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Daughters of Zion: A Family's Conversion to Polygamy
A memoir of misguided faith, unholy violence, and spiritual awakening. An odyssey of mayhem, murder, and tragedy, is what Kim's family unknowingly embarks upon in their quest for a peaceful existence in an unorthodox religious society. It is on a deceptively fine spring day, at the tender age of seven, that Kim is uprooted from her comfortable middle class home in Utah to be moved into a polygamous colony in Mexico. From that day forward her life takes dramatic twists and turns as, one by one, her older sisters become plural wives and Kim herself is eventually courted by the polygamist fathers of some of her good friends. Her relatively peaceful world is shattered when violence erupts within the ranks of the priesthood leaving her sister a widow, and Kim fears for her own life as some of her closest friends become murderers in the name of religion. In the end, her family is devastated by a tragedy of a more insidious evil.
224 pages, Paperback
First published November 25, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
March 5, 2011
Daughters of Zion / 978-0-615-25701-3
This is the fourth biographical polygamy novel I've read this year - sixth, if I count "When Men Become Gods" and "Under the Banner of Heaven" - and I've come to realize that these polygamy novels come in two sorts of flavors. The first flavor, the "Escape" flavor, is seen in books like "Escape" and "Stolen Innocence", and tells the story of abused women fleeing from abusive polygamous marriages, often fearing for their safety, their lives, and their children. The second flavor, which I would tentatively call "Day in the Life", is seen in books like "Shattered Dreams" and now this "Daughters of Zion".
Unlike the "Escape" novels, the "Day in the Life" novels don't feature women fleeing from polygamy, but rather showcase women who may or may not be less happy than their monogamous counterparts going through their daily lives over the course of the narrator's natural life, or at least up until they signed a book deal. The end result is, frustratingly, a biography without direction or purpose, and a snapshot of hundreds of lives mired in depression without any sort of catharsis for the reader.
If these problems were evident in my "Shattered Dreams" review, they are legion in "Daughters of Zion". Here the narrator isn't even a polygamist herself (although that factoid is probably a spoiler, since the novel keeps up a cynical "will-she-won't-she" tone for most of the entire novel), so her story focuses instead on life as a teenager within a polygamous colony. As one reviewer noted, the format is like a particularly slow and dreamy diary, but not in a good way - the narrator dwells as least as much on the ecstasies of warm Mexican-bottled coke as she does on the details of the polygamous lifestyles around her. Since she only experiences polygamy second-hand through her sisters, she is never really able to convey the difficulties of polygamy as a system outside of the fact that a lot of the men exemplify the Platonic ideal of "dead-beat dad".
If anything, the 'best' thing I can say about "Daughters of Zion" is that it is the first polygamy novel to make me lose my faith in humanity. Not because of abusive men (who, surprisingly, are in short supply here, if you ignore the abusiveness of the complete neglect most of the men in this novel dish out), but because of the author's parents, who are supposed to be the 'nice', non-polygamous family model for the author. If I may be permitted to engage in some self-righteous and unhelpful venting for a moment, it's particularly frustrating to see the parents of this family continually pick up and move to worse and more remote locations in service of a cult that follows a religious ideal that they *don't even agree with*, almost as if they are driven by some sort of fear of not being completely impoverished. About the second half, when their daughters start marrying the cult leaders, the parents put up only the most token protests, and when their daughters start "disciplining" the grandchildren by *literally* suffocating babies to stop them from crying, the grandparents "interfere" by meekly and feebly verbally protesting - once! - that that particular behavior isn't appropriate. Do they call Child Protective Services or the police? Of course not. Oh, wait, they do - years and years later after their sainted daughter finally dies and they can then go tooth and nail after her husband. Of course, at this point, the children have been abused for years, but I suppose it's better this way - no record for their abusive mother to have to live with. Predictably, the author spends very little time on this aspect of her life, except as an afterthought - she's too busy talking about her boyfriends and romps on the beach.
Indeed, it is sort of telling that these stories of abuse are always a sort of after-thought to the author - we hear about every man she ever dated, whether or not it matters outside of that chapter, but the fact that her nieces and nephews are being physically and sexually abused *every day* is a little factoid tagged on to the last chapter - and then only because the author seems to be proud of the fact that she took the children in. You don't get a cookie for decent human behavior, and it seems startling that the author expects one. Really, this seems more like a "gossip book" devoted to detailing the fact that the author dated a cult leader as opposed to actually talking about the *actual* victims of this polygamist cult, but that's just my impression overall. Add to that the fact that the author never, ever stops talking about how "pretty" she is (She thinks she isn't, everyone else says she is. There, I just saved you from reading about a third of this book.), and the overall effect is just terribly...shallow.
Breathless punch-ups aside, "Daughters of Zion" actually isn't that interesting - maybe if you're particularly interested in learning about the daily life of the Ervil LeBaron sect of the FLDS, in which case I will admit you will be better off with "Daughters of Zion" than with its sister novel "Shattered Dreams" - which talks even less about the abuse of children, if that's possible, but does actual provide the point of view of an actual, you know, *polygamist*. If you're not just enthralled with the Ervil cult, there are much more informative, better paced polygamy novels available, of which I most recommend "Escape" or "Stolen Innocence".
~ Ana Mardoll
This is the fourth biographical polygamy novel I've read this year - sixth, if I count "When Men Become Gods" and "Under the Banner of Heaven" - and I've come to realize that these polygamy novels come in two sorts of flavors. The first flavor, the "Escape" flavor, is seen in books like "Escape" and "Stolen Innocence", and tells the story of abused women fleeing from abusive polygamous marriages, often fearing for their safety, their lives, and their children. The second flavor, which I would tentatively call "Day in the Life", is seen in books like "Shattered Dreams" and now this "Daughters of Zion".
Unlike the "Escape" novels, the "Day in the Life" novels don't feature women fleeing from polygamy, but rather showcase women who may or may not be less happy than their monogamous counterparts going through their daily lives over the course of the narrator's natural life, or at least up until they signed a book deal. The end result is, frustratingly, a biography without direction or purpose, and a snapshot of hundreds of lives mired in depression without any sort of catharsis for the reader.
If these problems were evident in my "Shattered Dreams" review, they are legion in "Daughters of Zion". Here the narrator isn't even a polygamist herself (although that factoid is probably a spoiler, since the novel keeps up a cynical "will-she-won't-she" tone for most of the entire novel), so her story focuses instead on life as a teenager within a polygamous colony. As one reviewer noted, the format is like a particularly slow and dreamy diary, but not in a good way - the narrator dwells as least as much on the ecstasies of warm Mexican-bottled coke as she does on the details of the polygamous lifestyles around her. Since she only experiences polygamy second-hand through her sisters, she is never really able to convey the difficulties of polygamy as a system outside of the fact that a lot of the men exemplify the Platonic ideal of "dead-beat dad".
If anything, the 'best' thing I can say about "Daughters of Zion" is that it is the first polygamy novel to make me lose my faith in humanity. Not because of abusive men (who, surprisingly, are in short supply here, if you ignore the abusiveness of the complete neglect most of the men in this novel dish out), but because of the author's parents, who are supposed to be the 'nice', non-polygamous family model for the author. If I may be permitted to engage in some self-righteous and unhelpful venting for a moment, it's particularly frustrating to see the parents of this family continually pick up and move to worse and more remote locations in service of a cult that follows a religious ideal that they *don't even agree with*, almost as if they are driven by some sort of fear of not being completely impoverished. About the second half, when their daughters start marrying the cult leaders, the parents put up only the most token protests, and when their daughters start "disciplining" the grandchildren by *literally* suffocating babies to stop them from crying, the grandparents "interfere" by meekly and feebly verbally protesting - once! - that that particular behavior isn't appropriate. Do they call Child Protective Services or the police? Of course not. Oh, wait, they do - years and years later after their sainted daughter finally dies and they can then go tooth and nail after her husband. Of course, at this point, the children have been abused for years, but I suppose it's better this way - no record for their abusive mother to have to live with. Predictably, the author spends very little time on this aspect of her life, except as an afterthought - she's too busy talking about her boyfriends and romps on the beach.
Indeed, it is sort of telling that these stories of abuse are always a sort of after-thought to the author - we hear about every man she ever dated, whether or not it matters outside of that chapter, but the fact that her nieces and nephews are being physically and sexually abused *every day* is a little factoid tagged on to the last chapter - and then only because the author seems to be proud of the fact that she took the children in. You don't get a cookie for decent human behavior, and it seems startling that the author expects one. Really, this seems more like a "gossip book" devoted to detailing the fact that the author dated a cult leader as opposed to actually talking about the *actual* victims of this polygamist cult, but that's just my impression overall. Add to that the fact that the author never, ever stops talking about how "pretty" she is (She thinks she isn't, everyone else says she is. There, I just saved you from reading about a third of this book.), and the overall effect is just terribly...shallow.
Breathless punch-ups aside, "Daughters of Zion" actually isn't that interesting - maybe if you're particularly interested in learning about the daily life of the Ervil LeBaron sect of the FLDS, in which case I will admit you will be better off with "Daughters of Zion" than with its sister novel "Shattered Dreams" - which talks even less about the abuse of children, if that's possible, but does actual provide the point of view of an actual, you know, *polygamist*. If you're not just enthralled with the Ervil cult, there are much more informative, better paced polygamy novels available, of which I most recommend "Escape" or "Stolen Innocence".
~ Ana Mardoll
September 4, 2015
I loved reading this memoir about my aunt and mother and our family's conversion to my father's church. It's a story that's stranger than fiction and reads like a true crime novel.
June 10, 2012
I read this book because my sister lent it to me. She likes to read a lot of memoirs about polygamy. I was amazed by how the author took an interesting topic and made it incredibly boring. She stated in the beginning that she wanted to be non-offensive because some of her family/friends are still part of a polygamist FLDS group, but that didn't mean she had to write an incredibly boring memoir, glossing over the crime or even more interesting aspects of life in polygamy. I finished this book only because I kept waiting for it to get good. It didn't.
In addition to being boring, it was also poorly written. There were often times that I had to reread sentences because I really had no idea what she was talking about. She was badly in need of an editor.
In addition to being boring, it was also poorly written. There were often times that I had to reread sentences because I really had no idea what she was talking about. She was badly in need of an editor.
August 21, 2010
No doubt about it: various religious beliefs, cultures, CULTures and sects interest, intrigue and fascinate me. This book invited me into the lives of a few people and helped me to catch a glimpse of what it was like in the world in which they lived (and what so many people are experiencing today also). I plan to follow it up with Stolen Innocence by Elissa Wall. It's beneficial to me because it quenches my curious nature. It helps me to empathize with the way "religion" can be as much an institution, corrupt with power, greed and the desire to control the lives of people... all in the name of god.
November 11, 2012
This book was extremely sad. A tale of two parents getting caught up in religious fanaticism with little thought being given to the consequences for their family. The story of the way evil, misguided men can twist a religion of beauty into something dark and sinister merely to satisfy their own selfish ambition. The narrative was handled well and objectively, without pretense or apology, which I appreciated. So often in stories like this, especially when most of the supporting cast is dead, the author is drawn into the temptation of putting words and thoughts into the mouths and heads of those who cannot contradict them. Not so, here. I found this to be a valuable introduction into the reign of terror of the LeBaron family and that spawned the sickening legacy of shame, terror, and evil that is the polygamous church today.
March 10, 2011
Having already read a few books by other members of this cult, it was interesting to see the events and people from another's point of view.
I would recommend reading at least Shattered Dreams: My Life as a Polygamist's Wife first. I don't know that I would have enjoyed this book as well without this background info. I had also already read Favorite Wife: Escape from Polygamy and Cult Insanity: A Memoir of Polygamy, Prophets, and Blood Atonement, which are all about the same people.
The author, who was a teen during the events written about, gives much insight into the lives this cult's youth. Many of these kids would later be either victims or perpetrators of the murders ordered by Ervil LeBaron.
I would recommend reading at least Shattered Dreams: My Life as a Polygamist's Wife first. I don't know that I would have enjoyed this book as well without this background info. I had also already read Favorite Wife: Escape from Polygamy and Cult Insanity: A Memoir of Polygamy, Prophets, and Blood Atonement, which are all about the same people.
The author, who was a teen during the events written about, gives much insight into the lives this cult's youth. Many of these kids would later be either victims or perpetrators of the murders ordered by Ervil LeBaron.
April 9, 2016
I am still amazed at how many people were deceived by the Le Baron brothers. While I am glad the author finally found true peace and happiness, at what cost? Such a sad, sad story that reads like fiction and yet is very, very true.
February 21, 2013
this book was really disappointing. I've read several books about young women who lived insular religious communities, such as the Amish and Hasidic Jewish cultures, and then left,and I've read one book by a young man who left a polygamist cult, but this was the first book I read about a woman growing up in a polygamist society. The book really could've been great – there was lots of material here to work with, atrocities abounded, and the lifestyle was very different than the mainstream. One thing that struck me as weird was how happy many of the wives seemed, at least on the surface, at least in the beginning. I thought that anyone in a polygamist relationship would be miserable, but these women stayed in them, clearly brainwashed but also getting some kind of fulfillment from the life. the most disturbing parts of the book were about Evril, a Mormon leader who turned to violence and inspired his cult to murder others in "blood atonement." The authors former best friend was drawn into the cult and became a murderer, threatening the author and trying to get her to convert to his fanatical brand of Mormonism. It all sounds very interesting – but the problem was, the author didn't write enough about these interesting topics. Instead, she treats the reader to all these different things about her life, much of which is very uninteresting. She details every move her family made, describes every visit she made with people both within and without the colony, describes every boy she went out with, describes meals that she ate, etc. – she spent so much of the book on mundane details that were very interesting, and glossed over much of the stuff that was most fascinating. For example, she spoke very little about the sexual abuse that was going on in some of the families. Maybe she was afraid of hurting the memory of her loved ones, but I would think that would be pretty important. I like the fact the she gave a lot of details about her friend that ended up becoming a murderer, but I wish she hadtalked a little bit more about how that happened, and how the cult gained popularity among the worshipers, and how it became so violent that the people in it turned on theirr former friends and loved ones and murdered them or tried to murder them. Because all the unnecessary detail, the book was tedious and hard to get through. Not only that, but she mentions too many characters – it's impossible to keep all of them straight. Really, only the main characters needed to be mentioned and not dozens and dozens of names thrown in to confuse the reader. Overall, on a very generous day I might give this book 3 stars, but really it's more of a two stars read
January 30, 2018
this is a personal memoir of one woman's experience growing up partly on a polygamist compound. her parents converted when she was a child but her dad never took additional wives, and she herself was never in a plural marriage, and left the church before most of the violence she recounts here, so it is sort of tangential hearsay but still pretty interesting. not very well-written and not really trying to analyze or be insightful about the motivations that drove people of the forces at work in all these tragedies, its really just this happened to me and then that happened to my friend and later we found out this other thing also happened. i think the most interesting thing about it to me was just the confirmation that this kind of fanatical religious behavior is very much contemporary. also the depiction of "the compound" on HBO's "Big Love" appears to have been pretty reality-based, with the deadly struggles over power dynamics and prophetic succession.
August 21, 2023
A Tragic Story Told Very Well
Kim Taylor did an incredible job writing this memoir. Having read other accounts of the events surrounding Ervin LaBaron’s murderous group, no other author has explained the foundations of the break off from his brother’s group nearly as well. Her writing is utterly engaging as she tells the story of her experiences growing up in a dangerous polygamous cult. Her story of seeing the dangers and contradictions of the teachings she had heard since childhood is gripping. In spite of the difficult subject matter the story keeps you turning each page hoping to find a happy solution for the family that was deceived into trusting the teachings of people who had so little concern for the welfare of those in their group.
Kim Taylor did an incredible job writing this memoir. Having read other accounts of the events surrounding Ervin LaBaron’s murderous group, no other author has explained the foundations of the break off from his brother’s group nearly as well. Her writing is utterly engaging as she tells the story of her experiences growing up in a dangerous polygamous cult. Her story of seeing the dangers and contradictions of the teachings she had heard since childhood is gripping. In spite of the difficult subject matter the story keeps you turning each page hoping to find a happy solution for the family that was deceived into trusting the teachings of people who had so little concern for the welfare of those in their group.
February 3, 2024
Well Written
I have read 4 books now about the LeBaron cult, written by former members, and have been thoroughly fascinated by them all. This one goes through the thinking of the author as a teenager, prime age for marriage, searching her soul for answers.
I love that it has photos of the people written about.
It’s the true story of a group of people both honest and naive, striving to do God’s will with all their hearts, being horribly manipulated by their leaders.
What amazes me is that no one ever questioned the husbands’ self-promoting goal of becoming Gods. Any sacrifice was worth it if only a husband could become a God. It seems like such a strange goal to me.
I’m on to the next memoir of this group survivors.
I have read 4 books now about the LeBaron cult, written by former members, and have been thoroughly fascinated by them all. This one goes through the thinking of the author as a teenager, prime age for marriage, searching her soul for answers.
I love that it has photos of the people written about.
It’s the true story of a group of people both honest and naive, striving to do God’s will with all their hearts, being horribly manipulated by their leaders.
What amazes me is that no one ever questioned the husbands’ self-promoting goal of becoming Gods. Any sacrifice was worth it if only a husband could become a God. It seems like such a strange goal to me.
I’m on to the next memoir of this group survivors.
November 23, 2022
I hadn’t realized this was written by the aunt of the author of “The Sound of Gravel”. I had finished that a few days ago so this gave me another perspective about the family. I had also read another book about this group (The Polygamist’s Daughter), and some of the main people in that story were also part of this book. I highly recommend all three books! I feel like this one gave me insight into the others, and “tied them together”. The only thing that made this book a little confusing was that some people were referred to by different names in the different books. Someone is called Lynn in this book, and Matt in “The Sound of Gravel”. I didn’t realize it was the same person at first.
May 22, 2020
Overall, this was a pretty good book. The detail was there and the story was good. It was hard to keep all of the people mentioned straight at times. It was an interesting story and there’s unexpected parts in there because it just goes against everything you thought you knew. It isn’t a book I’d read again, but it doesn’t feel like a waste of time that I did read it.
July 19, 2022
Very interesting
This is the first memoir I've read and found it to be very interesting. I've read nonfiction books on polygamy and it was nice to read this first-hand account. People are people regardless and it was nice to see the humanity recorded as well. The story is pretty captivating.
This is the first memoir I've read and found it to be very interesting. I've read nonfiction books on polygamy and it was nice to read this first-hand account. People are people regardless and it was nice to see the humanity recorded as well. The story is pretty captivating.
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November 2, 2023A compelling Oddysy
Daughters of Zion is a compelling narrative by Kim Warner Taylor. She is a talented story teller. Hers was a very complicated, circuitous journey, having lived in many homes, cities and with extended family. It was difficult to keep track of all the players at times. That said, I was drawn in from the start. It's a good read.
Daughters of Zion is a compelling narrative by Kim Warner Taylor. She is a talented story teller. Hers was a very complicated, circuitous journey, having lived in many homes, cities and with extended family. It was difficult to keep track of all the players at times. That said, I was drawn in from the start. It's a good read.
March 2, 2024
Are there any women who grew up in this cult who didn't write a memoir? But the joke's on me, because I think I've read them all. I guess I just find the topic fascinating. This author does a good job of explaining the thinking that leads to the cult members to tolerate poverty, inattentive husbands and loss of personal autonomy. Overall an interesting read.
February 8, 2021
This was very much different than most other polygamy memoirs I’ve read. It just adds support to the argument that some people do have vastly different experiences in a cult, or, the author is purposely withholding the info that would put the colony in a bad light.
February 25, 2022
unexpected
I really enjoyed this, I have read about other members of the family from there point of view, so I was pleasantly surprised to meet them again & to see different views on the same people & the same items that I read about before from a different way
I really enjoyed this, I have read about other members of the family from there point of view, so I was pleasantly surprised to meet them again & to see different views on the same people & the same items that I read about before from a different way
April 26, 2023
Polygamist cult
This is a story of a woman who was raised in a polygamist cult. Some parts may drag a bit but others will make you cry. She does talk about a lot people so it may get confusing.
This is a story of a woman who was raised in a polygamist cult. Some parts may drag a bit but others will make you cry. She does talk about a lot people so it may get confusing.
May 8, 2024
Interesting piece of the LeBaron Group story. The accounts of this group opened my eyes to the poverty and dehumanization of women in these type of societies.
See Susan Schmidt's book (His Favorite Wife: Trapped in Polygamy) for another piece of the LeBaron Group story.
See Susan Schmidt's book (His Favorite Wife: Trapped in Polygamy) for another piece of the LeBaron Group story.
January 5, 2026
great read
Wow. The lengths that a corrupt belief will take you to astounds me. And the poor conditions these families endured while the men were off trying to find more wives are unbelievable! But a very well-written book!
Wow. The lengths that a corrupt belief will take you to astounds me. And the poor conditions these families endured while the men were off trying to find more wives are unbelievable! But a very well-written book!
July 26, 2018
A very interesting first-hand account of polygamy and how it can affect a girl, her family, and a whole community. I enjoyed this raw story. I found it honest and thought provoking.
August 6, 2018
Interesting read
I enjoyed this book. This young woman went through so much and survived with the help of God and her fsith
I enjoyed this book. This young woman went through so much and survived with the help of God and her fsith
November 4, 2021
Good read, glad to know more of the true story. Good insight into the world of polygamy
August 30, 2023
I find everything about Church of the Firstborn and the LeBaron family fascinating. Even more than my deep dive into the FLDS. I just wish the books were better written.
I did love how Mark while obviously brainwashed was fleshed out. You actually feel some compassion about the brutal and cruel path he went down. I’m glad he escaped and rebuilt his life, even though that cost him his life.
The narrator herself was rather insufferable, though.
I did love how Mark while obviously brainwashed was fleshed out. You actually feel some compassion about the brutal and cruel path he went down. I’m glad he escaped and rebuilt his life, even though that cost him his life.
The narrator herself was rather insufferable, though.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 17, 2018
This was a good read, though a little deceptive at first. The subtitle made me think the author's parents became polygamists after having (partially) raised their family in a traditional manner. Actually, her parents never become polygamists, although her sisters did.
I was very interested when reading about the dynamics of the somewhat-closed community, and especially about the poverty that was experienced.
It was a bit frustrating to read at times, though, due to the many spelling, grammatical, and typographical errors. It appears that it was never gone through by a professional editor or proofreader, which is unfortunate.
Also, the cover mentions a "spiritual awakening," so I assumed that would make up a larger portion of the book. Instead, she briefly mentions that she and her husband "embraced the Christian faith" and that's all that is ever said on the subject, which was rather disappointing.
But, if you enjoy memoirs about polygamy or poverty and can overlook the errors I mentioned above, you will likely enjoy this. At only 200 pages, it's a light read.
I was very interested when reading about the dynamics of the somewhat-closed community, and especially about the poverty that was experienced.
It was a bit frustrating to read at times, though, due to the many spelling, grammatical, and typographical errors. It appears that it was never gone through by a professional editor or proofreader, which is unfortunate.
Also, the cover mentions a "spiritual awakening," so I assumed that would make up a larger portion of the book. Instead, she briefly mentions that she and her husband "embraced the Christian faith" and that's all that is ever said on the subject, which was rather disappointing.
But, if you enjoy memoirs about polygamy or poverty and can overlook the errors I mentioned above, you will likely enjoy this. At only 200 pages, it's a light read.
to-read-religion
May 28, 2009From press release:
Taylor chronicles being uprooted from her family's comfortable middle class home in Utah at the tender age of seven to be raised in a polygamous cult in Mexico. Her life takes unbelievable twists and turns as her older sisters become plural wives, and young Kim herself is eventually courted by the polygamist fathers of her close friends. All semblance of a peaceful life is shattered when violence erupts within the ranks of the priesthood leaving one sister a widow. Kim fears for her own life as some of the people she cares most about become murderers in the name of religion.
Detailing the beginning of the gruesome legacy of Ervil LeBaron, now sometimes referred to as "The Mormon Manson," Daughters of Zion will be of special interest to those who remember the shocking events that stunned the inhabitants of Houston, Texas on June 27, 1988. Soon known as "The Four o'Clock Murders," this violent tragedy captured the attention of the entire nation.
Taylor chronicles being uprooted from her family's comfortable middle class home in Utah at the tender age of seven to be raised in a polygamous cult in Mexico. Her life takes unbelievable twists and turns as her older sisters become plural wives, and young Kim herself is eventually courted by the polygamist fathers of her close friends. All semblance of a peaceful life is shattered when violence erupts within the ranks of the priesthood leaving one sister a widow. Kim fears for her own life as some of the people she cares most about become murderers in the name of religion.
Detailing the beginning of the gruesome legacy of Ervil LeBaron, now sometimes referred to as "The Mormon Manson," Daughters of Zion will be of special interest to those who remember the shocking events that stunned the inhabitants of Houston, Texas on June 27, 1988. Soon known as "The Four o'Clock Murders," this violent tragedy captured the attention of the entire nation.
April 9, 2014
Kim Taylor's memoir is a different sort of "escape from polygamy" book than the others I've read in recent years, most notably because her parents joined the religion when she was old enough to understand it, yet never actually became polygamous themselves though some of their children did. This made for an interesting read, but I felt, other than the author's relationship with Mark Chynoweth, that a lot of the story she told wasn't "hers" as much as the history of the different branches of the LeBarons. I much preferred the chapters that were more personal to Kim Taylor, as that is where she truly found her voice (a lovely one) as a writer. A lot of the background she provided was interesting, but I'd read it before in other memoirs (some by childhood or adolescent friends of the author, actually), so it wasn't as intriguing to me as her own life story. An interesting read, but not quite as riveting as Susan Ray Schmidt's Favorite Wife or Irene Spencer's Shattered Dreams.
July 11, 2012
this book was amazing in the sense that it dealt with some truly horrific things -- poverty, abuse, murder -- and yet it bored me to tears. it skimmed over things that were interesting and dwelled for page upon page on things that were really...not. i don't mean to say the author's life was boring because it wasn't, and that's what is so frustrating -- there was a story here, and i wanted to know what it was and instead i was treated to overdone prose and descriptions of sing-alongs. it's like the author wanted to tell her story but instead she hid it in the pages for the reader to piece together. it struck me as very disconnected and the writing was fraught with overused descriptives and filler.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews