Books about Polygamy

[quiversR4hunting]

Thanks @amandaaries I just updated my Goodreads "want to read" list

[TXGirlInAMaterialWorld]

I really enjoyed The Four O'Clock Murders by Scott Anderson.  The Le Barons are just so creepy to read about as a family. 

[quiversR4hunting]

57 minutes ago, TXGirlInAMaterialWorld said:

I really enjoyed The Four O'Clock Murders by Scott Anderson.  The Le Barons are just so creepy to read about as a family. 

I will have to add that to my list!

I have read Shattered Dreams (Irene Spencer) & and Favorite Wife: Escape from Polygamy by Susan Schmidt. Susan (6th wife) and Irene (2nd) were sister wives of Verlan. Verlan is the older brother of Ervil & Joel. According to Wikipedia Irene died this past March in Mexico.

[suglo]

I really enjoyed The Four O'Clock Murders by Scott Anderson.  The Le Barons are just so creepy to read about as a family. 

The Prophet of Blood by Ben Bradlee, Jr and Dale Van Atta is really good also. The Blood Covenant by Rena Chynoweth is also an interesting read even though she was still a bit brainwashed when she wrote it.

[apandaaries]

@quiversR4hunting I had no idea Irene Spencer died! That Wikipedia article was a bit confusing (it mentioned Hector Spencer being buried in Mexico in 2013 but added no more details about Irene).  But her public FB for books had this: 

"Feb. 1, 1937 - March 12, 2017

It's with deep regret and great sadness that we share the loss of 80 year old Irene Spencer. She died peacefully around 2am this morning in Mexico, surrounded by her family. She was a proud and beloved Mother to 14, Grandmother to 129, and Great-Grandmother to 139 ... and friend to ALL! She was full of wisdom, compassion and unconditional love. She always made her family and friends smile with her spunky and humorous personality. The great author and Gramitas will be missed beyond words, but will live on forever in our hearts.
Feel free to share memories below."

RIP, Irene, an amazing writer who endured a lot of craziness to keep providing for her family.  

[libgirl2]

On 11/13/2017 at 12:24 PM, quiversR4hunting said:

I will have to add that to my list!

I have read Shattered Dreams (Irene Spencer) & and Favorite Wife: Escape from Polygamy by Susan Schmidt. Susan (6th wife) and Irene (2nd) were sister wives of Verlan. Verlan is the older brother of Ervil & Joel. According to Wikipedia Irene died this past March in Mexico.

I read both those books. I wasn't aware Irene passed away. Rest her soul, she really was a character. 

[finnlassie]

Wow, I didn't know there's this many books! I need to check if any of the libraries I visit happened to have at least one of them – being in a European non-English speaking country it might deem a tad difficult.

[keen23]

I'm currently reading The Polygamist's Daughter by Anna LeBaron. I'm still in her childhood, and she hasn't been married off yet.

[Sky with diamonds]

I purchased Keep Sweet by Debbie Palmer yesterday. Might be a couple of weeks before I start it, because I try to 'prepare' myself for reading such books. 

I've read both books by Carolyn Jessop and the Elissa Wall book. Pretty remarkable.

[viii]

If anyone has time, would they want to list what they think the top best 5 are? I'm in need of some new reading material. 

I've already read Elissa Wall's, Rebecca Musser's, the Brown's, and the 19th Wife.

[Bethella]

11 hours ago, viii said:

If anyone has time, would they want to list what they think the top best 5 are? I'm in need of some new reading material. 

I've already read Elissa Wall's, Rebecca Musser's, the Brown's, and the 19th Wife.

 

[quiversR4hunting]

On ‎2‎/‎1‎/‎2018 at 2:12 PM, viii said:

If anyone has time, would they want to list what they think the top best 5 are? I'm in need of some new reading material. 

I've already read Elissa Wall's, Rebecca Musser's, the Brown's, and the 19th Wife.

@Bethella gives a great list. I am sure you are aware all the books could be triggering including the 3 I am going to suggest.

I have read Lost Boy by Brent Jeffs - great perspective from a boy and before Warren was the profit.

I read both Shattered Dreams (Irene Spencer) and then "His Favorite Wife " (Susan Schmidt) I suggest in that order because Irene was a 2nd wife and Susan was the 6th wife of Verlan LeBaron.

[viii]

Thank you!!!

[viii]

I just bought "Breaking Free: How I Escaped Polygamy, the FLDS Cult, and my Father, Warren Jeffs" by Rachel Jeffs, so we'll see how it is!

[libgirl2]

On 2/1/2018 at 1:12 PM, viii said:

If anyone has time, would they want to list what they think the top best 5 are? I'm in need of some new reading material. 

I've already read Elissa Wall's, Rebecca Musser's, the Brown's, and the 19th Wife.

Do you mean the 19th wife by David Ebershoff. Its fiction, but its a fascinating look at modern day polygamy as well as Eliza Young. 

[freethemall]

On 2/1/2018 at 2:12 PM, viii said:

If anyone has time, would they want to list what they think the top best 5 are? I'm in need of some new reading material. 

I've already read Elissa Wall's, Rebecca Musser's, the Brown's, and the 19th Wife.

My top 5 would be:

1. Escape by Carolyn Jessop

2. Under the Banner of Heaven by Krakauer (clearly best written, the memoirs are all great but most are ghost writers)

3. Stolen Innocence by Elissa Wall

4. Shattered Dreams by Irene Spencer (gotta have some LeBaron crazy on the list (

5. Breaking Free (only because at this point it tells the most updated story of the FLDS community with how Jeffs controls from jail).

I'm reading the Polygamists Daughter next. 

[freethemall]

On 2/12/2018 at 12:28 PM, viii said:

I just bought "Breaking Free: How I Escaped Polygamy, the FLDS Cult, and my Father, Warren Jeffs" by Rachel Jeffs, so we'll see how it is!

I liked it, though it was very difficult and emotional to read because  SO.MUCH.SEXUAL.ABUSE. Warren Jeffs is truly, truly an evil pedophile. The writing is pretty meh but I thought the story was important because at this point so many of the FLDS memoirs are dated, ending when Warren was arrested. It was very interesting to read how he controls his followers from jail, from not being to hug their spouses to limiting every single food they eat.

[freethemall]

Ok it doesn't seem like anyone else is reading in this thread but just in case - I'm reading the Polygamist's Daughter by Anna LeBaron and there's mentions of Gothard, several times! She and her sister become basically born-again Christians and the sister buys the ATI curriculum and quotes Gothard, plans to fly out to meet him.

[Briefly]

On 3/26/2018 at 3:21 PM, freethemall said:

I liked it, though it was very difficult and emotional to read because  SO.MUCH.SEXUAL.ABUSE. Warren Jeffs is truly, truly an evil pedophile. The writing is pretty meh but I thought the story was important because at this point so many of the FLDS memoirs are dated, ending when Warren was arrested. It was very interesting to read how he controls his followers from jail, from not being to hug their spouses to limiting every single food they eat.

I just read that (Rachel Jeff's book about her father). He is a monster. I'm so glad that she and her children got away, but I don't think she left the actual religion. Just her husband and got away from the polygamy/FLDS church itself.

On 3/25/2018 at 12:37 PM, freethemall said:

My top 5 would be:

1. Escape by Carolyn Jessop

2. Under the Banner of Heaven by Krakauer (clearly best written, the memoirs are all great but most are ghost writers)

3. Stolen Innocence by Elissa Wall

4. Shattered Dreams by Irene Spencer (gotta have some LeBaron crazy on the list (

5. Breaking Free (only because at this point it tells the most updated story of the FLDS community with how Jeffs controls from jail).

I'm reading the Polygamists Daughter next. 

I'm not sure if I've read Breaking Free, but I have read the rest of them.  Under the Banner of Heaven is very well written and very informative.

[quiversR4hunting]

On 5/18/2018 at 2:35 PM, freethemall said:

Ok it doesn't seem like anyone else is reading in this thread but just in case - I'm reading the Polygamist's Daughter by Anna LeBaron and there's mentions of Gothard, several times! She and her sister become basically born-again Christians and the sister buys the ATI curriculum and quotes Gothard, plans to fly out to meet him.

Who are Anna's parents? I've read about the LeBaron family but not sure if I read this book. 

[suglo]

Who are Anna's parents? I've read about the LeBaron family but not sure if I read this book. 

Ervil LeBaron and his fourth wife, Anna Mae Marston.

[freethemall]

2 hours ago, quiversR4hunting said:

Who are Anna's parents? I've read about the LeBaron family but not sure if I read this book. 

Ervil LeBaron is the father who is essentially the polygamist Charles Manson. Basically if you only knew about 1 LeBaron, it'd be him.

[quiversR4hunting]

26 minutes ago, freethemall said:

Ervil LeBaron is the father who is essentially the polygamist Charles Manson. Basically if you only knew about 1 LeBaron, it'd be him.

I read "shattered dreams" and "the favored wife" (I think that is the name) so I had Irene's take and then a subsequent wife's take on the same compound and husband. 

I had to look it up, I have read more about Verlan, Ervil's brother. Both books talked about Ervil*.

*My phone autocorrect wants to change Ervil to either Devil or Evil. Both are appropriate!

[freethemall]

9 hours ago, quiversR4hunting said:

I read "shattered dreams" and "the favored wife" (I think that is the name) so I had Irene's take and then a subsequent wife's take on the same compound and husband. 

I had to look it up, I have read more about Verlan, Ervil's brother. Both books talked about Ervil*.

*My phone autocorrect wants to change Ervil to either Devil or Evil. Both are appropriate!

Irene Spencer wrote a second book that described everything with Ervil more - Cult Insanity. I think with Shattered Dreams she didn't want his drama overshadowing her own story. Ervil killed his and Verlans brother Joel (the prophet of the colony) and tried to kill Verlan too. And then he had others carry out his murders, even years after he was dead.

So I finished Anna's book last night and found another interesting connection - I kept noticing Anna looks EXACTLY like Christine Brown from Sister Wives, and in the q&a at the end she says they're actually cousins (1c1r). Turns out:

Christine's maternal grandfather is Floran LeBaron, Ervil and Verlans brother, AND

Christine's paternal grandfather is Rulon Allred, the FLDS prophet Ervil had murdered by one of his wives.

Crazy how all these polygamist people are connected!

[melon]

On 3/26/2018 at 4:21 PM, freethemall said:

I liked it, though it was very difficult and emotional to read because  SO.MUCH.SEXUAL.ABUSE. Warren Jeffs is truly, truly an evil pedophile. The writing is pretty meh but I thought the story was important because at this point so many of the FLDS memoirs are dated, ending when Warren was arrested. It was very interesting to read how he controls his followers from jail, from not being to hug their spouses to limiting every single food they eat.

Absolutely!I was just going to ask,if it was just me.I do find this books interesting,but at the same time because of the sexual abuse and physical abuse,as well,I find them depressing,too.