Shattered Dreams, My life as a Polygamist's wife
by Irene Spencer
Shattered Dreams, My life...
by
Irene Spencer
|
|
| published
|
2007
|
| isbn
|
|
| date added
|
12-08-07
|
|
Sign in to Goodreads to see your friends' reviews of Shattered Dreams, My life as a Polygamist's wife.
discuss this book
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
groups with this book
Book Club
7 members
last activity: 02/13/2008 02:08PM
location: Greenbelt, MD
friend reviews (0)
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
other reviews
(showing 1-20 of 695)
Reading this book left me with at least one clear and resounding thought: "Thank God I wasn't raised in a crazy religious cult." Irene Spencer tells a mesmerizing tale of her upbringing as a fourth generation fundamentalist Mormon, an upbringing that led her into a polygamous marriage at age sixteen. Taught all her life to uphold the Principle of plural marriage, the author sacrificed again and again, leaving a man she truly loved (but whose insistence on monogamy would have damned ...more
Reading this book left me with at least one clear and resounding thought: "Thank God I wasn't raised in a crazy religious cult." Irene Spencer tells a mesmerizing tale of her upbringing as a fourth generation fundamentalist Mormon, an upbringing that led her into a polygamous marriage at age sixteen. Taught all her life to uphold the Principle of plural marriage, the author sacrificed again and again, leaving a man she truly loved (but whose insistence on monogamy would have damned her eternally, as her elders told her) to enter a world of poverty and unhappiness. Amazingly, she stuck with the marriage for twenty-five years, produced fourteen children, and "welcomed" nine other wives into her family. She moved dozens of times, all around Mexico, and Nicaragua. Most of her homes had no electricity. Jealousy and misery marked much of the author's life, though she kept her spirits up through a strong sense of humor.
I got angry reading this book, frustrated, and often compeltely horrified. I wanted the author to remove her children from the life she'd given them. Then I'd remind myself that the author was the product of indoctrination. The fact that she left the lifestyle at all says something about her determination.
I recommend the book with a few reservations. It's a great story, but the dialogue often seems unrealistic. This could easily be explained by the fact that the author was trying to recreate conversations she'd had decades ago. Sometimes I wondered about the authenticity of the spirit of those conversations though. I can't say for sure what made me think this except that some of the conversations felt too scripted. The second thing that bugged me about the book was that the author, although obviously happier once she finally left polygamy, traded in one kind of fundamentalism for another. She proudly talks about being a Born Again Christian in the epilogue. She ended the book still talking about God's great gifts in her life, and I wondered why she felt that her Mormon fundamentalist beliefs were all wrong but these new ones were all right. ...less
Shattered Dreams is a fascinating look at a way of life totally foreign to most people. Irene Spencer grew up in the branch of the Mormon faith that still believed in polygamy. As the second of what was ultimately her husband's ten wives, she became the mother of thirteen of his 58 children. The statistics are important as they show the unimaginable situation in which Irene Spencer spent much of her life.
This book is a brutally honest memoir of a woman' life. It follows her from place to pl...more
Shattered Dreams is a fascinating look at a way of life totally foreign to most people. Irene Spencer grew up in the branch of the Mormon faith that still believed in polygamy. As the second of what was ultimately her husband's ten wives, she became the mother of thirteen of his 58 children. The statistics are important as they show the unimaginable situation in which Irene Spencer spent much of her life.
This book is a brutally honest memoir of a woman' life. It follows her from place to place, never enough money, rarely in a finished house, living in abject poverty. She loves her husband but is able to spend very little time with him. He is spread too thin trying to meet the needs of both his large family and his church. She yearns for romance and affection, neither of which have a place in the religion she embraces. Her husband rarely sees his children- hard to spend quality time with 58 children. She helps her "sister wives" with their children in an extended system of family and obligations.
Shattered Dreams is a glimpse into the incredible life of one woman. She is able to take the reader through the many journeys, locations and situations in which she found herself. Her ability to look back on the emotions she suffered and share them is a gift she shares thoughtfully and clearly. It is an emotional tale but told without self pity, without holding back on any part of it.
It has basic background on the church, its history and turbulence as it affects her life. A follow up to this memoir would be most welcomed to expand on the Mormon Church and the events that are mentioned in this book. Irene Spencer's ability to handle concrete details along with a descriptive voice would make her an ideal author to examine and share more information on this subject. ...less
Read in October, 2007
It was interesting to me that a book on polygamy was on the Amazon Top 100, so I put it on hold at the library. I think the authors story, while certainly tragic, is different from most of the polygamist girls that are married off young. Her mother left her father (as did another of the fathers 3 wives) when the author was young. Her mother then begged her for years not to follow into polygamy. She had a nice guy she was in love with who was desperate to marry her - monogamously. Yet she st...more
It was interesting to me that a book on polygamy was on the Amazon Top 100, so I put it on hold at the library. I think the authors story, while certainly tragic, is different from most of the polygamist girls that are married off young. Her mother left her father (as did another of the fathers 3 wives) when the author was young. Her mother then begged her for years not to follow into polygamy. She had a nice guy she was in love with who was desperate to marry her - monogamously. Yet she still chose polygamy, and became the 2nd of what would be 10 wives to a controlling, selfish jerk. She was a mother to 14 children, before she had a nervous breakdown and ran away from her Mexican home, where she returned to for just one year not much later. Her husband died in a car crash just days after she told him she was going to follow through with the divorce she had been threatening for years. While visiting one of her sons in Alaska, she became a born-again Christian, and has now been married to her current husband (as the only wife) for 19 years.
So it's sad. Really sad. But I just felt like she had a lot more choice to enter polygamy than a lot of other child brides. So while she tried to blame everything on her husband and upbringing, I just didn't totally buy that....less
Read in November, 2007
Fascinating train wreck of a story, but my feminist sensibilities had a hard time allowing the author to lead such a life. She turned down a chance a real love to do what she thought god wanted. Strike one. Followed "signs" to lead her into what she knew would be a life of submission and silence. Strike two. Any children would also be prey. Strikes three, four, and five.
At the hands of men, she had decades full of heartbreak, broken promises, charismatic bullies and endless suffering...more
Fascinating train wreck of a story, but my feminist sensibilities had a hard time allowing the author to lead such a life. She turned down a chance a real love to do what she thought god wanted. Strike one. Followed "signs" to lead her into what she knew would be a life of submission and silence. Strike two. Any children would also be prey. Strikes three, four, and five.
At the hands of men, she had decades full of heartbreak, broken promises, charismatic bullies and endless suffering under the pretense of it all being god's command. Religious brainwashing, faith, call it what you will, is not an excuse - for all of her yelling and screaming she didn't try to help herself until it was almost too late.
I just couldn't summon sympathy for her and was at times disgusted with her alternating tales of strength and weakness - "refused" to allow her husband another wife? Well, he did it anyway and she accepted it. Children malnourished because this husband was off working, marrying, etc. elsewhere? Oh well, she'll just beg and borrow food instead of holding the man who kept her helpless accountable. This ain't no "Big Love".
Compelling book, but the author? Well, she just pissed me off. ...less
bookshelves:
favorites,
non-fiction
Read in April, 2008
I really enjoyed this memoir. Knowing very little about the fundamentalist Mormon church, I found Spencer's candor and honesty about being a polygamist's wife refreshing, heartbreaking, and informative. Spencer never stoops to the level of pathos or moralizing. She tells her story straight-up and to the point, detailing how she falls in love with her brother-in-law and becomes his second wife, the abject poverty she lived in for much of her life, bearing 13 children, and more often than not, ...more
I really enjoyed this memoir. Knowing very little about the fundamentalist Mormon church, I found Spencer's candor and honesty about being a polygamist's wife refreshing, heartbreaking, and informative. Spencer never stoops to the level of pathos or moralizing. She tells her story straight-up and to the point, detailing how she falls in love with her brother-in-law and becomes his second wife, the abject poverty she lived in for much of her life, bearing 13 children, and more often than not, caring for 20+ children.
The end, which details her eventual conversion to Christianity, got a little too "God-heavy" for my personal tastes, but I respect her description of learning to love a more benevolent God as represented by the Christian faith, rather than the punishing and angry God as represented by the fundamentalist Mormon faith.
All that being said, though, what I liked most about the book is that for all the crap that Spencer lived through, she never once "bad-mouths" the fundamentalist Mormon faith. She points out the flaws of polygamy and the belief structure, but she never gets dirty and starts pointing fingers. I appreciated her honesty and forthrightness in telling what must have been a difficult story to tell.
Highly, highly recommended!...less
Read in November, 2007
This is, again, a book I would have given 3.5 stars if possible. I liked the book; didn't love it. I didn't think Irene Spencer was a particularly talented writer, but for the purposes of telling her story, she didn't really have to be. What she was saying, told in simple English, was compelling enough.
I often wondered about people this freakish. Not much about the story was unexpected. She spent her life barefoot, pregnant and living among misogynists. Big shock. I was also slightly ...more
This is, again, a book I would have given 3.5 stars if possible. I liked the book; didn't love it. I didn't think Irene Spencer was a particularly talented writer, but for the purposes of telling her story, she didn't really have to be. What she was saying, told in simple English, was compelling enough.
I often wondered about people this freakish. Not much about the story was unexpected. She spent her life barefoot, pregnant and living among misogynists. Big shock. I was also slightly let down by Irene herself. She didn't take the intiative to leave the bastard for good, though she tried. She just kind of waited around for him to die and seemed to think it was a "message from god." Meanwhile, she let her kids live in abject poverty. Suckage.
The part of this book that pissed me off the most was that these women are living on welfare. Ummm, talk about abusing the system. Let me have 14 kids because God (and my freaky loser husband) are telling me to. This sounds like a perfect opportunity to impose that good ol' Constitutional separation of church and state. ...less
Read in January, 2008
Update: Funny, the first half of the book takes us to her 20th year....and then the second half zips through the next 2/3s of her life. I was terribly disappointed that we didn't get to hear more about her murderous brother-in-law or second husband. But I guess that just shows how interested I was. (And since her life was so shite, I'll forgive the dozens and dozens of anecdotes that do little but highlight the sense of humor she's so proud of.)
* * * * *
Really into this so far. I'm glad sh...more
Update: Funny, the first half of the book takes us to her 20th year....and then the second half zips through the next 2/3s of her life. I was terribly disappointed that we didn't get to hear more about her murderous brother-in-law or second husband. But I guess that just shows how interested I was. (And since her life was so shite, I'll forgive the dozens and dozens of anecdotes that do little but highlight the sense of humor she's so proud of.)
* * * * *
Really into this so far. I'm glad she spends time going over so many details of her 15th and 16th year. Sure, she was a silly teenager in the 1950s, but she was also desperately struggling with the decision (though it was just barely HER decision) whether to follow her heart or enter into a polygamist union. I'm more than half-way through now and she hasn't had even one of her eventual 13 children. But because she really takes the time to contextualize her young life, I'm eager to follow her story through.
And, nope, I wouldn't have picked this up if I wasn't a fan of HBO's "Big Love." Down with the Principle!...less
Read in November, 2007
recommends it for:
Mormons
While reading this book, I discovered my husband may still technically belong to the Mormon church his mom signed him up for as a kid. Well, probably not, since they excommunicated his sister.
Myself, I totally disagree with Mormonism, polygamy, and people who do things for religious purposes, especially when it goes against common sense. I kind of enjoyed the story just to see how different someone's life can be from mine. There were a lot of extremely unfortunate incidents described here t...more
While reading this book, I discovered my husband may still technically belong to the Mormon church his mom signed him up for as a kid. Well, probably not, since they excommunicated his sister.
Myself, I totally disagree with Mormonism, polygamy, and people who do things for religious purposes, especially when it goes against common sense. I kind of enjoyed the story just to see how different someone's life can be from mine. There were a lot of extremely unfortunate incidents described here that were sometimes funny, too. I admired the fact that despite the author's extreme poverty, she still managed to keep a strong work ethic. She can also write better than any high school dropout welfare mother I have ever encountered! Still, I think if I met her in real life I would get very frustrated trying to talk to her. I wanted to shake her for bad decisions and bad jokes.
As a book, Shattered Dreams is pretty easy to read. It's probably aimed at people like me who have never even paid much attention to the idea of plural marriage. It's pretty interesting....less
Read in August, 2007
recommends it for:
want an in depth look and understanding of pologamy
Shattered Dreams is a fascinating look at a way of life totally foreign to most people. Irene Spencer grew up in the branch of the Mormon faith that still believed in polygamy. The second of what was ultimately her husband's ten wives, she became the mother of thirteen of his 58 children. The statistics are important as they show the unimaginable situation in which Irene Spencer spend much of her life.
This book is a brutally honest memoir of a woman' life. It follows her from place to place...more
Shattered Dreams is a fascinating look at a way of life totally foreign to most people. Irene Spencer grew up in the branch of the Mormon faith that still believed in polygamy. The second of what was ultimately her husband's ten wives, she became the mother of thirteen of his 58 children. The statistics are important as they show the unimaginable situation in which Irene Spencer spend much of her life.
This book is a brutally honest memoir of a woman' life. It follows her from place to place, never enough money, rarely in a finished house, living in abject poverty. She loves her husband but is able to spend very little time with him. He is spread too thin trying to meet the needs of both his large family and his church. She yearns for romance and affection, neither of which have a place in the religion she embraces. Her husband rarely sees his children- hard to spend quality time with 58 children. She helps her "sister wives" with their children in an extended system of family and obligations.
...less
Not neccessarily the best writing style, but an interesting story nonetheless. While I understand that Irene was led to this life by her faith, and her understanding that she would go to hell if she didn't live a polygamous lifestyle, I started to get fed up with her.
She thought many times about leaving her husband, and never actually did. She finally told her husband one last time that she was leaving, for real this time, and he ended up getting killed a week later. If he hadn't died, woul...more
Not neccessarily the best writing style, but an interesting story nonetheless. While I understand that Irene was led to this life by her faith, and her understanding that she would go to hell if she didn't live a polygamous lifestyle, I started to get fed up with her.
She thought many times about leaving her husband, and never actually did. She finally told her husband one last time that she was leaving, for real this time, and he ended up getting killed a week later. If he hadn't died, would she have still left? I doubt it.
If you think you want a lot of kids, reading this book will probably change your mind. Besides the 13 that Irene gave birth to, she helped raise all of her sister-wives' kids--all told, there were 58 children in this enormous family. When you combine incredibly large amounts of kids, 10 wives, a husband who isn't around, and a life of complete poverty, polygamy doesn't sound very appealing. Big Love is an amazing show, but this book probably shows a more accurate view of polygamy.
...less
Read in January, 2008
It was so interesting! Sometimes you hear news stories about Mormon polygamists, but it was so compelling to hear a woman share her real-life experience of it. By the time her husband died, at the age of 51, he had 10 wives and 58 children. Irene herself had 13 children- most of the time they lived in complete poverty, with no electricity and running water, with clothes made out of flour sacks. Despite the bleak physical conditions, the thing that seemed to be the most profoundly difficult f...more
It was so interesting! Sometimes you hear news stories about Mormon polygamists, but it was so compelling to hear a woman share her real-life experience of it. By the time her husband died, at the age of 51, he had 10 wives and 58 children. Irene herself had 13 children- most of the time they lived in complete poverty, with no electricity and running water, with clothes made out of flour sacks. Despite the bleak physical conditions, the thing that seemed to be the most profoundly difficult for her was having to share her husband with so many other women- how incredibly difficult it was not to have her emotional needs met. Irene counters our culture's perception of plural wives as meek doormats- Irene definitely is full of spunk, passion, rage.....she's a regular woman, trying to live the life she was taught and do the best she could to live out what she believed. This was an amazing book about a strong, funny woman overcoming the most difficult of circumstances. ...less
Has a copy to sell/swap
—
Read in November, 2007
After already learning about the LeBaron family from "His Favorite Wife," I couldn't wait for the softcover, and happily plunked down the dough for the hardcover as soon as it showed up at Barnes & Noble. I knew it would be worth every penny, and it was.
This woman's life story is heart-wrenching and educational. It's hard to believe all of the hardships she went through in what she terms the "twin plagues of poverty and polygamy," considering this all happened not to...more
After already learning about the LeBaron family from "His Favorite Wife," I couldn't wait for the softcover, and happily plunked down the dough for the hardcover as soon as it showed up at Barnes & Noble. I knew it would be worth every penny, and it was.
This woman's life story is heart-wrenching and educational. It's hard to believe all of the hardships she went through in what she terms the "twin plagues of poverty and polygamy," considering this all happened not too long ago.
Her writing corroborates Susan Ray Schmidt's story 100%, and it is great to see it from the two different perspectives. I would love it if the rest of the wives all wrote their stories, too (although that won't happen).
I hear that this author (Irene Spencer) is already working on another book about her life, which goes into more about the craziness (for lack of a better term) of the LeBaron family. I can't wait for that one, either...I'm saving up for the hardcover. lol ...less
Read in January, 2008
recommends it for:
polgamist, bio
My second book of the year (08)was also a letdown.. I had hoped for the real story about Rulon Allred and Ervil LeBaron. I have known women in both families and know some of the very interesting story..
but.. this book is just too much suffering and self-sacrifice to the point of making me.. ill!!! On and on.. child after child, death after death, marriage after marriage.. A martyr is not the word for this author~~ Irene Spencer.
And only on the last page does author declare the book doesn't ...more
My second book of the year (08)was also a letdown.. I had hoped for the real story about Rulon Allred and Ervil LeBaron. I have known women in both families and know some of the very interesting story..
but.. this book is just too much suffering and self-sacrifice to the point of making me.. ill!!! On and on.. child after child, death after death, marriage after marriage.. A martyr is not the word for this author~~ Irene Spencer.
And only on the last page does author declare the book doesn't fell it all. It doesn't describer the terror to which my infamous brother in law, Ervil LeBaron, subjected us for several years and ordered the deaths of at least twenty-eight of our family, friends members of the church, I was one of the people on his death list which helped inspire me to go to along with many of our moves throughout Mexico and Central America.. .. ... so she ripped out page after page about him , realizing that this had to be my story.. ...less
Read in February, 2008
The good: this book is a window into the life of Polygamy. I had no clue how Pologamy worked or the dynamics and reasoning for it. This book provided me lots of answers and a much better understanding of the "why and how". I am glad I read this book. Something I was suprised about is that this book showed me that even when the plural wifes and the most oppresed in this live style, it is not an easy road for the men either. Your heart breaks reading about this woman' mental and phy...more
The good: this book is a window into the life of Polygamy. I had no clue how Pologamy worked or the dynamics and reasoning for it. This book provided me lots of answers and a much better understanding of the "why and how". I am glad I read this book. Something I was suprised about is that this book showed me that even when the plural wifes and the most oppresed in this live style, it is not an easy road for the men either. Your heart breaks reading about this woman' mental and physical inprisonment of 40 years. I applaud her strengh, and courage to keep on going and finally allowing herself to be free.
The bad: This book was ok but in several occassions I felt some of the stories were pointless and meaningless to the whole essence of the book. Also, at some points I felt the writing style was very poor -- maybe a reflection of the authors lack of education due to the oppresion whe lived for so many years.
...less
Read in September, 2007
This is an excellently written memoir of a terrible life. Born into a polygamist family, Irene becomes a man's second wife at the age of 16. This book tells her story over the course of three decades and 13 children. She moves countless times, meanwhile being forced to welcome 8 or 9 additional wives into her husband's life. It is unbelievable what she goes through emotionally, physically, spiritually, sexually, culturally, and socially as she strives (and fails) to be the faithful fundamentalis...more
This is an excellently written memoir of a terrible life. Born into a polygamist family, Irene becomes a man's second wife at the age of 16. This book tells her story over the course of three decades and 13 children. She moves countless times, meanwhile being forced to welcome 8 or 9 additional wives into her husband's life. It is unbelievable what she goes through emotionally, physically, spiritually, sexually, culturally, and socially as she strives (and fails) to be the faithful fundamentalist Mormon woman that she believes she should be. Anyone with a heart for women's studies, intercultural studies, theological studies, or people in poverty should check this out. It is depressing and emotionally draining, but it is oh so beautiful to read of the faithfulness and unconditional love that she at last finds not in herself, but in the One who kept her through years of alarmingly terrible conditions. ...less
Read in April, 2008
Not great but not terrible, mostly it was just frustrating. The writing was pretty bad, but Spencer never even graduated from high school (though she should have had a more heavy handed editor). She often focused too much on unimportant details that were not integral to the story (and more often than not these detail were just gross ... bodily fluids and filth). She seemed a bit judgmental through parts of it and in the end when she says she converted to Christianity it is obvious that she looks...more
Not great but not terrible, mostly it was just frustrating. The writing was pretty bad, but Spencer never even graduated from high school (though she should have had a more heavy handed editor). She often focused too much on unimportant details that were not integral to the story (and more often than not these detail were just gross ... bodily fluids and filth). She seemed a bit judgmental through parts of it and in the end when she says she converted to Christianity it is obvious that she looks back on her Mormon past with pity and disdain. However, I think it was unnecessary to impress her feelings on all plural wives. Overall, I did not particularly enjoy the book, but as a memoir it was interesting. Also, I can't stand it in memoirs when authors claim to remember entire conversations throughout their lives, especially when the book is not very well written. The dialogue felt incredibly fake....less
A fascinating look at a world most people couldn't even conceive of, from the poverty striken living conditions to the crazy religious beliefs. It was amazing to me that anyone would put up with what she put up with for so long when she was so unhappy and unfullfilled. While she constantly threatened to leave her Mormon fundamentalist husband (who married 10 women and fathered 58 children) in the end she always swallowed her pride and anger and hung in there until he was killed in an auto accide...more
A fascinating look at a world most people couldn't even conceive of, from the poverty striken living conditions to the crazy religious beliefs. It was amazing to me that anyone would put up with what she put up with for so long when she was so unhappy and unfullfilled. While she constantly threatened to leave her Mormon fundamentalist husband (who married 10 women and fathered 58 children) in the end she always swallowed her pride and anger and hung in there until he was killed in an auto accident. Her claim that she was finally going to leave him that very week rings hollow. Although some reviewers purportedly found the book inspiring, I think it was more sad, although I guess I do admire her strength of character. However, it was an interesting and arresting tale, at times almost unbelievable and at times irritating. ...less
bookshelves:
memoir,
non-fiction,
religious
Shattered Dreams is Irene Spencer’s story of being married to a polygamist, and of being part of a Mormon fringe group. She was a fourth-generation participant in polygamy and one of her husband’s ten wives. Throughout this book, Spencer details her struggles in her marriage and her faith.
I was surprised at how well Spencer pulled me in to her life. When she first describes her jealousy at sharing her husband with his other wives, I thought, “Well, what did you expect?” Bu...more
Shattered Dreams is Irene Spencer’s story of being married to a polygamist, and of being part of a Mormon fringe group. She was a fourth-generation participant in polygamy and one of her husband’s ten wives. Throughout this book, Spencer details her struggles in her marriage and her faith.
I was surprised at how well Spencer pulled me in to her life. When she first describes her jealousy at sharing her husband with his other wives, I thought, “Well, what did you expect?” But a few pages later, I began to be outraged by her husband’s treatment of her and the rest of his wives, and remained engaged for the rest of the book. Spencer’s story is amazing, and a good treatment of the dangers of polygamy and the hardship in practicing something that you do not believe....less
Read in December, 2007
To be honest, I did not totally complete this book. I started it, skimmed my way all the way through, but really found that I didn't love the writing style, or find the story particularly interesting. I was really expecting more of a story about complicated relationships, women trying to live with each other, and coping mechanisms, perhaps a deeper reflection on male oppression, but felt that it just tended towards recording day to day mundane details. Also, the book ended in a preachy tone, ...more
To be honest, I did not totally complete this book. I started it, skimmed my way all the way through, but really found that I didn't love the writing style, or find the story particularly interesting. I was really expecting more of a story about complicated relationships, women trying to live with each other, and coping mechanisms, perhaps a deeper reflection on male oppression, but felt that it just tended towards recording day to day mundane details. Also, the book ended in a preachy tone, reflecting on the author's "finding Christ" and realizing the error of polygamy. While I appreciate the author's spiritual quest, and respect her religious conversion, you would think that she would have come to the conclusion that polygamy is bad purely out of personal experience....less
Read in November, 2007
This book was just heartbreaking. Shattered Dreams is the story of a woman who is trapped in a polygamous marriage. Raised in the Fundamentalist Mormon church, she was brought up to believe that a man needed as many wives as he could get so that he would become a god of his own planet in the afterlife, and his wives would become goddesses. This woman fell in love with a man who was not a fundamentalist when she was very young, and her family pressured her to marry into polygamy. This is a...more
This book was just heartbreaking. Shattered Dreams is the story of a woman who is trapped in a polygamous marriage. Raised in the Fundamentalist Mormon church, she was brought up to believe that a man needed as many wives as he could get so that he would become a god of his own planet in the afterlife, and his wives would become goddesses. This woman fell in love with a man who was not a fundamentalist when she was very young, and her family pressured her to marry into polygamy. This is a tragic story of poverty, neglect, abuse, and how radical religion can be suffocating. However, the author proves that if one has enough spirit and willpower, there is always hope for a brighter future. I would recommend this to anyone....less
book data (includes all editions)
avg rating
(all editions):
3.56 (363 ratings)
avg rating
(this edition): 0.00
(0 ratings)
number of reviews: 131
other editions
[close]
Shattered Dreams: My Life as a Polygamist's Wife (Hardcover)
isbn: 1599957191
[close]
Shattered Dreams: My Life as a Polygamist's Wife (Paperback)
isbn: 1599951584
[close]
Shattered Dreams: My Life as a Polygamist's Wife (Audio CD)
isbn: 1400105943