Predators, Prey, and Other Kinfolk: Growing Up in Polygamy
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Book Overview
"I am the daughter of my father's fourth plural wife, twenty-eighth of forty-eight children--a middle kid, you might say."
So begins this astonishing and poignant memoir of life in the family of Utah fundamentalist leader and naturopathic physician Rulon C. Allred. Since polygamy was abolished by manifesto in 1890, this is a story of secrecy and lies, of poverty and imprisonment and government raids. When raids threatened, the families were forced to scatter from their pastoral compound in Salt Lake City to the deserts of Mexico or the wilds of Montana. To follow the Lord's plan as dictated by the Principle, the human cost was huge. Eventually murder in its cruelest form entered when members of a rival fundamentalist group assassinated the author's father.
Dorothy Solomon, monogamous herself, broke from the fundamentalist group because she yearned for equality and could not reconcile the laws of God (as practiced by polygamists) with the vastly different laws of the state. This poignant account chronicles her brave quest for personal identity. Originally published in hardcover under the title Predators, Prey, and Other Kinfolk.
So begins this astonishing and poignant memoir of life in the family of Utah fundamentalist leader and naturopathic physician Rulon C. Allred. Since polygamy was abolished by manifesto in 1890, this is a story of secrecy and lies, of poverty and imprisonment and government raids. When raids threatened, the families were forced to scatter from their pastoral compound in Salt Lake City to the deserts of Mexico or the wilds of Montana. To follow the Lord's plan as dictated by the Principle, the human cost was huge. Eventually murder in its cruelest form entered when members of a rival fundamentalist group assassinated the author's father.
Dorothy Solomon, monogamous herself, broke from the fundamentalist group because she yearned for equality and could not reconcile the laws of God (as practiced by polygamists) with the vastly different laws of the state. This poignant account chronicles her brave quest for personal identity. Originally published in hardcover under the title Predators, Prey, and Other Kinfolk.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0393325776
ISBN13:9780393325775
Release Date:October 2004
Publisher:W. W. Norton & Company
Length:399 Pages
Weight:0.87 lbs.
Dimensions:1.0" x 5.6" x 8.2"
Customer Reviews
4 ratings
daughter of the saints
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 16 years ago
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.
Daughter of the Saints
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 17 years ago
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.
An Honest, Inside Look at Polygamy
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 17 years ago
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.
A brilliant look into a different world
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 18 years ago
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!
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