This is a book written by a lady that used to be a member of the FLDS church. I have always (somewhat anyway) wondered what exactly was believed in FLDS church since I knew they had split away from the LDS church more than 50 years ago. What I read was not only intriguing but also horrifying and upsetting.
Intriguing because it gives a very detailed day to day sequence of what it was like to be in a polygamous marriage. Horrifying because of the events that are so simply detailed. Upsetting because of how twisted and changed basic beliefs of the LDS church have been taken and used by the FLDS religion. This is really upsetting to me, because the LDS religion is NOTHING like the FLDS religion. NOTHING. To think that people even wonder if FLDS and LDS are similar. THEY ARE NOT.
When I saw this book I wanted to read it mainly because of all the media that has been going on. "The Polygamists" as they were commonly referred to when I went to school in southern Utah, were pretty much left alone. I don't remember seeing them at the university while I went there (which makes sense after what I read), and I rode past Colorado City maybe two or three times the whole time I lived in Cedar City, Utah.
While it was somewhat disturbing to read about how the children were taken care of in the community, what was even more...interesting to me was their lack of concern for others. Even within a family unit it was not uncommon for one or two of the women to basically be the "slaves" of the family. I don't think unselfish service to others really even exists there. If someone gets sick they are looked at as weak and not being in harmony with God. If someone gives birth to a special needs child they are looked at as being a sinner (otherwise their baby would have been born healthy, right??)
Another thing that I found interesting was how the religion itself changed with each leader, going more and more extreme until the sick psycho himself, Jeff Warren. Reading about him, really made me feel ill. What a disturbed individual.
She wrote of instances over and over again where people would be "married" and they would both look upset and sad. To think that people are living in this community and thinking that it is the right thing to do, to me is just depressing.
I never realized before why it was so difficult for someone to leave the FLDS community if they wanted to. Her flight to freedom was reminiscent to me of the turmoil in the book "Not Without My Daughter" except it occurred right here in the United States.
Reading this book after the raid on the FLDS compound in Texas really made me look back on the facial expressions of the women in the community. There is no doubt in my mind that most of the women in this community really do love their children. That being said, there IS a high level of accepted abuse there. I will never forget the video of four FLDS women talking to the cameras and listening to one woman speak, and have another woman interrupt her every few seconds. I always felt like the one woman was trying to exert her "authority" over the other woman, and it even showed on camera. After reading this book, I realize that I was probably right.
I felt like Texas was wrong for the way they handled things the way they did. I still think they could have done things differently...but at least they tried. The things going on in this community are wrong. They should have to be accountable for their actions just like everybody else.
Definitely a book that will make you think about things.
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