Recently I finished reading this book, The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff. It was first printed in hardcover in 2008 and the paperback edition was released in 2009. This book is fiction and based on two stories, one occurring in the 1800s and the other one occurring in 2004. The stories are separated by chapters and it is not hard to follow the intertwining narratives. The common link is plural marriages, the Mormon Church, family linkages, faith, women caught up in a number of circumstances and Utah.
The story that takes place in the 1800's is a narrative by Ann Eliza Young who was the 19th wife of Brigham Young. Brigham Young was the prophet and leader of the Mormon Church. She writes about her life and her expulsion from the church. The second story is about a murder involving a polygamist family. The narrative is by Jordan Scott, a young man who was kick out of the Church community, and gets involved trying to help his mother who is accused of killing his father. His mother is part of a polygamist family.
This book is interesting for a number of reasons. Though it is fiction, it does go into detail about Brigham Young and how he organized the Mormon Church; plural wives and how the household functions if a number of wives are living in the same house; how children fit into the family unit; religious beliefs; and, two good stories.
If you are looking for an interesting book to read this summer while lounging in the summer shade, I would recommend The 19th Wife.
The 19th Wife proves to be a book that reveals the hush hush dark secrets of the Mormon faith. The book really wants one to go out there and rescue all these children forced into marriages at teenage age.
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