Daughter of the Saints: Growing Up in Polygamy

This is a great book if you like this type of book. It was one that you want to stay up all night to finish.

If you want to know what it's really like growing up in polygamy and living "the principle", forget Big Love and Jon Krakauer. Go to the source. Dorothy Solomon is the "middle child" in a family of 48 brothers and sisters. She is the daughter of murdered polygamist leader Rulon Allred. She knows what she is talking about. And she is an award-winning writer. If language matters to you, read this book. It was originally published in hardcover by Norton, for heaven's sake; it's hard to get published by Norton.

I was moved by Solomon's courage in speaking so honestly about her upbringing in a polygamist world. In this articulate, reflective, and often poetic memoir, she captures the beauty and suffering which come from living a hidden life among an abundance of family--where she is both comforted and lost. Being an intelligent, strong-willed child, she ultimately cannot accept a lifestyle where women aren't allowed to question their predicament and are expected to dedicate their lives to God by sharing a husband and birthing numerous children. In this courageous memoir, Solomon tells stories of her upbringing, speaking with love and empathy for her family yet refusing to paint a false picture of what it means to be a child of polygamy. Her intention, clearly, is to tell the truth.

Dorothy Solomon is a writer who dared to go deep in this unflinching look at her own unique life. I was truly riveted by the story, but that is only half of Daughter of the Saints' appeal. The rest lies in the brilliant way in which the background is told. Solomon's voice is both rich and nuanced, searing and delicate. Her father is shown as a flawed yet noble man. The many women who shared his bed through plural marriage are faceted as well. I was awed by the delicate way Solomon articulated her emotional path from pologamy to monogamy. May there be many, many more books in this talented writer's future!