Recommendation

If you are looking for a quick and short easy-to-read comprehensive summary of Mormonism and polygamy, this is the book:

Mormons & Polygamy by Jessie L. Embry. It is a very good "reference" go-to book for quick information about this topic. Embry also wrote another scholastic, groundbreaking book (which she referes to quite often in this book) about the same topic. I've read it and it is excellent.  

This book is only slightly over a hundred pages, but the font is large so don't worry- it's like reading any other church book. In fact, this is also not meant to be a scholastic read (go read her other book if you want it to be). Everything in here is explained in simple terms- there is even a section on the Plan of Salvation to help non-members understand our doctrine better.
 
Most of all, I like her explanation for why Mormons practiced polygamy because she articulates my feelings regarding this subject perfectly. She writes, "As a single female historian and member of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I have seen people become alarmed when I tell them that the mormon Church's historical practice of polygamy does not bother me. But polygamy for me is a historical fact that I study. I do not think about its possible impact on me. the LDS Church is a much against polygamy now as it was for it in the nineteenth centry. I know that I will not be asked to marry a man who already has a wife. I have no idea what will happen int he next life, and I do not worry about polygamy then. yet I do feel it is essential that both members and nonmembers learn about the history of Mormon polygamy before drawing any conclusions about Joseph Smith and why he and his followers accepted such an unusual practice." (pg. 7)
 

Confession Time

Growing up, I never read Anne of Green Gables.

*Gas* Yes I know- a travesty. It's partly because it was never mandatory reading in school (probably because Anne's imaginative genius is way beyond the comprehension of *erhem* MOE). Well, I should have been locked up and forced to read it.

Because finally, I read finish the book last week, and it is probably one of the best books I've ever read. I laughed and cried and fell in love with Anne. Makes me love redheads even more! And it was a breezy read.

The book image is blurry, but this is the copy of Anne of Green Gables that I have. I bought it on my flight back to Provo from DC while laying over at the Chicago airport. Yes, I know, that was ages ago... forgive me- I'm still in the thick of research for my paper.

Anyway, if you have not read this, PLEASE GO READ IT. I can lend you my copy! It's simply delightful!

So Not Big Love

 As creepy as this sounds, this is a fantastic book. Well, can't expecting anything less from something printed by Oxford University Press, right? ;)

The book is a compilation of various articles about modern day polygamy, that ranges from their history to modern day statistics. I learned a lot from reading about them, and frankly, much more about my religion. There are many parallels to the stories of modern day polygamists and those of our past church leaders- isolation, persecution, determination... learning about them has helped me view this group of people in a whole different light. It has made me much more sympathetic to their cause, even if I disagree with  their religious beliefs.

Recommended? A definite yes.

An Attempt to Answer Some To Our Critics

Just finished reading Patriarchs and Politics by Marilyn Warenski. She is an inactive Mormon, and (sadly) her research for this book was the main factor that caused her inactivity. To be fair to her, in her preface she writes, "Still, it is not in my intention to try to convert Mormon women to feminism, nor do I have any interest in instigating a movement  toward changing the status of women in the Mormon Church... Nevertheless, if the majority of Mormon women are functioning happily within the system, I have no vested interest in attempting to change that condition. On the other hand, for the many Mormon women who are in personal conflict with the LDS position on women and for those women who feel confined by other patriarchies as well, I hope that this study can be of value." 

Her main thesis is this: Even though the "Gentile" really have no right to interfere or persecute us for our religion, we need to "wake" these Mormon women up and make them realize that the patriarchy leadership has oppressed us to the point where we are blinded and brainwashed, and think that everything they say is right.   


Before we get into some huge debate about who's right, please remember the "Quote of the Week." Also, these answers are my own private opinions, and do not represent the official viewpoints of the Church. I do not mean to offend people, but I think I have a right to defend my religion and I hope that I have done so as tactfully as possible. 


Now, addressing accusation #1:
Feminist are always riling on the Church for "oppressing" their women. One of their main concerns is that women are not allowed to hold the priesthood. Do you understand the purpose of the priesthood? Do you know what it is used for? Do you understand the responsibilities and duties that come with the priesthood? These men that hold the priesthood are not paid for carrying out their duties. They minister to the members for free, on top of their work and normal husband/ father duties.
Elder Quentin L. Cook related that he once had a discussion with a non-Mormon who stated flatly that her interest in learning more about the Church "had diminished significantly" because she didn't believe that women needed any more unpaid jobs. If people understood that the duties and responsibilities related to the priesthood are all unpaid, that means that women who hold the priesthood will also be unpaid. Is this what you want for women?

Christ held the priesthood, but really, how did he use it? He didn't use it to drive the Romans or apostate Jews out. Instead, he used his priesthood power to heal the sick, to clothe the naked, to feed the hungry, and to calm the sea. Even during His deepest hour of anguish in Gethsemane and on the cross, He never once used this infinite power to smite the people who were persecuting Him. This is the real power of the priesthood. 

The priesthood is not used simply for authoritative purposes. One of our scriptural cannons, the Doctrine and Covenants, specifically talks about abusing the priesthood. It states, "That they may be conferred upon us, it is true; but when we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain ambition, or to exercise control or dominion or compulsion upon the souls of children of men, in any degree of unrighteousness, behold, the heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and when it is withdrawn, Amen to the priesthood or the authority of man." (D&C 121:37). The power of the priesthood can be taken away by God for using his powers unwisely.

Accusation #2: The  Brethren of the Church have brainwashed us into submission, or the women are so delusional that we cannot recognize our oppression. My question then, is, why do the Brethren of the Church encourage the women to gain an education then? There are more women graduating from BYU than men. If the Brethren are determined to keep us in oppression, shouldn't they highly encourage the women to stop pursuing an education? How do you resolve this paradox?

Accusation #3:
In chapter 9 "Unmarried in a Married Church" the author writes about how single women are especially targeted by Church leaders, and made to feel second-class for being single.

I was shocked however, that she did not mention anything about our belief in the next life, not even a casual one liner. That really bugged me. As important as the doctrine of marriage is in the Church, what is even more important is our belief in a just and fair God who wants all His children to be happy. If some single women do not have the opportunity to marry in this life, God will compensate for it in the next, if they remain faithful. I think understanding this principle is more important than debating whether or not the Church is keeping their single women in bondage (or not). Why is life so unfair? I don't know. But I guess this is where faith enters, and you just have to trust that God knows your capabilities, and how you can reach your fullest potential in this life, even if the path is lonely.

to live outside the range of the electric cables was to live an isolated savage.


the whole world was civilized; the whole world dealt in cities; the whole world was property.


He had heard now of the moral decay that had followed the collapse of supernatural religion in the minds of ignoble man, the decline of public honor, the ascendancy of wealth. For men who had lost their belief in God had still kept their faith in property, and wealth ruled a venial world.






These are some of the quotes found in this novel. Rather presciently accurate for a novel written about a hundred years ago about the 21st century, don't you think? I rushed through this book for Book Club, only to find out that we won't be having a meeting till next week, when I'm gone for camp. Oh well. I'm not a fan of science fiction (the last book we did was "I Am Legend" and I gave up after reading the first 50 pages. Couldn't stand it), and so it took a few chapters for me to get "into" it. Even now, when I have about 70 pages left (of the 325 pages), I'm kind of tired of it already. However, it was rather thought-provoking and made me reflect on what direction our society/ world is heading towards.

Books on Early LDS Saints (i.e. the beginning of my research)

In case you did not know, I am writing a paper on (yes, of all topics) Mormon Women in the Early History of the Church and Their Views on Polygamy. This topic came to me when I read Podiums and Pedestals, and was intrigued by the fact that many polygamist wives fought to preserve polygamy. As a woman who (frankly) continues to find it hard to understand the law, I was deeply surprised. Hence, my topic.

This is NOT an easy topic though. As you can only imagine, there is PLENTY of material out there attacking the Church, especially with regard to polygamy. It has been a rough journey so far. There is only so much bitterness in anti-polygamy material you can read before it takes its toil. Even some LDS authors have written material that criticizes the Church and this law.

Hence, my utter relief and delight when I read Mormon Sisters: Women in Early Utah (edited by Claudia L. Bushman). Finally! The book comprises of essays written by contemporary Mormon women about these pioneer sisters. The book was actually a product of a group of LDS women living in the East Coast who gathered together weekly to discuss more about their pioneer heritage. Isn't that interesting? Big things come from small things.

Having read much from the perspective of anti-Mormons, it was such a relief to read material that shed a more positive perspective on events and people during that era. In fact, reading this has brought me peace with this issue. I don't think I will ever understand this law completely till in the next life, but for now, I understand why the Lord instituted it then. Recommended for people sincerely seeking to understand Mormons and its history and culture.

 The second book I've finished reading is The Sisterhood: Inside the Lives of Mormon Women by Dorothy Allred Solomon. Coming from the perspective of a (budding) scholar, this is not a useful book. Most of the references are from secondary material (meaning she quotes another scholar, instead of doing more original research), plus there are important details that she doesn't provide references for. 

She is an active member of the Church and is in good standing, but she is one of the daughters of a fundamentalist LDS (she and her siblings have an interesting conversion story), and (intentionally or not) her history clouds the book. Given her background and current active standing, she naturally tries to shed understanding on contemporary polygamy using history. Unfortunately, I feel that she fails mainly because the mainstream LDS Church has reiterated over and over and over again that it does not support polygamy now. To try to justify it in current times just didn't sit well with me. Not recommended. 

Last,

Yes, a very interesting title. Was it good? Sure. This was definitely one of those "We can do it sisters" type of book, those that you buy during BYU's Women's Conference. Again I felt a sense of relief to read a book by an active member of the Church who praised the Church for its active role in elevating and helping women.
Unfortunately, the book isn't useful to me now. It focused more on the Second Wave Feminist Movement in the 1970s, out of my time period. Perhaps if I ever write another paper on LDS Women and the Second Wave Feminist Movement, this would be a book I could use. 

First Summer Book Club Meeting

We had our first Summer Book Club last night, and discussed Christopher Priest's The Prestige. The movie is based on the book, though it deviates quite a bit from the original novel. Kudos to Priest for his very original novel, as well as the screenplay adapters for being able to write a clever script that still pleases fans despite the major differences in plot.

This is my first book club I've ever been in, and I enjoyed the first meeting we had. It was nice to have a stimulating conversation that had nothing to do with school (or politics). I was also intrigued by the different interpretations that people had of various parts of the book. I get so used to thinking that my way is the only right way, and the conversation we had last night reminded me again that sometimes, my way is not the only way.

There are also several themes in the book that were highlighted and discussed, and one question that I want people to think about it, how far would you go to further your career? How do you know when to draw the line between dedication and obsession? 

Those who are major fans of the movie, read this book. It is very good. If not, read it only if you are interested in magic.

Pedestals and Podiums

Just completed reading this 400+ pages book. It was recommended to me by my scholar when I was her intern. The book is author Martha Sonntag Bradley's analysis of the Church's fight against the Equal Rights Amedment, the ultimate symbol of its fight against the Second Wave Feminist Movement. There is no denial that Bradley has done her research and as such, her work is very impressive.

However, this books will not sit well with conservative Latter-day Saints. I'm a moderate (okay, moderate leaning liberal) and I already don't feel comfortable with some of her claims. She makes no bones about her biasness, and outrightly criticizes the male leadership of the Church, including the prophets and apostles. Which is of course, a big no-no in our church.

I won't go into more details, because not everyone is as passionate about this topic as I am, especially in LDS culture where this is still a sensitive issue. If you want to discuss more about this with me, drop me a message and I will be glad to get back to you.

The only thing I want to share with everyone is, it really all boils down to faith doesn't it? Because how you view those events that transpired during the entire fight for/ against the ERA will depend upon whether or not you believe that the Prophets and Apostles were called of God. Your faith will shape your perspective. I'm not saying the members do not need to study issues out (the way some of the women conducted themselves during the Utah IWY conference was really shocking and embarrassing), but I am struck by how I am always abundantly blessed when I consciously choose to follow the prophet.

I am a HUGE fan of Agatha Christie.

So it's no wonder I "devour" her books whenever I can get hold of one. That's me- I like taking my time reading classics and other books, but when it comes to mystery books, I am very impatient to get to the conclusion when the killer is unmasked. Sleep is usually the only thing that forces me to put a book away for the night.

And since Christie is the QUEEN of mystery writing, (don't judge me!) I read two of her stories in four days. It's like my new addiction... BUT I'm still working on my writing sample, so it's not all leisure reading!


The first is Agatha Christie's A Caribbean Mystery. I think I've read too many of her books, because I identified her "writing pattern" and successfully guessed who the murderer was before the end!

Pretty proud of myself because I've NEVER been able to do this.

Anyway, the book is a Miss Marple novel. (Miss Marple is one of two Christie's famous detective characters.) A colonel asks if Miss Marple would like to see a photograph of a murderer. Yet, just as he's about to show her, he seizes up and shoves the picture away. He is found murdered the next day.

Who and why...

Rating: 7/10- Liked it a lot, but not enough to want to read it again. The other murder suspects were involved in too many "scandals"/ sub-plots, and this made it a bit too distracting (but I guess that's the whole point right?).

The other novel, After the Funeral, featured my favorite detective character, Hercule Poirot. Love his idiosyncrasies!

This time, I was not able to guess the killer at all. In fact, I was nowhere close.

After the funeral of a rich tycoon, his family gathers to hear the reading of his will. His youngest sister un-tactfully blurts out, "He was murdered, wasn't he?" The next day, she is discovered dead, with a hatchet to her head. Her family does not really feel sorry and have no wish to investigate further. Unfortunately (or fortunately) the family solicitor already called in Hercule Poirot.

Hint: DO NOT let the cover fool you

Rating: 7.5/10- Hercule Poirot shines (as usual) but not his finest case. The plot twist at the end was brilliant but also a bit... "pulling the wool over my eyes."