This is almost two separate books:
(1) Mini-biographies of the almost three dozen women who were married to Joseph Smith. On this level, it is a fascinating read--full of the trials, daily life, and amazing faith of these early LDS women.
(2) An interpretation of early LDS polygamy. This section was more of a mixed bag for me. I think that Compton's idea of these marriages as 'dynastic' probably makes sense; but I also think that his condemnation of polygamy as institutional neglect is a little overdone since not a one of these women experiences what we might call 'normal' LDS polygamy: married to Joseph Smith and then, usually, either Brigham Young or Heber C. Kimball after the martyrdom, they did not experience what most polygamous wives did.
This is, nonetheless, one of the most important texts for understanding early Mormonism.
BestBooks is a record of all of the books that I have read since November 2004, with brief descriptions and reviews.
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3 comments:
The second part was a real slog for me (despite having been an undergraduate history major!) but I enjoyed the first part, especially little surprises like the fact that some (many?) wives were both polygamous *and* polyandrous.
Sylvia
ticklethepear.livejournal.com
Julie,
If you ever get a chance to attend a SunStone West symposium in L.A. or S.F., you should go and meet Todd. He's always at those events and I think the two would enjoy talking to each other. I think he'd like your feedback and he'd find your work on women in the Bible fascinating.
Janet
Janet, I 'met' Todd when I interviewed him at T & S. He seems like a very nice guy and I enjoyed picking his brain. The interview is here:
http://www.timesandseasons.org/?p=2826
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