Although I left as an adult, I was raised in the mainstream Mormon/LDS faith and knew about the “fundies” that lived in Bountiful BC. I have always had a bit of a fascination with the FLDS cults that broke off from the main church and still practice polygamy. When Warren Jeffs was finally arrested and convicted I gave a little cheer, having read many books written by survivors.
This book is so incredible well written and you can tell that Leslie Howard did a lot of research into both the Canadian and US polygamist cults. I know that women were passed back and forth from the states to Canada but I don’t think I ever put together just how horribly they were treated as commodities between the communities.
Did I nearly drop my kindle while reading about the town I attended high school in? Yes, because nobody knows/cares about a small Mormon town in the Rockies.
If you would like more stories like this I suggest checking out “Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey” on Netflix or reading “Breaking Free: How I Escaped Polygamy, the FLDS Cult, and My Father” by Rachel Jeffs. I also suggest reading “Educated” by Tara Westover for another perspective of the abuses that happen in the faith.
I would like to thank Simon and Schuster CA for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
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The Celestial Wife by Leslie Howard will be available to purchase April 9 2024 where books are sold.
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