Favorite Wife: Escape from Polygamy

by Susan Ray Schmidt

She had no choice in the matter-none of the girls did. Her mission was to give birth to and raise many children in devoted service to a shared husband. Susan was fifteen years old when she became the sixth wife of Verlan LeBaron- one of the leaders of a rogue Mormon cult engaged in a blood feud with his brother that, from 1972 to 1988, claimed up to two dozen lives and led one prosecutor to call their descendants a Lord of the Flies generation. In this gripping and eloquent book, Susan Ray Schmidt tells the story of growing up on the inside and of her ultimate escape. Delving more deeply into this mysterious underworld than any previous work, Favorite Wife is a powerful account of the affairs of the heart, coming of age under exceptional circumstances, and the tough choices that are sometimes painfully necessary to preserve human dignity.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Religion, Polygamy, Cults, Biography, Book Club

424 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2009

About the author

Susan Ray Schmidt is an American author, activist and lecturer, notable for her memoir and anti-polygamy activism.

Schmidt's memoir, Favorite Wife: Escape from Polygamy, describes the abuses she suffered while practicing polygamy and adopts a firm anti-polygamy stance. It details leaving Mormon fundamentalism for mainstream Christianity and her beliefs on spirituality.

Reviews

[Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sadly, while this story is remarkable, the writing is not. Susan Ray Schmidt's account of her life as part of Colonia LeBaron, plural-wife to one of the infamous LeBaron brothers, has all the elements of a juicy memoir. She is right in the midst of the warring fundamentalist polygamist communities, and her time with the LeBarons spans some fascinating, dark, real-life stories. Unfortunately, Schmidt tends to quickly gloss over the more interesting historical incidents and spend a good deal of time on minutia. While the personal elements can certainly strengthen a narrative and "inside look," but in this case it seems unbalanced: too little story, too much repetitive inner monologue.

[♥Milica♥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has been on my radar for a while, but I wasn't sure when I'd get to it. I decided to push it up my tbr when I saw Susan Ray Schmidt in a documentary on ID several months ago. I think (but don't quote me on that) it was a documentary about the blood attonement murders and she was featured in it. And I was like wait, where have I heard her name before? And then it clicked.

I picked up the audiobook which is 22 hours long. The reason why I mention the length is that I tend to listen to audios at around 2.5x speed so I can comfortably finish an 8 hour audio in a day. This one however I felt the urge to savour a bit, while also wanting to know what happened next.

So what happened is that I listened to the first half from 1.5x speed to 1.8x and then increased to 2x for the second half. And then I didn't increase the speed anymore, I just enjoyed the experience.

Today I listened to around 7 hours of it, mostly in one go which just shows how engrossed I was in the story.

The narator (also named Susan) brought the story to life. I don't think I've ever heard a nonfiction narrator put in so much soul and effort into a performance? First time for everything.

The whole book, I feel, is written almost like fiction, as in it's so interesting that you can hardly stop reading. This works in its favour, and I'm convinced that's partially why the narrator did such a good job with it.

I also really like the writing style, because through it I was able to be in the moment with Susan and experience everything she was feeling, from love to anger to sadness.

The way Susan writes about Verlan is almost sweet at the start, until you remember that she's 14, and he's a grown man. And to think I thought he'd be better than Ervil...

Well, I guess Verlan was better in some ways, but he still married and courted underage girls so, the bar is so low it's in hell.

The point is, I was able to see what Susan saw in him and why she fell in love with him through the story, which not many people can accomplish.

Then they got married and things of course changed. I can only partially imagine how hard that must've been for Susan, thanks to this book.

But yeah, Favorite Wife was amazing, I always love learning new things about polygamous sects and this book delivered.

I would kind of recommend watching a documentary first though, before diving into this book because there are A LOT of important people, and A LOTTT of names to remember, so that might make it easier.

At the end we also got updates about how her family that's still in the cult is doing, and some other books on the subject to read which were already on my tbr, but you guessed it, they're getting bumped up.

I only wish that we got more about her life after her escape, but maybe that can go in another memoir?

That's it for now, and I honestly can't wait to reread this.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. From the minute I opened it up I could not put it down. I stayed up way too late at night because I wanted to see what was going to happen next. I would often find myself just thinking about this girl and her life and was eager until I could sit down next and read what was going to happen.
The way the Author, Susan Ray Schmidt, portrayed the life of polygamy was amazing. I took away an understand of why polygamy is important to the fundamentalist Mormon people, and understand how easy it is to manipulate a young girl, and others, into believing this is the right life to live to get into heaven. The amount of brainwashing there was is amazing. I can not fathom the idea of sharing my husband with several other women. I can not imagine being married and having children at the age of 15 for my religion. This book really opened my eyes to the corruption of the fundamentalist Mormon Church. And to know that this is still going on is unbelievable.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone that can’t grasp the idea of polygamy or understand why women choose this lifestyle. I would recommend this book to anyone who would like to learn about different lifestyles and who is looking for a book they don’t want to put down.

[Patti · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first 100 pages are extremely uncomfortable. Susan takes you back to the mindset of an innocent 14 year old girl and it reads like my junior high diary full of "Does he like me? Do I like him?" The main difference is, though, that the boys that are flirting and winking at Susan are actually grown men, old enough to be her father, and are doing it in the company of their current wives.

It is amazing to read about these women who are continually neglected and left to fend for themselves in, fighting over time with their wayward husbands and treating them like royalty. Their stories drew me in. Susan was bravely transparent when describing the emotions involved with being a plural life. It would be insane watching your husband date another woman while you could barely make ends meet!

When Susan was finally ready to think for herself and question her situation, I felt so proud and relieved for her. It takes a lot to go from where she started and reach the conclusions she came to. 25 years old and 6 kids? I can’t imagine.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

His Favorite Wife: Trapped in Polygamy fascinated and repulsed me, a combination that makes for a compelling read. Knowing the book tells a true story drove the fascination/repulsion. I am interested in reading one of the other books the author lists in the epilogue to learn more.

About the book: Susan Ray Schmidt is a descriptive author. I was there with her in the colonies through her anguish and gratitude. I felt her love and anger and turmoil.

While I acknowledge that the book is but one perspective (hers), I think she is fair in her descriptions and leaves room for me as the reader to come to my own conclusions. I do not feel bullied or manipulated into that understanding. It seemed like Susan's descriptions showed me how life was rather than telling me what to think about it. I could draw my own conclusions. Not until the final chapter do I feel Susan added some of her own analysis and opinions of the life in which she had been immersed as she started to look back. Before that, because her descriptions were in the present, I liked reading what was in her mind at the time that led her to make whatever present decision was at hand, to get married, to bite her tongue or to say something, or to visit one person or another.

[Ashley Hoopes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the true story of a woman's experience of being the "favorite wife" of her fundamentalist mormon polygamist husband. It was pretty eye opening for me to see what it's like to live in a fundamentalist community with religious leaders who claim to be receiving personal revelation from God on a daily basis, especially when the bulk of their revelation has to do with which 14 year old God has commanded them to marry.

This darling girl was a true believer who would do whatever was asked of her by her Prophet and her religious leaders. She is very candid and exposes her true feelings of falling in love with the older, charismatic religious leader. She is smitten by all the attention and affection that she craves as a teenager.

Once she is married, life quickly changes and she sees the reality of what her life will be like-being one of many wives (more than she realized at the begining of her marriage), living in poverty, dealing with the jealousy and infighting of the other wives, while trying to make sense of the isolation and loneliness that she feels.

The pictures alone, of her with her babies, and all the other young wives with their many babies, are jaw dropping. She is a survivor and tells this amazing story with compassion and honesty. I highly recommend this book.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to educate myself to the world of Polygamy. This is a true story about a group of Mormons who broke away from the church in Utah in the early 70's and went to Mexico to start a cult called The Lambs of God. The book did go on an on sometimes, but I looked everything up and all of it was true. Story about 14 year old Susanna Ray who was married at the age of 14 to someone at least 20 years older. She was his fifth wife. By the time she was 23 with 5 kids her husband was on Wife No. 12 with a total of around 59 kids. This is an account of what it was like - severe poverty, left to take care of yourselfs on around 20 dollars a week with the other sister-wifes. Eventually her husband Verlan LeBaron and his brother, Ervil, were at odds and it all ended up in many murders and family members killing family members. Susan came to her senses at age 24 and ran away to Utah with her 6 kids. What a way of life!!!! I suggest you read it although it does ramble about the same things at times.

[Kartika · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know a lot about polygamy. I know a little more now. What I did know before reading this book is that it the lifestyle didn't interest me, however it did make me wonder. Having read this account, I know this gal couldn't have tolerated the experience. Not for anything. I found tho, that I may be interested in reading a book by Susan Schmidt's sister wife, Irene, as it would give a different point of view of the same situation from one of the sisters that I thought was portrayed as a strong, but at the same time dependent, woman.

[LibraryCin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Susan Ray was only 15 when she fell in love with Verlon LeBaron, 23 years her senior. He also already had five other wives. They were part of the FLDS (the polygamous Mormons). Verlon’s brother, Ervil, tried to win Susan away from Verlon, but lucky for Susan (in a way), she realized something was “off” and went back to Verlon. Once Susan and Verlon got married, though, Verlon was rarely home as Susan tried to get along with Verlon’s other wives, tried to feed herself (and later on, her multiple children) and get (rare) time with Verlon. Verlon was also in a bit of a power struggle (within the church) with Ervil, as Ervil lured more people (including some of Susan’s family) away in order to help with his “blood atonement” (that is, murders).

The vast bulk of the book was while she was part of the FLDS. I would have liked a bit more about her life after she left, but this was really just a chapter or two toward the end of the book, but I did appreciate that she also brought the reader up to date on many of the other people she knew and mentioned in this book. I have read a few other books about the LeBarons, but they must have been long enough ago that I didn’t remember a whole lot about this part of the FLDS (Susan’s story takes place in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s; many of the other FLDS books I’ve read were later in time after the Jeffs’ family was ruling).

[Kavita · Rating 3 out of 5]

His Favorite Wife: Trapped in Polygamy is the fictionalised memoir of Susan Ray Schmidt, who escaped from the polygamous cult and made a new life for herself. This book offers a detailed and intimate portrayal of her personal life in a polygamous marriage, the cult’s inner workings, and the entire drama surrounding Ervil Lebaron’s murder spree.

First, let me get the quality of writing out of the way first. I was not looking for academic level perfection, but the writing was bad by any standards. The book is riddled with punctuation and grammatical errors. Much of the writing was a complete imitation of spoken English, rather than written language. The author could also have done with a crash course on the use of adverbs. The abundance of ‘real good’s and ‘real bad’s just annoyed me a lot. I realise that this was written by a woman with very little education, but that’s what publishers and editors are there for! I really do not enjoy wading into a book with a red pen, but that is what I was doing throughout this book – mentally correcting the grammar.

Susan Ray gives us an inside look into the workings of the Church of the Firstborn. At the age of fifteen, she has a ‘revelation’ from God in a dream, falls in ‘love’ with a man old enough to be her father and agrees to marry him as his sixth wife. As the true hardships of a polygamous marriage slowly dawns upon Susan, the church itself is being split apart, all culminating in several murders, prosecutions and divorces.

It was only when I finished the book did I realise that in spite of the problems with the book, the content itself was fascinating and had kept me hooked. I enjoyed reading about Susan and her family, the personal way in which she described the church and its functions, and the interrelationships between the people with whom she associated. Raw emotions spilled out over the pages and really draws you into the story. It was interesting to see a basically loving family being split apart because of polygamy. I had always read about abused and controlled wives, but Verlan was not of their number. He loved his wives, his wives loved each other, but it never resulted in the family ever becoming one unit.

The narrative basically sticks to the author’s own experiences, so it does not delve too deep into the murders committed by Evril Lebaron and his followers. I would have liked reading more about it. I also want to know more about Verlan’s ‘accident’, which was only fleetingly touched upon. Another thing that leaves a sense of incompleteness is that the author does not really describe her struggles after she moves out of polygamy. She suddenly just gets married and is perfectly happy. Fair enough but it would have been interesting to see how she fared from the time she left Verlan to the time she met Denis.

I just loved the bibliography of books to read on this subject, that she provided at the end. A good read, but keep the red pen out!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually came across this book sitting on a table - picked it up to kill some time and couldn't put it down until I was done. As a Mormon I was intrigued by this group of people who have broken away from my faith, using the same scriptures, but who believe and interpret them very differently than I do (and by the way, spoiler alert - Mormon's are not polygamists, so if you think we are you need to educate yourselves. I also do not have horns or a tail, in case you were wondering). In a way this is a tragic love story and at the same time it is a story of faith, sacrifice, and the journey we all must go through to decide what we believe independent of our family and society. The story is so well written that it is hard for me to believe that Susan is a first time author who had very little formal education as a child. At age 15 Susan marries a leader in the Church of the First Born, Verlan LaBaron a man some 26 years her senior with 5 other wives. The story takes you through her journey of sacrifice, abandonment, and religious conflict. I cannot even imagine the constant sacrifice and heartbreak that she and her sister-wives went through in an effort to reach eternal glory, only for her to find she had lost her faith in the Church itself. The story also discusses, although not in great detail, the fracturing of the Church as one brother, Ervil LeBaron, tries to take control of the Church an actually enacts "blood atonment" by killing those in opposition to him. Although publicly the story of Ervil is one people recognize, it was Susan's story that compelled me. I enjoyed her perspective on the scriptures, its references for or against polygamy, and why the people of her former faith believe as they do. I cannot judge these people, they are living in a way that they believe is necessary for eternal life with their Heavenly Father, and people will sacrifice much to return to heaven in glory. Having said that, the cruelity of the lifestyle, although unintented, and the tremendous neglect and abuse of the families is heartbreaking. I hope that as Susan states in the Epiloge, that she has truly found life after polygamy and that all of her 7 children have as well. It is a humbling book.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting perspective from the 6th wife of fundamentalist polygamist, Verlan LeBaron. Susan Ray Schmidt's book was intriguing and definitely a fun read. From reading two accounts from the wives of LeBaron, I was able to glimpse into the horrific world of polygamy. I had no idea the lifestyle entails poverty, loneliness, intense jealousies and rivalries. Susan ultimately becomes a Christian after leaving the church; in this case, Church of the Firstborn of the Fullness of Times, a rouge Mormon cult.

[Korey · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I prefer the Irene Spencer accounts of the LeBaron highjinks but this was still a good read. The prose was nothing special but the story itself is super interesting. Mormon fundamentalist compounds are endlessly fascinating to me, and the LeBaron were one of the craziest.

[Michelle Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a hard time staying engaged with this narrative. I don't know if it is because I have read several books on this subject matter, the writing (which wasn't awful), or just because I was totally disgusted by Verlan and Ervil LeBaron's predatory way of "courting" these underaged girls. It just turned my stomach, as a mother of girls, I just felt so strongly that they were being groomed by pedophiles. Ugh, it was really hard for me to read all of the stuff that led up to her "marriage" and if the way she described being treated by Verlan was even half true, I do not understand why he felt the need to marry her or any other "brides"? Just warehousing all of these women makes little to no sense.

When one is confronted by the abject poverty these poor children had to live in, I was just overwhelmed.

I also got really tired of all of the church jargon. It made me want to just give up. I appreciate it being there because that is what I chose to read the book for, an insider's experience but it got to be a lot.

I really appreciated her epilogue. I had googled several people's names to try to get an idea of what might have happened to them after the time period that the book covered.

This was a hard read for me. The ick factor was really high, for me. I felt so sorry for her and for the other child, polygamous brides and their children. o spend your life in squalor because of some sketchy religious beliefs is hard to fathom.

Again, this book took me longer to read than what is normal, for me. I cannot pinpoint exactly why. I am glad I read this book, it added to my knowledge of people who actually lived this lifestyle.

I would recommend this to others.

[Jameya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was great. Very well-written, engaging, honest and generally fascinating. I don't know HOW this woman was able to recall do much, but she did s helluva job bringing it all together and actually really making it feel like it was all happening to you! The story was so shocking in do many ways but amazing to know it's all true!

The last thing is, I felt this book to be SO good and interesting that I've already lined up at least five more just like it om my "to read" list. I really hope they turn out to be just as good, if not better.

[Dayna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Despite the small font and cramped text on the pages, this book was awesome - I read it night and day until the last page. The author's first-person account of life in a polygamous group in Mexico was eye-opening in that it truly evoked the feelings of the author and drew me into what she was feeling as she survived her lifetime ordeal. Like a few other first-person accounts I've read recently, this is not a piece of literature by any means, but is an unforgettable account well worth reading.

[Krista · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought it was an interesting book about the polygamous sect without a lot of physical abuse that some of the other polygamous have had in it. I found it sad that the husband really did not want anything to do with his children. He did really seem to just be interested in the intimate relationship from his wives. His family was living in severe poverty. I was really surprised that none of them were seriously ill.

[Lataun · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting. Made me think about how easy it is to grow up and believe things because that's all you've ever known. And how courageous this woman was to question things and make a change on her own with 5 little kids. It had a lot of topics for discussion.

[Elise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very long read and written in a very historic/textbook style, but it's a fascinating history. It's a little hard to read, in that you want to smack the author, but it's extremely interesting. I've looked into a few other books just so I can learn more about this bizarre culture.

[Michelle lowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very good book. It explains a lot of polygamy from the eyes of a wife.

[Patty Boone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thought the story was very interesting. I have a friend that grew up in this cult. I'm completely intrigued by the lifestyle and escape from the cult.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This kind of dragged in the middle for me, but I’m glad I finished the book. Very interesting history of some crazy people!!

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Possible spoilers, but this is non-fiction.*

This was an interesting book. It offered a very different perspective from the other books on polygamy that I'd read.

Susan is a young girl growing up in a polygamous community in Mexico. She is very treasured by her family and when she as a dream at fourteen that reveals to her the identity of her future husband, it is readily accepted by all. So much in fact, that she marries him a year later. The man is Varlan, the brother of the prophet of their sect. He already has five wives, but so charms Susan that she believes it is God's will that she marry him. His brother tries to get her for himself but she eventually sees how insidious he really is and goes with Verlan instead.

The rest of the book deals with her hardships of being a multiple wife and just her struggles in living as well. Verlan is not able to properly care for his large family and often the family lacks food, decent lodging, and good clothes. Not helping this is the fact that a couple babies are born every year adding to the mouths to feed. Susan herself goes on to have 5 before she even reaches her mid-twenties.

This book had an interesting perspective because for the majority of the time Susan liked her religion and being a polygamous wife. Sure she didn't like sharing all the time but when it came down to it she did believe in the lifestyle. It wasn't until a bit later when she had had several kids already that she started to become disillusioned. A lot of that too I think stemmed from the hardships she was living and the poverty.

There is one thing that I kind of wondered about though. The subtitle of the book is Trapped in Polygamy, but really, compared to some of the other stories I've read, Susan was able to get out very easy once she made up her mind to do it. She was delayed by pregnancy a couple times but when she truly wanted out, there were no death threats, no trouble with local law, her husband finally accepted. It was a lot different than some of the women who have tried to escape those types of relationships in the United States. I'm not downplaying her struggles, but it amazes me that being in a different country even it still wasn't that hard for her to get out.

The book does end on a good note with her leaving. She also thoughtfully includes a chapter that lets us know where the rest of the sect is and how they ended up. It is interesting to note that a lot of Verlan's wives ended up leaving. Once again, a fascinating subject and I'm sure I'll be hitting the books to find out more on the topic.

His Favorite Wife: Trapped in Polygamy
Copyright 2006
418 pages plus a photo album

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Between what I’ve previously read, as well as what I’ve seen in television coverage, much of what is disclosed in here about live in a polygamous marriage was already somewhat familiar to me. It is clear that polygamy, as practiced by the fundamentalist sects that have separated from the mainline Mormon church, is rife with neglect, exploitation, and outright abuse. In many (if not most) cases, the men are simply incapable of providing sufficient material or monetary support for their plural wives and families, and the demands of these wives and families stretches the commitments of the men far past any reasonable breaking point. I suspect that many women remain in these relationships only because of a troubling combination of indoctrination, lack of education, and intimidation.

This book is an eye witness account of the realities of life in such a polygamous community. The author was raised in this environment and chose to become the sixth wife of one of the leaders of her church, a man old enough to be her father. While the validity of her choice might be questioned based on her age, the author doesn’t spend much time questioning that choice, but instead describes her life as a young, plural wife and mother, along with her eventual disillusionment with the doctrine of polygamy, and finally her escape from the community. For those who are unfamiliar with the details of this practice, this account is likely to be both eye opening and disturbing.

For me, though, the more interesting part of this book was the description of the internal conflict inside the community and the violence that erupted from it. This polygamist sect was, essentially, a cult of personality, built on one family’s claim to divine revelation. Much of the church’s influence rested upon the personality of their ‘prophet’, who is portrayed here as being a sympathetic character, who generally used his position with care and concern for others. However, his brother is portrayed as power-hungry and ultimately unbalanced, eventually leading to a break in the community and a violent series of murders. It is a fascinating look into the dynamics of a community built upon the power of personality, and what can happen in such a community when those who control it become self-absorbed and desperate for total control.

A search on the internet seems to show the events described in this book as being largely corroborated by other sources, which makes boosts the credibility of the rest of the contents, so that this becomes a powerful witness to the ugly realities of plural marriage.

[Shana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know what it is about polygamy that makes me want to read every book that's ever been written about it. Most of these books are pretty fascinating and this one did not disappoint. However, this is not a story about escaping from polygamy so much as it is about growing up in polygamy, coming of age in polygamy, marrying an older guy, being one of many wives, having a bunch of kids, living in poor conditions and then escaping from polygamy. (Sorry, I hope no one considers that "spoilers." But it IS a book about escaping polygamy, so a lot of that shouldn't have surprised you.) What makes this even more interesting is that the polygamous group Susan is involved with is run by these brothers who, I'm just going to come out and say it, have some very terrible names. (Alma, Verlan and Ervil? Are these sounds the mother made while giving birth? And seriously, how can you name a kid Ervil and not expect him to turn out Evil? You're just asking for it. But I digress.) So Ervil is in fact evil (Evil Ervil...say it three times fast!) and basically breaks away from the rest of the group and starts going around killing people. (Also not a spoiler because there was a TV movie about it with Brian Dennehy, which I am now fervently hoping that Lifetime Movie Network reruns because I'm not sure if I've seen it or not.) So basically, there's a lot of crazy sh*t going on and once you get past the first 50 pages (which are kind of slow) it's pretty much impossible to put down. So skim the first 50 pages and then admit to yourself that you're never going to get any of the things done that you meant to do this weekend because you're going to be reading this book.

[Kylara Jensen]

I usually really enjoy reading memoirs, but this one was hard.

It's not the subject matter, except it kind of is. I was very fascinated by the whole story and I was interested the whole time. It's just, this is a difficult subject matter to read about.

And it's not the narrative style, except it is. The narrative wasn't poorly written. In fact it was done in a very engaging style that kept me hooked all the way to the end. I finished it in 2 sittings.

It's just. Memoirs are usually written like this: I am old now, but back in the day when I was 15 here is what happened to me. And then it goes on in the style of an older person reminiscing about the past. You the reader are more removed from what is happening.

This book was written in a very close first person narrative like I am 15 and here is what is happening to me right now. This is what I am thinking, because I am a 15 year old girl who is writing this. In this book, you (the reader) are very close to the action. You are inside the head of the author.

It reads more like a fiction book almost.

So here's the problem. You are reading about a 15 year old girl being manipulated into falling in love with a 40 year old guy who has 4 other wives. And then marrying him. And having a bunch of kids.

And it's all kind of squicky.

But a very fascinating, easy to read insight to a very messed up part of our history.

[Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I must be sick because I am drawn to these books about polygamy, unusual families, and unconventional life styles. They fascinate me, and I am able to peek into a world (from a safe distance, of course) that I would never know otherwise. Susan is raised in a community where polygamy a normal occurrence, a living prophet exists, and the citizens don't seem to realize the poverty they live in.

The writing here is not going to impress anyone, but Susan's story is well told. Unlike the LDS church, woman of the Church of the Firstborn don't seem to suffer the same type of physical abuse. They're neglected in many ways, but seem to have a little bit of say in their own lives. Susan was a very young bride to one of the leaders of the church.

Eventually, Susan's brother-in-law decides there are things their religion is missing - specifically blood atonement. This creates a terrifying time for the church members, and leaves several dead or wounded. This was a difficult book to put down. It's fascinating to read, but may also make readers thankful that they are not living in the same culture.

[Jessica Padgett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is hard to pin down. It gives you a lot to think about and how she ever put it into words I can't even fathom. The lives of Joel LeBaron's followers, specifically the authors really puts into perspective how low religious fanaticism can go. Most people don't think of Christians as having terrorists and murderers in their midst but this book makes you realize that those beliefs are wrong. Ervil LeBaron was a terrorist and a murderer. He may not have ever dirtied his own hands with the actual killings but he most certainly was guilty of leading those good people astray for his own personal desires and greed. The author seems certain that polygamy was a major part of the church's problem (not just Ervil) and that it strayed too far from what she considered being a good christian once she took it upon herself to read the texts they were supposed to be living by and yet weren't. All in all, a very thought provoking book. I am grateful I was never put into a position like that and I was free to make my own decisions and establish my own opinions in regards to family and religion. Who knows where I would have ended up.

[Wesley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting story of a young woman growing up in a Mexican fundamentalist Mormon community. I found Susan Ray to be a fantastic narrator; not the best writer but not awful either. She slowly unwinds the history of the LeBaron clan's attempts to convert the masses and the eventual inner turmoil/philosophical differences that grew from them. Susan Ray's story plays out like an ill-conceived soap opera - romance, murder, polygamy, extreme poverty and contrasting wealth, exotic locations, several piano interludes and a disturbing amount of statutory rape. But it's not a soap opera, it really happened.

I was fascinated by her attachment to her husband Verlan, a Church leader who continually tests her willpower. Favorite Wife was a thoughtful investigation of a woman's journey towards spiritual/personal/emotional self-discovery, and her ultimate withdrawal from the Church.

I may even check out Irene's book about her experiences as Verlan's wife and Susan's sister-wife.

[angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ooh the first two thirds of this book had me really riled up, but I was always rooting for Susan. It was quite interesting to read about a community I knew very little about. If all you knew- your whole family and community- were buying into a certain way of life and you were expected to do the same when you came of age, it would just seem normal to you. Of course I'm looking at it through my own cultural lens, but it's hard to be open-minded about grown men taking new teenagers as their wives every year, impregnating them, and then having them live in squalor with their other wives. Even though Susan was often angry with her husband and grew apart from him, there was still a basic level of respect she showed him, even when talking about the bad times. Overall, it was quite interesting. And thank God I wasn't born into that religion.