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plygs
"plygs..".It's about the death of children's souls, the manipulation of people of goodwill. It's about power, greed, and perversion, as perpetrated by the self-proclaimed prophet of a fundamentalist Mormon sect that hides in the shadows of the desert on the Utah-Arizona border. "plygs..".It's about women raised with no other purpose than to serve husbands chosen for them by the prophet, some of them torn from their homes before they reach their teens, only to be physically and emotionally beaten into hollow, baby-making vessels. "plygs..".It's about corruption, fraud, and men sworn to uphold the law turning a blind eye to violence and violations of the laws of God and man. "plygs..".It's about a newspaper reporter who, despite her own troubled past, seeks only one thing: truth. "plygs..".It's about modern-day America, where families and their children are held in the grip of a religious movement that is rooted in Utah and Arizona, but has spread into Texas, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, and western Canada where polygamous colonies go unchecked, thriving in rural outposts on the edge of insanity.
462 pages, Paperback
First published July 22, 2012
204 people are currently reading
108 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 30, 2012
I really like the author.
February 15, 2014
Fact may be stranger than fiction and fiction may often be factually true. This book rings with a whole lot of truth. I found myself wanting to separate fact from fiction in my mind. I always want to KNOW. I'm sure some of the characters were composite characters. I did have lots of questions and just as many comments formulating as I read. Growing up in the town of St. George, Utah made this work particularly interesting.
July 30, 2012
Longtime southern Utah journalist Ed Kociela examines the world of polygamy in a new book now available through Amazon.com.
His book, “plygs,” is a fact-based novel based on his 17-year career as a southern Utah journalist. A current columnist for STGnews, Kociela worked 16 years as a reporter, bureau chief, columnist, and city editor for The Spectrum in St. George, Utah. Based in San Jose del Cabo, Baja California Sur, Mexico, Kociela is also a regular contributor to Los Cabos Magazine and Mexconnect, the largest English-language Internet site aboout Mexico. He also broadcasts a weekly cultural essay on Utah Public Radio.
“This is a story about how some people will do anything in the name of religion,” Kociela said. “It’s about love, lust, and greed and the heartbreaking loss of innocence.”
He said although polygamy has been a part of the Utah culture for many years, the modern-day effects are still relevant politically, socially, and, most importantly, morally.
“I really don’t care which religion people believe in or what consenting adults do with each other or to each other,” he said, “but when innocent children are brought into it, the picture changes dramatically. Some of these girls who are placed into marriage should still be playing with dolls instead of raising babies of their own.”
“As the parent of a blossoming daughter, who was raised in a place where polygamy is a part of the culture, it breaks my heart to think of other young girls and the lives they missed because they were trapped in a religious culture that would not only deny their childhood, but womanhood and individuality as well.”
The societal effects, he said, are equally distressing.
“I don’t see how public officials who are so determined to run undocumented workers out of the country can sleep at night when, on one hand, they are going after a group of people who they insist are a burden on the system while turning a blind eye to another that flaunts the fact that they are ‘bleeding the beast’ by fraudulently collecting food stamps, health care benefits, and other forms of welfare.”
Politically, he sees particular relevance.
“Look, we have two presidential candidates who come from a polygamous background,” Kociela said. “One acknowledges it while the other tries to distance himself from his roots. An elected public official’s religion and heritage do, whether we like it or not, become part of the greater issue and an honest examination of their beliefs—religious as well as cultural and political—is not without reason. I want to know who they are, where they come from, and what their values system is based on, and obviously, voters do, too, otherwise there wouldn’t be so much discussion about it. Is that fair? You have to make your own decision about that.”
This is not Kociela’s first step into the creative arts.
His play, “Downwinders,” was selected for a week’s worth of readings as part of the Utah Shakespeare Festival’s “Plays in Progress” series, now known as the “Great American Playwright” series. He has also written two screenplays.
This was, he says, a much different challenge.
“There is an emotional attachment to every creative project,” he said. “This one? It captured my soul. Over the years, the emotional impact of meeting people from this culture and seeing how their lives were shattered tugged at my heart. Finally, about a year and a half ago, I started capturing the words that had been strung together in my mind and arranged them into this book. I purged some emotional demons in the writing of “plygs,” while at the same time, creating some newer, darker ones.”
The book is currently available only in online form.
“We talked to some people and weighed the options of searching for a literary agent and publishing house, but the thing is, I have seen what has happened to the arts since the ‘corporatization’ of the music, film, television, and book industry,” he said. “Add that to the true independence of self-publishing in a timely manner and the savings that can be passed on to readers whose wallets may have thinned in this downtrodden economy, but whose appetite for new books has not. The online world solves that problem. There is also an immediacy and intimacy involved in this medium that cannot be denied.
“Plus, I am a huge believer in the revolution of ‘new media,’ as it is called. We see the traditional vehicles for communication falling by the way as more and more people turn to the Internet for news, research, and entertainment.”
His book, “plygs,” is a fact-based novel based on his 17-year career as a southern Utah journalist. A current columnist for STGnews, Kociela worked 16 years as a reporter, bureau chief, columnist, and city editor for The Spectrum in St. George, Utah. Based in San Jose del Cabo, Baja California Sur, Mexico, Kociela is also a regular contributor to Los Cabos Magazine and Mexconnect, the largest English-language Internet site aboout Mexico. He also broadcasts a weekly cultural essay on Utah Public Radio.
“This is a story about how some people will do anything in the name of religion,” Kociela said. “It’s about love, lust, and greed and the heartbreaking loss of innocence.”
He said although polygamy has been a part of the Utah culture for many years, the modern-day effects are still relevant politically, socially, and, most importantly, morally.
“I really don’t care which religion people believe in or what consenting adults do with each other or to each other,” he said, “but when innocent children are brought into it, the picture changes dramatically. Some of these girls who are placed into marriage should still be playing with dolls instead of raising babies of their own.”
“As the parent of a blossoming daughter, who was raised in a place where polygamy is a part of the culture, it breaks my heart to think of other young girls and the lives they missed because they were trapped in a religious culture that would not only deny their childhood, but womanhood and individuality as well.”
The societal effects, he said, are equally distressing.
“I don’t see how public officials who are so determined to run undocumented workers out of the country can sleep at night when, on one hand, they are going after a group of people who they insist are a burden on the system while turning a blind eye to another that flaunts the fact that they are ‘bleeding the beast’ by fraudulently collecting food stamps, health care benefits, and other forms of welfare.”
Politically, he sees particular relevance.
“Look, we have two presidential candidates who come from a polygamous background,” Kociela said. “One acknowledges it while the other tries to distance himself from his roots. An elected public official’s religion and heritage do, whether we like it or not, become part of the greater issue and an honest examination of their beliefs—religious as well as cultural and political—is not without reason. I want to know who they are, where they come from, and what their values system is based on, and obviously, voters do, too, otherwise there wouldn’t be so much discussion about it. Is that fair? You have to make your own decision about that.”
This is not Kociela’s first step into the creative arts.
His play, “Downwinders,” was selected for a week’s worth of readings as part of the Utah Shakespeare Festival’s “Plays in Progress” series, now known as the “Great American Playwright” series. He has also written two screenplays.
This was, he says, a much different challenge.
“There is an emotional attachment to every creative project,” he said. “This one? It captured my soul. Over the years, the emotional impact of meeting people from this culture and seeing how their lives were shattered tugged at my heart. Finally, about a year and a half ago, I started capturing the words that had been strung together in my mind and arranged them into this book. I purged some emotional demons in the writing of “plygs,” while at the same time, creating some newer, darker ones.”
The book is currently available only in online form.
“We talked to some people and weighed the options of searching for a literary agent and publishing house, but the thing is, I have seen what has happened to the arts since the ‘corporatization’ of the music, film, television, and book industry,” he said. “Add that to the true independence of self-publishing in a timely manner and the savings that can be passed on to readers whose wallets may have thinned in this downtrodden economy, but whose appetite for new books has not. The online world solves that problem. There is also an immediacy and intimacy involved in this medium that cannot be denied.
“Plus, I am a huge believer in the revolution of ‘new media,’ as it is called. We see the traditional vehicles for communication falling by the way as more and more people turn to the Internet for news, research, and entertainment.”
July 10, 2015
This is the second book of Ed’s I have read, along with various other journalistic accomplishments. Although Plygs is written as fiction, if you know anything about current and recent events in the world of the extremist cult like group known as FLDS , it is obvious that this particular fiction story comes laden with real experiences and background delving into the controlling world of dogmatic polygamy.
Ed comes from a long journalistic background in varying fields. He knows how to do his research when he writes. It also helps that he was immersed into the dealings with the events and deals with the sad results of cultish thinking almost on a daily basis. The people who escape this lifestyle not only have to relearn everything , they have to learn the very basics that most learn as they grow, including basic educational skills and activities of daily living in the real world beyond the imposed walls of a cult. They basically have to completely reseed their lives and start over.
His varied life experiences show up very clearly in the story of the twisted man who manipulates and brainwashes his followers into doing precisely what he wants, no matter the financial. emotional or psychological cost. The fact that underage age young girls are treated like chattel and young boys are forced into stringent work situations almost reminiscent of some sort of Dickensonian workhouse only magnifies the dark nature of the cultish group. In a modern western world where most are not only expected to get a full education, but are given that right, this backwards group plunges their children into a time warp that sets back progress in education by generations. In my mind as a parent reading this about this mixed up thinking, it boggles my mind that ANY parent would agree to subjugate the most precious beings in their lives to a leader who has no sense of humanity, right and wrong, or basic human dignity and human rights, by using warped image of God and religion to control people to do his bidding, and bending laws to fit his own personal needs and perversions.
I enjoyed Ed’s writing style in this fiction based on reality piece. He adds details that make it feel more alive and real. His background in all his fields of writing experiences wend their way into the telling of this story. His own personality is definitely present in this book.
What is disheartening is the fact some of this cultish behavior is still permitted to continue or that people nearby even put up with it. I guess if you are in a cult, humanitarianism and basic decency goes the way of the dodo bird, and it seems some laws do as well. It almost seems like a case of Animal Farm mentality saying “ All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” Child abuse is child abuse, plain and simple, no matter what guise it takes. This book will show you some living examples of a thriving cult that allows it to happen for the sake of a manipulative leader who plays them like fiddles to do his bidding in the name of his personal interpretation of heaven. It is manipulative heartless narcissism straight out of the psychology books.
My only main criticism was the end of the book felt rushed to the conclusion somehow. I would have liked to see it played out in more detail. But I know there is a follow up book in progress, and I will read it as well.
Plygs is a fictional view into a very real lifestyle and living situation, and it is not a positive view, but it feels very real and the details are often shocking. Ed Kociela does a wonderful job of laying out reality in a fictional story form.
Ed comes from a long journalistic background in varying fields. He knows how to do his research when he writes. It also helps that he was immersed into the dealings with the events and deals with the sad results of cultish thinking almost on a daily basis. The people who escape this lifestyle not only have to relearn everything , they have to learn the very basics that most learn as they grow, including basic educational skills and activities of daily living in the real world beyond the imposed walls of a cult. They basically have to completely reseed their lives and start over.
His varied life experiences show up very clearly in the story of the twisted man who manipulates and brainwashes his followers into doing precisely what he wants, no matter the financial. emotional or psychological cost. The fact that underage age young girls are treated like chattel and young boys are forced into stringent work situations almost reminiscent of some sort of Dickensonian workhouse only magnifies the dark nature of the cultish group. In a modern western world where most are not only expected to get a full education, but are given that right, this backwards group plunges their children into a time warp that sets back progress in education by generations. In my mind as a parent reading this about this mixed up thinking, it boggles my mind that ANY parent would agree to subjugate the most precious beings in their lives to a leader who has no sense of humanity, right and wrong, or basic human dignity and human rights, by using warped image of God and religion to control people to do his bidding, and bending laws to fit his own personal needs and perversions.
I enjoyed Ed’s writing style in this fiction based on reality piece. He adds details that make it feel more alive and real. His background in all his fields of writing experiences wend their way into the telling of this story. His own personality is definitely present in this book.
What is disheartening is the fact some of this cultish behavior is still permitted to continue or that people nearby even put up with it. I guess if you are in a cult, humanitarianism and basic decency goes the way of the dodo bird, and it seems some laws do as well. It almost seems like a case of Animal Farm mentality saying “ All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” Child abuse is child abuse, plain and simple, no matter what guise it takes. This book will show you some living examples of a thriving cult that allows it to happen for the sake of a manipulative leader who plays them like fiddles to do his bidding in the name of his personal interpretation of heaven. It is manipulative heartless narcissism straight out of the psychology books.
My only main criticism was the end of the book felt rushed to the conclusion somehow. I would have liked to see it played out in more detail. But I know there is a follow up book in progress, and I will read it as well.
Plygs is a fictional view into a very real lifestyle and living situation, and it is not a positive view, but it feels very real and the details are often shocking. Ed Kociela does a wonderful job of laying out reality in a fictional story form.
February 9, 2016
One and a half stars. This ebook was not nearly as good as I was expecting. It seemed like it was written in the hopes of explaining everything the author has learned about the FLDS squeezed into one book, and often, all the information, which was for the most part factual (names changed so the book could be called fiction), took up more pages than the story, which was rather weak, and centered more on the reporters/ newspaper aspect than the actual polygamists. The writing wasn't terrible, just dry and journalistic (which makes sense, as the author is a journalist, not a novelist) and at times too vague and at others, too detailed. Ultimately, this book needed an editor, the characters needed much more fleshing out, and the background information, though informative, was just shoved in throughout the book and took away from the impact of the plot instead of enhancing it. I downloaded the book free from the Kindle library, so at least I didn't spend money on it.
January 18, 2013
Not only is this an educational story, it's also very gripping! There are many different aspects to it, how they run their religion, the corruption & fraud, & the children & women involved.
I'm so blessed to be able to have my photograph published on such a wonderful book!
I'm so blessed to be able to have my photograph published on such a wonderful book!
April 6, 2016
This book tells a shocking story of a polgamous Mormon sect based somewhat on the authors obsevations over 16 years. It is very disturbing in many ways as it tells of a hidden group of believers who often perputrate atrosities among their group. This is polygamy at its worse.
July 29, 2023
This needs to be described as a novelization.
From the description I expected to read a memoir from a reporter who covered Warren Jeffs’ crimes, instead this is a novelized version of the recent history of the FLDS leader. The name changes are uncomfortable to anyone who has followed this case. The story skips between characters without giving enough backstory to explain how they are connected until more than halfway through the book. Two characters from an early scene are then mostly dropped without their connection to the other fictional characters being clarified until the end.
The author claims to abhor the treatment of the women and especially the young girls of the FLDS who are given as virtual sex slaves to men decades older. It’s extremely unsettling to read his account of a 12 year old girl who was given to Hart as a child bride. He describes her being held down by three adults while the self-proclaimed prophet consummates the marriage as him “having sex with her” while she screams. Writing off the brutal violation of such a young girl by a notorious pedophile as “having sex” minimizes the horrifying rape he chose to recreate in this novel. It is utterly offensive to recount the crimes of Warren Jeffs against real girls who suffered unimaginably so casually by implying in any way that consent was given by a child.
Kociela also shows a distinct bias against the mainstream LDS Church and regularly mischaracterizes their beliefs. He constantly tries to lump their beliefs in with the polygamous cult at the heart of the story and assumes that Latter-Day Saints harbor sympathies for the polygamists their religion exiled as apostates a century ago. As a former resident of St. George he shockingly discounts the strong feelings held by those in that community, and neighboring ones, against the FLDS and the wide network of individuals (many who are mainstream Mormons) who have spent decades rescuing “Lost Boys” who were callously thrown out by the FLDS with little education and no skills to help them survive in the outside world. Even having only occasionally visited St. George and Cedar City, it’s easy to learn of the horrors those locales have seen at the hands of polygamist groups and the work of many who spend years supporting these young men at their own expense, sometimes even legally adopting them, which should not be dismissed with the assumption that all Mormons accept and wink at polygamy.
In trying to write conversations among his fictional characters the author doesn’t use the verbiage that is common in the original church and breakoffs. Mainstream Mormons, and former FLDS members who have written memoirs, would refer to “Heavenly Father” where the book constantly phrases references to God as “the Heavenly Father,” which is not the way this would be phrased by Mormons and doesn’t follow the references made in former polygamist’s memoirs. It reads as lacking a basic understanding of the religious idiolect, and feels a bit shocking from an author who lived and worked in Utah. His multiple references to Mormons and Utahns as “the looniest of loons” shows a level of disrespect that unfortunately comes through repeatedly in the book.
I expected better editing from an experienced journalist than this book displays. It feels distinctly like the author, or his editor, simply quit bothering to fix typos around 2/3 of the way through the book. The lack of research on very basic issues is also disappointing. A very simple verification of scripture passages quoted by Hart (presumably from actual speeches given by Jeffs) would have clarified the need to put a number next to a Nephi reference as the Book of Mormon contains multiple books by Nephis. Since he emphasizes and praises the extensive research and verification done by his reporter character in the book, it’s especially off-putting to see instances where a quick Google search would have smoothed the story and properly represented scriptural referencing which is common across Christianity (when multiple books share a name). He also failed to fully research “quotes” from historical figures, by simply recycling the altered versions promoted by polygamist groups. He also would have benefited from talking to actual Mormons rather than only describing their beliefs from the perspective of anti Mormon groups, especially in regards to the White Horse Prophecy, which he at least points out is apocryphal.
His recounting of historical persecution against the Mormons also shows a shocking degree of callousness. He seems to blame the early church for the attacks by mobs and the murder of Joseph Smith. He casually mentions that murders, arrests, and people driven from their homes was the fault of 30 Mormons who tried to cast their votes in an election. It’s hard to believe that he is very concerned about the importance of rights and laws with regards to the FLDS when he is so unconcerned about the horrors in the history he describes.
From the description I expected to read a memoir from a reporter who covered Warren Jeffs’ crimes, instead this is a novelized version of the recent history of the FLDS leader. The name changes are uncomfortable to anyone who has followed this case. The story skips between characters without giving enough backstory to explain how they are connected until more than halfway through the book. Two characters from an early scene are then mostly dropped without their connection to the other fictional characters being clarified until the end.
The author claims to abhor the treatment of the women and especially the young girls of the FLDS who are given as virtual sex slaves to men decades older. It’s extremely unsettling to read his account of a 12 year old girl who was given to Hart as a child bride. He describes her being held down by three adults while the self-proclaimed prophet consummates the marriage as him “having sex with her” while she screams. Writing off the brutal violation of such a young girl by a notorious pedophile as “having sex” minimizes the horrifying rape he chose to recreate in this novel. It is utterly offensive to recount the crimes of Warren Jeffs against real girls who suffered unimaginably so casually by implying in any way that consent was given by a child.
Kociela also shows a distinct bias against the mainstream LDS Church and regularly mischaracterizes their beliefs. He constantly tries to lump their beliefs in with the polygamous cult at the heart of the story and assumes that Latter-Day Saints harbor sympathies for the polygamists their religion exiled as apostates a century ago. As a former resident of St. George he shockingly discounts the strong feelings held by those in that community, and neighboring ones, against the FLDS and the wide network of individuals (many who are mainstream Mormons) who have spent decades rescuing “Lost Boys” who were callously thrown out by the FLDS with little education and no skills to help them survive in the outside world. Even having only occasionally visited St. George and Cedar City, it’s easy to learn of the horrors those locales have seen at the hands of polygamist groups and the work of many who spend years supporting these young men at their own expense, sometimes even legally adopting them, which should not be dismissed with the assumption that all Mormons accept and wink at polygamy.
In trying to write conversations among his fictional characters the author doesn’t use the verbiage that is common in the original church and breakoffs. Mainstream Mormons, and former FLDS members who have written memoirs, would refer to “Heavenly Father” where the book constantly phrases references to God as “the Heavenly Father,” which is not the way this would be phrased by Mormons and doesn’t follow the references made in former polygamist’s memoirs. It reads as lacking a basic understanding of the religious idiolect, and feels a bit shocking from an author who lived and worked in Utah. His multiple references to Mormons and Utahns as “the looniest of loons” shows a level of disrespect that unfortunately comes through repeatedly in the book.
I expected better editing from an experienced journalist than this book displays. It feels distinctly like the author, or his editor, simply quit bothering to fix typos around 2/3 of the way through the book. The lack of research on very basic issues is also disappointing. A very simple verification of scripture passages quoted by Hart (presumably from actual speeches given by Jeffs) would have clarified the need to put a number next to a Nephi reference as the Book of Mormon contains multiple books by Nephis. Since he emphasizes and praises the extensive research and verification done by his reporter character in the book, it’s especially off-putting to see instances where a quick Google search would have smoothed the story and properly represented scriptural referencing which is common across Christianity (when multiple books share a name). He also failed to fully research “quotes” from historical figures, by simply recycling the altered versions promoted by polygamist groups. He also would have benefited from talking to actual Mormons rather than only describing their beliefs from the perspective of anti Mormon groups, especially in regards to the White Horse Prophecy, which he at least points out is apocryphal.
His recounting of historical persecution against the Mormons also shows a shocking degree of callousness. He seems to blame the early church for the attacks by mobs and the murder of Joseph Smith. He casually mentions that murders, arrests, and people driven from their homes was the fault of 30 Mormons who tried to cast their votes in an election. It’s hard to believe that he is very concerned about the importance of rights and laws with regards to the FLDS when he is so unconcerned about the horrors in the history he describes.
November 21, 2023
Best informational story I've ever read
This was amazing. It not only was a good story about the polyamorous lifestyle, cults, and bigamy, but it also was full of real information. It talked about how the community would make and save money, how the belief system worked, the jobs they did (in detail), the religious following, and everything else. It also covered house the newspaper worked, the law system, and a lot about airplanes. I was thoroughly impressed with how well this was written and how much I was able to take away from it!
This was amazing. It not only was a good story about the polyamorous lifestyle, cults, and bigamy, but it also was full of real information. It talked about how the community would make and save money, how the belief system worked, the jobs they did (in detail), the religious following, and everything else. It also covered house the newspaper worked, the law system, and a lot about airplanes. I was thoroughly impressed with how well this was written and how much I was able to take away from it!
October 7, 2019
Scary!
I was not able to put this story down once I started it. It is scary that people can be so brainwashed and believe that a man is a prophet of God and take young girls and rape them under the rise of salvation!!!! This makes me angry!!! The book was based on the man we all know as their prophet though named were changed. A bunch of perverted old men.
I was not able to put this story down once I started it. It is scary that people can be so brainwashed and believe that a man is a prophet of God and take young girls and rape them under the rise of salvation!!!! This makes me angry!!! The book was based on the man we all know as their prophet though named were changed. A bunch of perverted old men.
October 29, 2017
This is my 3rd time reading this book. Good stuff.
July 13, 2019
Great read
Very well written! Could not put it down! Very interesting but yet disturbing . Hard to believe that this is happening.
Very well written! Could not put it down! Very interesting but yet disturbing . Hard to believe that this is happening.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews