The 19th Wife

I very much enjoyed The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff which is based on the Mormon religion. The book is a work of fiction but is well researched and in one time zone draws on the real characters of Mormonism in the 19th century. Ann Eliza Young, the "19th" wife of one of the early leaders/prophets, Brigham Young, escapes and reveals her story as a plural wife in the Mormon society. She campaigns to have polygamy made illegal and finally succeeds. However, not all the Mormons comply. The "other" story, set in the present day has a young man who escaped a Mormon sect, which was a "breakaway" group, trying to prove his mother did not kill his father. His mother had also been a "19th" wife. The book interweaves these two time zones and makes a fascinating story. It was interesting to learn the basis of Mormonism, probably like all religions, based on the improbable and luring in gullible people to empower their leaders to control the lives of their followers. 5/5