The 19th Wife

Our book club's assignment for this month was to read The 19th Wife.  I did not know what to expect, but it is an amazing read.  The subject of polygamy has always fascinated me.  Several years ago I read a book by a woman who escaped from the group about which this book was written (or one similar).  So I had some background.

This book is told by three different people.  The first is Ann Eliza Young, the writer of the original book, The 19th Wife, who single-handedly led the fight to outlaw polygamy.  The second is a researcher into polygamy, and the third is a modern-day mystery dealing with the polygamous sect in southern Utah.  By intertwining the three stories, the author creates an amazing account of plural wives and their lives.

I completed the book hours before going to see the movie, Lincoln.  After seeing the movie, one of my first thoughts was how does this polygamous sect continue to exist in the 21st century?  In many ways, it is as cruel as slavery was.  Why doesn't our government put an end to it?  I remember several years ago, the government raided a compound in Texas.  They tried to find a way to put an end to it then, but were largely unsuccessful.

It is a knotty problem, and one that I do not understand.  But books like The 19th Wife will help expose the issue and perhaps put an end to it.