What do you think?
Rate this book
Predators, Prey, and Other Kinfolk: Growing Up in Polygamy
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 childrena 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
352 pages, Hardcover
First published June 30, 2003
7 people are currently reading
715 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
September 25, 2012
I've only read one other memoir/autobiographical book written about the polygamist lifestyle. It was also written from the perspective of a woman who grew up in one branch/sect of fundamentalist Mormonism. I must admit that I find the subject utterly fascinating. I also have to admit that Solomon's book stood out to me, when it was compared to other books and documentaries on the same subject. Unlike other sources I've seen or read, Solomon did not experience first-hand many of the more commonly heard of abusive acts while growing up in a polygamist community. I am not saying that she didn't suffer from the circumstances of her childhood, and that her suffering was unique unto her, but she avoided some of the more commonly publicized abuses that you hear so much about.
Reading Solomon's account of her life, from childhood to adulthood, opened my eyes to some of the more appealing aspects of the polygamist lifestyle. Her rendition, at times, allowed me to see what about this life could attract so many devout followers. Solomon also pointed out many of the difficulties and hardships that go along with the practice of plural marriage, some known to me already, and others I'd not heard of before her book. But what really drew me into her story was what made her experience different from the one I read about in Elissa Wall's, Stolen Innocence. It was like looking at two sides of the same coin, many of the underlying issues were the same, but seen from dramatically different points of view.
I don't mean to romanticize this way of life. Celestial marriage, plural marriage, or polygamy is filled with many ugly truths, no matter what name it is called for. Many of its followers are drawn into it for all the wrong reasons and commit terrible acts in the name of their faith. Solomon's account reminded me of HBO's blockbuster drama series, Big Love. Both Solomon, and the writers of Big Love, made a point of showcasing the good, the bad, and the ugly sides of polygamy, whereas Wall mainly just wrote about the evils found hiding within the polygamist compounds.
I think that Solomon's book is important. I think she has very eloquently shown how even good people, with the best of intentions, cannot help but cause harm while living the polygamist lifestyle. She has beautifully shown how no amount of love can completely eradicate the abuse and neglect that so easily thrives in this type of environment, and how strongly attractive this way of life can be for predators.
http://jenireadabook.blogspot.com/201...
Reading Solomon's account of her life, from childhood to adulthood, opened my eyes to some of the more appealing aspects of the polygamist lifestyle. Her rendition, at times, allowed me to see what about this life could attract so many devout followers. Solomon also pointed out many of the difficulties and hardships that go along with the practice of plural marriage, some known to me already, and others I'd not heard of before her book. But what really drew me into her story was what made her experience different from the one I read about in Elissa Wall's, Stolen Innocence. It was like looking at two sides of the same coin, many of the underlying issues were the same, but seen from dramatically different points of view.
I don't mean to romanticize this way of life. Celestial marriage, plural marriage, or polygamy is filled with many ugly truths, no matter what name it is called for. Many of its followers are drawn into it for all the wrong reasons and commit terrible acts in the name of their faith. Solomon's account reminded me of HBO's blockbuster drama series, Big Love. Both Solomon, and the writers of Big Love, made a point of showcasing the good, the bad, and the ugly sides of polygamy, whereas Wall mainly just wrote about the evils found hiding within the polygamist compounds.
I think that Solomon's book is important. I think she has very eloquently shown how even good people, with the best of intentions, cannot help but cause harm while living the polygamist lifestyle. She has beautifully shown how no amount of love can completely eradicate the abuse and neglect that so easily thrives in this type of environment, and how strongly attractive this way of life can be for predators.
http://jenireadabook.blogspot.com/201...
June 9, 2008
Soloman's memoir of growing up in a polygamist family is strangely touching and still unquestionably horrifying. She speaks at length about her mother and the other 6 "sister-wives", describing their living arrangements and jealousies. She recounts how her family was repeatedly divided and moved around, essentially being hidden, each time there was a threat of a polygamy raid. She details awful time periods of extreme poverty and unlivable conditions.
But she truly loved her father, the patriarch, and has great respect for her mothers. I have to appreciate how she has kept so much love for her family members that stayed in the lifestyle, even though she grew up and married out of it. One of the high points of the book for me is her input on her family history -- not the dry facts of the history of the FLDS, but who her grandmother was, who she was married to, where they lived, what they struggled through. I think we get used to thinking that these families are sprawling baby factories, almost robotic in their rigid guidelines and purposes. I honestly enjoyed seeing her speak to true family bonds and individual personalities, particularly those of her female ancestors.
I previously read "Under the Banner of Heaven" and I'm glad I did; the bad and ugly history is one area where Soloman's book is a little sparse (and understandably so). She wrote a book about people, but in telling her family's story she refers to certain major events on the history of the fundamentalist Mormon church that may leave you confused if you aren't familiar with the incidents, as she doesn't explain the origins of the problem or what exactly happened. You can get by without knowing most of it, but it certainly adds understanding and emotional depth to know of previous church events.
But she truly loved her father, the patriarch, and has great respect for her mothers. I have to appreciate how she has kept so much love for her family members that stayed in the lifestyle, even though she grew up and married out of it. One of the high points of the book for me is her input on her family history -- not the dry facts of the history of the FLDS, but who her grandmother was, who she was married to, where they lived, what they struggled through. I think we get used to thinking that these families are sprawling baby factories, almost robotic in their rigid guidelines and purposes. I honestly enjoyed seeing her speak to true family bonds and individual personalities, particularly those of her female ancestors.
I previously read "Under the Banner of Heaven" and I'm glad I did; the bad and ugly history is one area where Soloman's book is a little sparse (and understandably so). She wrote a book about people, but in telling her family's story she refers to certain major events on the history of the fundamentalist Mormon church that may leave you confused if you aren't familiar with the incidents, as she doesn't explain the origins of the problem or what exactly happened. You can get by without knowing most of it, but it certainly adds understanding and emotional depth to know of previous church events.
July 28, 2012
I recently read this book again. I wish Joseph Smith hadn't been born. This sort of thing is his fault. Folks living in polygamy with tons of children, deprived of the food and their father's presence. I know that the writer tended to portray it, at least at the beginning in a warm, happy way. She's one of dozens of children running around in some wilderness that seems fresh out of Little House on the Prarie with more wives.
But from this book and other books I've read on the subject, you realize that the idyllic image you are getting is a facade. Sharing one husband is a strain on the women in this book. Some of the kids don't get enough food. You see the father take meat from his growing son and give it to some fat follower of his. That shows one of the things that is so screwed up about this system. The kids lose out. The women do too.
Perhaps adults should have the right to enter this lifestyle if they choose, but it's horrible on the children. Dozens of them, underfed with mothers struggling with jealousy and pain.
But from this book and other books I've read on the subject, you realize that the idyllic image you are getting is a facade. Sharing one husband is a strain on the women in this book. Some of the kids don't get enough food. You see the father take meat from his growing son and give it to some fat follower of his. That shows one of the things that is so screwed up about this system. The kids lose out. The women do too.
Perhaps adults should have the right to enter this lifestyle if they choose, but it's horrible on the children. Dozens of them, underfed with mothers struggling with jealousy and pain.
October 29, 2011
In this revealing memoir, the author tells her story of growing up in polygamy. She describes her family's history in the Mormon religion and polygamy, how polygamy was outlawed in the US, and yet, through studying the Mormon scriptures, her father decided that living according to the Principal of polygamy was what their religion dictates. When she was growing up, her father had 7 wives and they had to move often due to religious persecution. Her father and some of her mothers were put in jail for polygamy and she learned to lie about her family life to protect them all.
This beautifully written, heartbreaking tale decribes the abject poverty that her family lived in due to the fact that they had to move and hide to avoid being arrested. She describes her father as a loving, kind man, a healer and a doctor, who was eventually shot dead on the orders of a madman who wanted to take over his family and group of mormons. She also describes the darker side of polygamy, which she did not often see, but which many of her family members suffered including physical and sexual abuse. Although the author opted out of polygamy, she remained in the Mormon religion and formed a group to help others. This is an intriguing story about a very large family.
This beautifully written, heartbreaking tale decribes the abject poverty that her family lived in due to the fact that they had to move and hide to avoid being arrested. She describes her father as a loving, kind man, a healer and a doctor, who was eventually shot dead on the orders of a madman who wanted to take over his family and group of mormons. She also describes the darker side of polygamy, which she did not often see, but which many of her family members suffered including physical and sexual abuse. Although the author opted out of polygamy, she remained in the Mormon religion and formed a group to help others. This is an intriguing story about a very large family.
January 6, 2013
I didn't enjoy her writing very much, but the fascinating story made it worth reading. I couldn't put it down. It goes through her Fundamentalist upbringing in a polygamous family, that family's murky past, and her eventual decision of monogamy and to become a member of the official church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons), despite the disapproval of many of her extremist polygamous relatives. Very honest and truthful, despite a hard story to tell.
February 4, 2013
Initially, I was very interested in this book. I love to read about history, and the topic of polygamy seemed unique. However, I found the writing style of Mrs. Solomon to be very plain and unsophisticated. This is both a pro and a con to me. The book progressed very slowly and humbly. Her words were honest, but uneventful. Overall, the book was informative, but I did not really enjoy the journey.
March 6, 2015
I was amazed by this book, probably because her great-grandfather and my great-great grandfather are the same person. There was so much in here about my family that I never knew, mainly because we broke off from polygamy a few generations ago. I laughed, I cried, I was angry and I felt sad. True gauntlet of emotions. Wonderful!
August 7, 2013
I will never forgive her father for taking away his son's venison and handing it over to some fat, already fed enough dude! Urg! More later.
July 12, 2012
It was hard to follow sometimes because there were so many characters and storylines, but it was a very interesting, well written autobiography/history of polygamy.
January 8, 2015
Today's nonfiction post is on Predators, Prey, and Other Kinfolk: Growing up in Polygamy by Dorothy Allred Solomon. It is 396 pages long and is published by W. W. Norton & Company. The cover has a blue butterfly in a jar but the picture is a little out of focus. The intended reader is an adult, someone interested in religion or other odd lifestyles. There is some language, talk of rape and incest, and talk of violence. The story is told by the author in first person with other people quoted for added detail. There Be Spoilers Ahead.
From the dust jacket- “I am the daughter of my father's fourth plural wife, twenty-eighth of forty-eight children- a middle kid, you might say.” So begins this astonishing memoir of life in the family of Utah fundamentalist leader and naturopathic physician Rulon C. Allred. Since polygamy was abolished by manifesto in 1890, this is a story of secrecy and lies, of poverty and imprisonment and government raids. When raids threatened, the families were forced to scatter from their pastoral compound in Salt Lake City to the deserts of Mexico or the wilds of Montana. To follow the Lord's plan as dictated by the Principle, the human cost was huge. Eventually murder in its cruelest form entered when members of a rival fundamentalist group assassinated the author's father.
Dorothy Solomon, monogamous herself, broke from the fundamentalist group because she yearned for equality and could not reconcile the laws of God (as practiced by polygamists) with the vastly different laws of the state. This poignant account chronicles her brave quest for personal identity.
Review- I found this to be a very open and honest memoir. Now that does not mean that I believe that Solomon is giving the whole unpolished truth but I believe that to the best of her ability, she is telling the truth. Solomon talks about how hard it is to be honest about what her family is, was, will be, and even where they are going. She talks about how the first thing the children in the family learn to do is lie to outsiders. The world on the other side of the fence is evil and out to get you. She talks about how hard it was to learn that was not true. This is more than just one woman's memoir of growing up in polygamy but how her family started in polygamy. She traces her family from Europe to the America's on both sides. She gives records about her grandfathers and grandmothers. She also follows her siblings lives as much as she can. Solomon is an outsider to her life now. She is seen as the devil's seed and wants to lead others into hell. When she talks about that, I felt her sorrow that her family cannot understand her. If you are looking for an interesting memoir, give this one a try.
I give this book a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.
From the dust jacket- “I am the daughter of my father's fourth plural wife, twenty-eighth of forty-eight children- a middle kid, you might say.” So begins this astonishing memoir of life in the family of Utah fundamentalist leader and naturopathic physician Rulon C. Allred. Since polygamy was abolished by manifesto in 1890, this is a story of secrecy and lies, of poverty and imprisonment and government raids. When raids threatened, the families were forced to scatter from their pastoral compound in Salt Lake City to the deserts of Mexico or the wilds of Montana. To follow the Lord's plan as dictated by the Principle, the human cost was huge. Eventually murder in its cruelest form entered when members of a rival fundamentalist group assassinated the author's father.
Dorothy Solomon, monogamous herself, broke from the fundamentalist group because she yearned for equality and could not reconcile the laws of God (as practiced by polygamists) with the vastly different laws of the state. This poignant account chronicles her brave quest for personal identity.
Review- I found this to be a very open and honest memoir. Now that does not mean that I believe that Solomon is giving the whole unpolished truth but I believe that to the best of her ability, she is telling the truth. Solomon talks about how hard it is to be honest about what her family is, was, will be, and even where they are going. She talks about how the first thing the children in the family learn to do is lie to outsiders. The world on the other side of the fence is evil and out to get you. She talks about how hard it was to learn that was not true. This is more than just one woman's memoir of growing up in polygamy but how her family started in polygamy. She traces her family from Europe to the America's on both sides. She gives records about her grandfathers and grandmothers. She also follows her siblings lives as much as she can. Solomon is an outsider to her life now. She is seen as the devil's seed and wants to lead others into hell. When she talks about that, I felt her sorrow that her family cannot understand her. If you are looking for an interesting memoir, give this one a try.
I give this book a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.
May 15, 2014
I knew a little about polygamy (the Church of Latter-Day Saints variety) going into this book, mostly from blog posts I happened upon from former polygamists/people born into polygamist families, articles, or by watching Sister Wives, which I realize may not be the most accurate portrayal of all polygamist communities. Solomon's memoir, Predators, Prey, and Other Kinfolk: Growing Up in Polygamy, gives a view that mixes the good with the bad and history with personal remembrances. I have to admit, I was surprised this book didn't condemn the lifestyle, because so much of what I've read by people who've left polygamist sects have nothing but negative words (maybe because they were constrained by space and/or going for an aspect of sensationalism to draw readers).
The long family history bored me a bit, I admit. I realize it was good backstory information and helped me understand the long history her family has with polygamy, but oy. Solomon almost lost me there, in a book that otherwise I couldn't put down. The stories she has to tell about her more immediate family and growing up (and growing away) I found much more interesting.
Solomon's past only goes to show how strong a woman she's become,and how strong her female ancestors have been. Whether or not you agree with the lifestyle, those women went through a hell of a lot for their faith, and there's something to be said for that. (I'm not nearly as enamored with the men--don't even get me started.)
The long family history bored me a bit, I admit. I realize it was good backstory information and helped me understand the long history her family has with polygamy, but oy. Solomon almost lost me there, in a book that otherwise I couldn't put down. The stories she has to tell about her more immediate family and growing up (and growing away) I found much more interesting.
Solomon's past only goes to show how strong a woman she's become,and how strong her female ancestors have been. Whether or not you agree with the lifestyle, those women went through a hell of a lot for their faith, and there's something to be said for that. (I'm not nearly as enamored with the men--don't even get me started.)
May 23, 2012
This is a memoir, of sorts, written by Dorothy Allred Solomon, daughter of one of the more influential men within the Latter Day Saints church. She describes her life as the child of one of the many sister-wives, starting off by explaining how things were, how each family unit worked together as a whole. Her memories of the time her father spent with her and her siblings, of the sister-wives and the special bonds they shared, her witness to the interaction between the sister-wives. As the book progresses, the changes within the church along with the crack down on Mormonism that disbands the family and sends the children and wives scattering as far as several states away. She describes her loneliness and the deep sadness of her mother.
While poignant and introspective, once the disturbances within the family rise, the plot itself fails to meet it's mark. There was much more Dorothy could have and probably should have said in the latter portion of the book to help bring a new awareness and understanding to her plight.
I did enjoy reading the book and think for anyone interested in the Mormon religion and trying to get a better understanding of the sister-wives and the family aspects, this is a great book to cut your teeth on.
While poignant and introspective, once the disturbances within the family rise, the plot itself fails to meet it's mark. There was much more Dorothy could have and probably should have said in the latter portion of the book to help bring a new awareness and understanding to her plight.
I did enjoy reading the book and think for anyone interested in the Mormon religion and trying to get a better understanding of the sister-wives and the family aspects, this is a great book to cut your teeth on.
May 24, 2010
I really liked this book, but then it answered so many questions I've always wondered about polygamous families and how women could share a husband. I'm not the sharing kind, but I have ancestors that lived it. I appreciated how Solomon--who grew up in a Fundamentalist group but left it for a monogomous relationship and the official Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints--shared her life with us, the courage it took her to write her family's stories, the good ones and the bad, and how she was able to craft her words in a way that I could feel much of her pain. "...the family orchareds are bearing their harvest and some of it is bitter.
I fumble in my pocket for a tissue, in my heart for some wisdom. Nothing there. The truth is cold a peach frozen in January"
It's not all easy reading. She tells of deaths, rapes, murders, living in utter poverty, and always hiding her true way of life.
I fumble in my pocket for a tissue, in my heart for some wisdom. Nothing there. The truth is cold a peach frozen in January"
It's not all easy reading. She tells of deaths, rapes, murders, living in utter poverty, and always hiding her true way of life.
October 23, 2012
This was a very interesting memoir written by a woman who is the 28th of 48 children of one male polygamist in Utah. It was certainly surprising to read about their many hardships in carrying out their lifestyle. Perhaps those more familiar with the reality and fictional television shows on polygamy will not be as shocked, but I am not a fan of those type of shows, so I found a lot of the information conveyed in this memoir to be completely new. In fact, when I initially picked this book up in the dollar section, it had been mismarked as fiction, so it actually gave me some pause when I realized that it was non-fiction. But it turned out to be a fast and enjoyable read. Though Solomon has written other books, a quick browse through their blurbs has revealed that they all cover similar (perhaps even a bit redundant) topics, so I though I enjoyed this book, finding it to be fascinating, I think I have gotten enough of her story from this one.
February 11, 2008
So far it is a bit of a slow start--- trying to make the case that multiple wives are jealous of each other--- not terribly shocking or intriguing yet--- but I will give it some more time.
The whole middle seems to focus on a description of Mormon history and family geneology that was just WAY too much detail for me. I got bored and skipped towards the last third, which returns to a memoir style that is more "human interest" and more fascinating to me.
Though I liked this book, I skimmed a great deal of it. It seems like the author had a page quota to meet and filled out as much detail and side stories as possible, just to make it long enough. BUt in between there was some substance.
The whole middle seems to focus on a description of Mormon history and family geneology that was just WAY too much detail for me. I got bored and skipped towards the last third, which returns to a memoir style that is more "human interest" and more fascinating to me.
Though I liked this book, I skimmed a great deal of it. It seems like the author had a page quota to meet and filled out as much detail and side stories as possible, just to make it long enough. BUt in between there was some substance.
February 22, 2018
I became interested in the world of polygamy after my brother and sister-in-law moved to Zion National Park with the National Park Service. On a visit to their home in Hurricane with side trips to St. George, I became so adept at spotting sister wives that they threatened to put an M & M in my mouth as a reward when I muttered, "Sister wife at three o'clock" in the middle of the supermarket. This book by Dorothy Allred Solomon is a memoir of growing up within a polygamist family in a polygamist community. The author was one of the middle children. She was the 28th child of 48 children and her mother was the fourth plural wife of her father. A fascinating view of life within a fourth generation polygamist family.
February 6, 2011
This book was very interesting. It seems to suffer, however, from a lack of literary flow. Since it is a biography of sorts, I suppose that is to be expected. In my opinion, the first 3/4ths of the book suffered from a lack of continuity. Too many snippets, not enough flow.
Perhaps the book would have been easier to read if each chapter was written as a separate story of one person in Mrs. Solomon's family instead of mashing them together. Since the book's topic is polygamy, I suppose that's par for the course, but I found the jumping back and forth between different wings of the family very confusing. I did like the book, but found myself unsure what sort of narrative the author was aiming to share at times.
Perhaps the book would have been easier to read if each chapter was written as a separate story of one person in Mrs. Solomon's family instead of mashing them together. Since the book's topic is polygamy, I suppose that's par for the course, but I found the jumping back and forth between different wings of the family very confusing. I did like the book, but found myself unsure what sort of narrative the author was aiming to share at times.
August 15, 2014
I've read few books from women born into polygamy; but most of those were written by women born within the last 40 years or so. Predators offered a very different perspective considering the author was born in the 1940s.
I was fascinated with her family's history and I appreciated those chapters. The reasons the Mormon church decided to disband polygamy had much more to do with politics than an actual change in beliefs. The way the church alienated people who had been practicing church doctrine before the law was signed was also interesting.
Overall, I found it to be well written and appreciated the history lesson I got from Ms. Solomon's book that I had not received from other, similar books.
I was fascinated with her family's history and I appreciated those chapters. The reasons the Mormon church decided to disband polygamy had much more to do with politics than an actual change in beliefs. The way the church alienated people who had been practicing church doctrine before the law was signed was also interesting.
Overall, I found it to be well written and appreciated the history lesson I got from Ms. Solomon's book that I had not received from other, similar books.
November 16, 2007
Another accounting of polygamy, I just can't seem to not read about the subject. Dorothy Soloman is raised in a polygist family in Salt Lake City, and then moved around the country to avoid detection. Many times her siblings and her mother are forced to "dumpster dive" for food. Her father moves the family to Montana and expects them to survive the winter on just carrots. That was the only food he provided for them. When she is old enough she separates herself from the polygamist family and marries into the main stream LDS culture. SHe tells of tales to trying to communicate with her "other family" , some of whom will have nothing to do with her.
January 29, 2013
I have read and re-read this book at least three times. The polygamist style of life is very fascinating to me. The story is truly a sad one, especially for the women and children; however, Solomon talked highly of her family and devoted love, still, for them. The book can be difficult to get into because of the history at the beginning of the book and all of the different people involved, but that needed to be explained in order to write the rest of the story. I think the book was well written and had a very fascinating story that was as close to the real thing as it could possibly be. Loved this book, obviously.
November 9, 2013
Unlike a lot of other memoirs I've read about women who grew up in polygamy, Dorothy Allred Solomon writes with beauty and exceptional talent in her prose. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, though I wasn't sure I would in the beginning. My one complaint would be that the first part of the book which details her family's ancestral history back several generations seemed too long; however, the way she returns to some of the imagery and sentiments expressed in that portion of the book at the end of her memoir made me rethink my original position that she should have left more of that part of her story out. Overall, Predators, Prey and Other Kinfolk is a really wonderful book.
April 22, 2011
This is one of those "here's what happened" autobiographies. Does that make sense? It has an impersonal tone that I wasn't expecting from reading the blurb. A large portion of the book is given over to the story of Allred Solomon's more distant ancestors struggling to live the principle of plural marriage.
It is also important to note that it's different from other fundamentalist Mormon biography in that Allred Solomon does not completely turn away in bitterness - she has many happy memories of her family to go with the bad ones. She seems to have found peace with her past.
It is also important to note that it's different from other fundamentalist Mormon biography in that Allred Solomon does not completely turn away in bitterness - she has many happy memories of her family to go with the bad ones. She seems to have found peace with her past.
September 9, 2015
A large portion of this book is the history of polygamy in that religion in general, than she gives info about her father and his 7 wives.
I have always been fascinated by this women that chose this lifestyle vs. born into it and know no different. This story really didn't tell me anything new I didn't know. But it was interesting that she became the woman too selfish to live the principle of plural marriage. That part was fascinating that she kind of always knew this isn't what she wanted for herself.
I have always been fascinated by this women that chose this lifestyle vs. born into it and know no different. This story really didn't tell me anything new I didn't know. But it was interesting that she became the woman too selfish to live the principle of plural marriage. That part was fascinating that she kind of always knew this isn't what she wanted for herself.
August 12, 2007
I liked this book, but I kept feeling a little confused about what it was as I was reading. The center section of this book is a lovely memoir with a haunting narrative voice. But to me the book felt like several manuscripts put together. In the first half of the book I felt bogged down in the details of the history of the Mormon church and the marriages of the grandparents and aunts and so on, and put the book down for a couple of weeks.
April 29, 2008
Very interesting. I feel this book was very objective in the telling of a life in polygamy, as she remembers it. I have seen beauty and light in a religious community and horror and darkness in unrighteous dominion. She wrote this book like a confession, as if you are talking to her and it reads very personally. She did spell the Prophet's name wrong (Gordon B. Hinckley's) and that really bothered me and knocked my rating down a bit, but answers questions about general polygamy practices.
April 28, 2009
A thoughtful memoir of growing up in a polygamous family. Unlike Carolyn Jessop's book Escape, there are few easy villains or heroes in this complicated story of self-discovery. The author ultimately grew away from the FLDS community with its doctrine of plural marriage but paints an affectionate picture of her father, her mothers, and her siblings while acknowledging the hardships they all suffered as a result of the commitment to a way of life long outlawed by the state of Utah.
February 17, 2010
Solomon beat the rush of Mormon abused wives trapped in polygamy and did a better job of personalizing it without as much demonization of the beliefs and those who live them. After all, there is some blame in this for everyone, including those who blindly believe what they are told and never question those beliefs. As with any dogmatic theology, the temptation for the lazy is to let others think for them.
Read
July 25, 20112008- I agree with another reviewer who said they felt like this was a few books combined together. I felt like first part was family history, the next few sections talked about her life, and the last section seemed to be all the ""bad stuff"" she left out of personal history but realized later that she should really add this stuff in. Not a horrible book, but I think some of the more recent books on polygamy seem to be more honest.
June 21, 2012
It was an interesting point of view of polygamy. I think her father knew that other men practicing polygamy were marrying girls under 18. In fact, he married (spiritually) at least one girl under 18. It is sad that this man's choice to practice polygamy effected so many. Lives. Hiding, lying, moving often. I personally wouldn't want to live that life. It was well written and the author kept me interested.
March 19, 2008
If you are interested in the different splinter groups of polygamy in Utah you will enjoy this book. She does a good job of trying to weigh the good and the bad of her experience. Her family seemed very believable. The book is divided into thirds so be prepared for the background of polygamy, her happy childhood memories and the the darker side. I found it compelling.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews