An adult daughter at the wheel of a car that she's driving through a city she knew well many years earlier.Her aging mother in the "navigator's seat"; and in the back seat, her aging aunt.Giving conflicting directions!

Although firmly grounded in Howard-Johnson's Utah, I'm sure HARKENING will strike familiar and resonant chords for other readers just as it did for me.Highly recommended! ... Read more

Isbn: 1591295505
Sales Rank: 731459
Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - General    3. General   

Held Captive : The Kidnapping and Rescue of Elizabeth Smart
by Maggie Haberman, Jeane MacIntosh
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (24 June, 2003)
list price: $6.99 -- our price: $6.29
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Reviews (10)

Boring!!!
When i got this book i expected it to tell me what exactly happened to elizabeth whilst she was captured, it told me pretty much nothing!! and left me a lot of questions!! all i got what how they tried to get her back and the way they lived on the streets. i had to guess by the insinuations that there had been sexual abuse, but im not sure what else! i assumed that the author researched and interviewed her and was going to tell us things we didnt know but it didnt! maybe that was the intention of the book, as the title shouldve told me that but everything it did tell me was everything the media pretty much told us. i would love to know why she didnt run, other than speculations and what all happened to her when she was gone. if you want to know media info then i suppose this book is good but if u are trying to find out what happened to her you'll be very dissapointed!it was written well though.

Amazing Story & Miracle
I read part of this book when the hardcover version first came out.What a horrific experience for that family and how miraculous that they had a happy ending!!I still remember where I was when I heard that she had been found.I didn't read the whole book because it was too disturbing and I get nightmares easily.It really bothers me when people criticize the family for writing a book and allowing it to be put into a movie.Why shouldn't they share their miracle?I would!Not a whole lot of children/teens come back alive when they are kidnapped and so I think the family are doing right to share their story.I'm sure that it will help other families to have hope.And what is the family doing now?They are presently helping another family who has a missing family member!So many others would want to just forget about it, but instead they are out there trying to help and comfort another family.That's really quite commendable.I did notice when I read what I read, that they do include a bit of information about their belief system.Although I don't agree with their theology at all, I do believe that they have every right to talk about it in their book.All of us would do that if we were in the same situation.They were sharing how they got through the ordeal and of course their faith is going to be mentioned.I was certainly praying too and I even hung light blue ribbons (her favourite colour) in a few places.There are so few miracles in the news nowadays and I'm glad that the Smarts are sharing their story.I really think the point of the book is how good is coming out of such a terrible tragedy.

Boring
This is a rather boring book...I picked it up after a friend of mine recommended it to me.Although it only took 2-3 to read it, it was boring.It took all I had to actually get through it.The writing is easy enough-but just in a vocabulary and level sense.My younger sisters and brother could read it with no problems.It's just that there's no real good flow.

What Elizabeth experienced was harrowing, and one of the reason why she's home is because of all the media coverage... ... Read more

Isbn: 0060580208
Sales Rank: 270536
Subjects:  1. 1987-    2. Case studies    3. Criminal investigation    4. General    5. Kidnapping    6. Kidnapping, 2002    7. Nonfiction - True Crime / Espionage    8. Other Miscellaneous Crimes    9. Salt Lake City    10. Smart, Elizabeth,    11. True Crime    12. United States    13. Utah    14. True Crime / General   

Mormon America : The Power and the Promise
by Richard Ostling, Joan K. Ostling
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (01 November, 1999)
list price: $26.00 -- our price: $26.00
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Editorial Review

Mormon America: The Power and The Promise by Richard N. Ostling and Joan K. Ostling, grew out of a 1997 Time magazine cover story called "Mormon's Inc." One of the reporters on that story, Richard Ostling, became so fascinated by Mormonism that he set out to write "a candid but non-polemical" overview of the Church, beginning with its founding by Joseph Smith Jr. in 1830 and continuing to the present day. The resulting book is a marvel of clarity, organization, and analysis.

For statistical reasons alone, the Mormon Church demands a reader's attention: in just 170 years, the Church has grown from six members to more than 10 million; if current rates of growth continue, membership could hit 265 million by 2080, which would make it the most important world religion to emerge since the rise of Islam. Mormon America clarifies the reasons for the religion's rapid growth: "It was from the beginning optimistic and upbeat, a reaction against the establishment New England Calvinism.... It was a religious version of the American dream: Everyman presented with unlimited potential." The book also investigates the Mormons' immense wealth (relative to size, this is "America's richest church, with an estimated $30 billion in assets and something like $6 billion in annual income, mostly from members' tithes.") It anatomizes the minutiae of Church governance (Mormonism is ruled by a self-perpetuating, all-male hierarchy, headed by a "President, Prophet, Seer, and Revelator"), details the many rules that govern the Mormon lifestyle (famously, they avoid caffeine and alcohol; the Church's mandates extend even to the proper technique for "dispos[ing] of worn-out holy underwear"), and summarizes the Mormon scriptures. Mormon America is a compulsively readable book, not only for its insightful analysis and wealth of factual information, but also, and most importantly, because it respects its subject rigorously. "This is a real faith," the Ostlings write, "and must be understood in those terms, without caricature." --Michael Joseph Gross ... Read more

Reviews (61)

A fine introduction to Mormonism
The Ostlings have provided a good, readable introduction to Mormonism, fulfilling the promise of their introduction to give readers a "candid but nonpolemical overview."The historical chapters are especially laudable, and I was pleasantly surprised at the depth of the theological discussion near the end of the book.Mormon America is journalism rather than scholarship, but it is sophisticated journalism nonetheless.While educated readers will probably skim some chapters that have a news-magazine feel about them, on the whole, Mormon America has been carefully and thoughtfully crafted.

A well-done worthwhile read.
The Ostling's have created a well-done work that does a great job with the difficult task of compiling information and presenting it in a fashion that is easy to grasp and interesting to read.

I find their tone to be polite overall, though some of their own bias does peek out subtly at times through the adjectives they use.However, compared to other acerbic books I have read by non-LDS authors about the LDS faith/history, this book is quite pleasant in tone.

If you are only interested in reading one thorough book on the LDS faith/establishment, this is the one I would recommend.

The non-Mormon's guide to Mormonism.
"Mormon America" by Ostling and Ostling.

Ever since reading "Under the Banner of Heaven" by Jon Krakauer I have been reading other books about "America's most successful home grown religion." I am currently reading "The Blood of the Prophets." by Will Bagley, (Review to follow.) The story of Mormonism is indeed a quintessential American story, full of colorful, often larger than life characters, vicious villains and their fair share of heroes. The story of the Mormon migration to Utah ranks as one of the great epic journeys ever recorded.

The husband and wife team of Ostling and Ostling, have set out to tell the story in as fair and objective a way as possible for the non-Mormon reader. They achieve their aim admirably. The book reads well, but lacks passion; perhaps passion and objectivity don't go together.

The Ostlings lead their readers through all the well-known themes of Mormon history, beliefs and life. They do so in a way that allows the outsider as good an introduction as can be had in any one book. We are given insights into Mormon history, both the good and the bad. The Ostlings describe the once secretive, Masonic-like Temple rituals; we are told of the basic beliefs of Mormonism, their polytheism, the eternal nature of the nuclear family, the now suspended beliefs in polygamy and blood atonement. The unsubstantiated claims of the Book of Mormon regarding the pre-Columbian history of America are opened up to us.

No one can appreciate Mormonism without grasping the importance of the family in Mormon life. The Mormon belief that every marriage is sealed for eternity and every family will continue to live together as families in the heaven, results in the high priority placed on the family, marriage, children and family values.

Mormons see the American Constitution as divinely given, this belief is oddly out of step with the authoritarian and totalitarian nature of the Mormon hierarchy, a hierarchy that readily squashes dissenting opinions, and stifles academic freedom in its flagship institution of education BYU.

The Ostlings discuss the finances of the church, and make some educated guesses as to the wealth that flows into the coffers at Salt Lake City. Shrewd investments of those billions of dollars make the Mormon Church one of the biggest multi-million dollar corporations in history. In an era where more and more religious institutions are becoming more open in regard to the reporting of financial matters, the secretiveness about Mormon money is difficult to understand.

One is tempted to ask the question, "Is the Mormon hierarchy's determined efforts to suppress the truth about Mormon history nothing more than a cynical attempt to keep `the faithful Saints' in line so that the money will keep on flowing into the coffers?" ... Read more

Isbn: 0060663715
Subjects:  1. Christianity - Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Da    2. Christianity - Mormonism    3. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints    4. Latter-Day Saints (Mormons)    5. Mormon Church    6. Religion    7. Religion - Mormon / LDS    8. United States    9. United States - General    10. Religion / Mormonism