Just finished the 450 paged book called "Wife No. 19" written by Ann Eliza Young, 19th wife of Brigham back in the day. She finally left him and Mormonism after a lot of suffering and wrote this book in 1875. It is incredibly insightful and I just couldn't put it down, read it very quickly. So much about the history of the early 'church' and what women in polygamist marriages suffered. Really incredible, highly recommend this book. Only a dollar for Amazon Kindle edition and you use a Nook like I do, you can get the epub file on Kobo for only a dollar too!

I was visiting my wife's brother and sister-in-law about three years ago and they had a copy on their coffee table. I started reading and couldn't put it down. Very compelling narrative of her experiences. Followed it up with another dozen or so books over the next year that substantially contributed to my current state of more informed thinking.

Was publicizing what happened to Ann Eliza after Her fame and notoriety subsided. If memory serves, she died peacefully in 1912, and there's a thread giving the details. Perhaps somebody with more free time than I have can find it; I haven't had time to polish up that web page "Cricket" wants me put up.

Anyway, that research put the kibosh on the rumors she'd been "done in by Danites," and of course she was the subject of a novel by Irving Wallace ("The 27th Wife") and there was modern "something or other" that picked up the 19th wife theme as well.

finally, anyone who doesn't want to read the online version can get a really clean reprint at the Tanners relatively in expensively.

Think it might be this one.

http://exmormon.org/phorum/read.php?2,1286528

Took me a while to find it though.

I shared that news with Will Bagley back when, and he shot me back a note on it being an important "contribution to history."

I thought it was a great book, and showed some interesting insight into Brigham Young and his reign in Utah. Even if her version is only half true (I think she is very accurate), Brigham was worse than I ever thought....well worth reading imho.

Powerful story showing the darker side being a "sister wife". The whole tale is incredible. I particularly liked the end when she felt she need to sneak out of Utah in fear of her husband and for her life, when she then lectured across America against polygamy and addressed congress on the topic and influenced the demise of polygamy in the lds church.

David Ebershoff used this autobiograpy as source material for his broader treatment in his book The 19th Wife: A Novel. Ann Eliza's story is intertwined with another narrative of one of the "Lost Boys" outcast from Colorado City to make room for the old men to take more young wives. Good complement to Ann Eliza's story.

Thanks Tom for the follow up book recommend, I didn't know about that one, will have to check it out. I also agree that the ending was really good. :)

Thank you for the book recommendation. What a GREAT READ! The author is an excellent writer which reflects her exceptional intelligence.

I tore through it similarly.

If you liked that one, I can also recommend "Tell It All" by Fanny Stenhouse. It's another compelling autobiography of a polygamous wife from the same time period.

All those sister-wife yarns we heard growing up in the morg about glorious polygamy was when really it was no different from living in a RLDS compound with Warren Jeffs.

I enjoyed this book immensely and have recommended it many times.