Illegitimate: How a Loving God Rescued a Son of Polygamy

This was such an excellent book. Mackart went into much detail on the history of the FLDS church and the practice of polygamy. He showed how polygamy can hurt the children, who then grow up to be adults who have a hard time adjusting to the real world if they choose to leave...or are doomed to marriages with no love. But then, Mackart and some of his siblings are able to escape the FLDS "cult" and some of them, including the author, become Christians. He also learns what our true God really is about, not one who is controlling or secretive or has multiple wives, but one who is our true saving grace, who doesn't want the harm that comes along with the polygamous lifestyle.. With the help of God and loving people in Brian's life, he is able to live a productive life outside of the FLDS church. This is a great book on extreme Mormonism, and I would highly recommend this. This does a great job of explaining the history and the harm that the FLDS church can cause.

Brian is very careful to focus the text specifically on the abuses he suffered as a boy growing up without fathering in a polygamous LDS household. He goes to pains not to assault Mormonism per se, as this is not the goal of the book, but rather the abuses put upon the children by those who setup a false and absent godhood in themselves as the father's of so many children whom they at best benignly ignored and at worst as was the case for Brian horribly abused. In the end though this book is about triumph, the triumph of a boy becoming a man and finding grace, fulfillment, and love through a journey of discovery ending in finding the real love of a gracious God. Brian wrote not to raise up his suffering, but rather to tell about his healing and the peace he found. He wrote about a journey beginning in fear and abuse an ending in a place where he was capable of forgiving the man who abused him. I highly recommend this inspirational, at times poignant, and strongly written book.

What an excellent, excellent book!!!! I took my time, savoring the journey, into Brian's personal life. Not only did I learned about FLDS but I felt like I was part of his precious family, warts and all. And yes, I did say precious. I laughed, cried, and grieved - with Brian and for Brian. Thank you so much for letting me (and thousands of others like me) peek into a polygamous family with so much honesty. An honesty that did not come easy I am sure. What an amazing journey of God's redemptive grace. Brian explains his painful journey from a huge family (yet unloved by his father) to the family of God.

I laughed, I cried, my anger grew, and I rejoiced, as I finished reading "Illegitimate" at 3 o'clock in the morning. It is rare and powerful when someone has the courage to be this honest and open about their pain and hurt. Thank you Brian for sharing with the world the hope your story brings. The great writing balances these emotions in a way that left me in awe.

Brian gives an amazingly gripping look inside a very closed society where control and the misuse of power cripple innocent children emotionally, intellectually, physically and socially! A must read for anyone concerned about the children of our nation and our collective future. His life is a miracle of grace and healing. He is very vunerable and honest about his own failings, which makes his story believable at a deep level. The epidemic of "fatherlessness" in our nation is no more strongly represented than between the covers of "Illegitimate"!!