Mormons & Polygamy

by Jessie L. Embry

An account that looks at both the similarites and differences with Mormonism-refuting common misconceptions, illuminating little-known practices, and exploring the theological underpinnings of the faith under study. Persons not of the LDS faith may be surprised to learn of doctrinal commonalities with the Latter-day Saints, while LDS readers will no doubt be fascinated by the degree to which they have misunderstood their brothers and sisters of other religious persuasions.

Genres: Religion, Lds, Nonfiction

111 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2007

Reviews

[Sheri Willardson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a short, quick read about polygamy-presenting fact and unbiased information to the reader, and inserting a few logical arguments to support the facts. I liked reading the personal perspectives of those involved-but they were not expounded on, only stated.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read books about polygamy from anti-Mormons and from Mormon authors.
I think this book offers more truth than any other book on the subject. To find out about Mormonism you wouldn't ask a Catholic you should ask a Mormon.
Just to point out the obvious the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ that practices modern day polygamy is not a part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons) This book talks about the History of Polygamy not the Fundamentalist cults that exist today.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick and informative read.

I was skeptical when I picked up this book. I expected that, as a book written by a faithful Mormon and published by a company that serves an LDS (aka Mormon) audience, that it would be a propaganda piece more than an academic article.

I was pleasantly surprised. This book is exactly what it claims to be: a brief primer on the history of Mormon polygamy. This is not an opinion piece, though the author shares her views on the subject.

[Joy Sterrantino · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is a ridiculous amount of misinformation out there on this subject, so I thought I'd read this to see what I did and didn't know. Embry is a fantastic scholar, neutral in her explanation of her data, which is not how this subject is usually handled. It is much more comprehensive than other books I've read. I was particularly impressed with her explanation of why people insist on attaching polygamy to the Mormon Church of today when it hasn't been part of the culture for over 100 years.

[Chad · Rating 2 out of 5]

I expected this book to be more informative than it was. There were a few things that I learned by way of interesting facts, but the main point of the book is that there are very little available sources on the subject. It was well written, just a hard subject to cover I guess.

[Jaymi Boswell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book did it's job. I love this series of books.

[Juergen John Roscher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good discussion on polygamy and the LDS church. I'd like to see it updated with all of the recent information available on the topic. The book was published 14 years ago and there is more on the topic now. Good introduction to the topic.

[Luis Riquelme · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is gold for anti-mormons! But also is very revealing for members who wants to know more about the practice and their circumstances.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of statistics and first hand accounts

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

As an overview of the history of the practice of polygamy in the LDS church, by someone who is not hostile to the church, it was interesting. It hit the major points and did what it could to answer the major questions. If someone wants to know exactly how many wives Joseph Smith or Brigham Young had, and what exactly were the nature of those marriages, it won't be very satisfying. It likewise wouldn't satisfy anyone who was curious for prurient reasons. But it did address the revelation, when the practice was begun, government response, church member response, and the feelings of men and women who participated, as revealed through interviews with children of polygamous marriages.

I found it interesting.

[Lacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book presented the history and the facts of polygamy as well as what various people have thought about the practice. Some things just weren't pertinent. I don't know exactly what I was expecting from this book, but by the end, I felt it wasn't quite "there". But, like I said, I don't know what was lacking. For dates and some interesting journal entries, it was good.

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is short (100 pages) but it is a good, basic overview of the history of polygamy in the Mormon church. I did get the sense, however, that the book was actually a condensed form of the author's full-length book she wrote about polygamy, which she plugged with some frequency. The plugs worked, however, because I really want to read her book now.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice straight forward discussion of the topic and the research. Common questions addessed. I was surprised to find out the "given" answers I've always depended on were not actually true, such as less available men, and that really just came down to faith. I also liked the discussion that there was no norm for "how" to live polygmously. Fast read. Good information.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a quick, abbreviated history that states facts and statistics without apology. If you're looking to understand a little more, see past some of the stereotypes, but don't feel like reading a historical tome, this is helpful.

[Andie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm really glad that I found this book. It helped me to better understand why members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints started to practice polygamy, what it was like for families, and why they stopped. It also helped clear up a lot of wrong notions that I had previously been told.

[Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating, short, unbiased

[Tamra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helped explain a few things.

[Gloryseeker33 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good information on this controversial subject.

[Rob · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did learn some things, but it was a brief overview and for me brought up more questions without explaining things than giving answers. Didn't really "set the record straight."

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

more of a series of well researched papers than a comprehensive whole, but a worthwhile and not soul crushing read. Uplifting, sort of, but not nasty or anything. Very informative.

[Sharee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am glad I read this book - it was not as detailed as I would have liked, but I learned a lot. It is not anti - it is written by a lady who was asked to write it for the church.

[Camilla · Rating 3 out of 5]

wow, i learned a lot from that era, that i didn't know before...i suggest to read this book if you are interested in the truth.

[Dad · Rating 3 out of 5]

It explores and documents items about polygamy going beyond hearsay. It added knowledge to many areas on polygamy as practiced by Mormons in the late 1800's and early 1900's.

[Kristy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This had a lot of information, but was written in a way that kind of bothered me. The author is active in the LDS church but I felt unsettled after reading it. I had to do some further research to put my mind at rest about the manifesto. I don't know, maybe it was just me.