Colorado City Polygamists: An Inside Look for the Outsider (Paperback)

by Benjamin G. Bistline (Author) "When John Taylor succeeded Brigham Young and became the third president of the Mormon Church in 1880, there was a spirit of revolt among its..." (more)
Key Phrases: plural marriage, seventh president, high priesthood, Colorado City, Short Creek, United Effort Plan (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Eldorado, Texas, is being invaded by polygamists from Colorado City. Texas "outsiders" unfamiliar with what they do and how they do it are aggressively seeking information about the group. And they should . . .especially now that sexual abuse charges have been filed and the Lost Boys cast out of the community are finding advocates. The public needs to know how the one-man dictatorship developed and how maniacal Warren Jeffs rules today. He and his lieutenants are highly skilled and articulate business men who have mastered the art of deception and therefore pose a threat to any community they inhabit.

Colorado City historian Benjamin Bistline’s first deeply documented book, The Polygamists: A History of Colorado City, Arizona was written to present the truth of the beginnings of the group and its original religious doctrine. Over the years, that doctrine has been verbally "rewritten" by religious leaders to support their claim of God’s approval of their one-man tyrannical dictatorship. For "outsiders" to whom Colorado City and polygamy are new, the first book was overwhelming with deep documentation. So we offer you this book, condensed, simplified, and easy to follow. People across America are asking how it is: That girls as young as thirteen can be forced to marry, and not even to young men but old men; And how it is that women are treated as chattel and belong not to themselves or their husband, but to the Priesthood; and how it is that wives and children can suddenly be reassigned to a "more obedient" man; And how it is that teenage boys are cast out alone into the world so older men can have more wives. And finally, how is it that tax dollars of American citizens are not only supporting many large polygamist families, but helping their communities expand. Polygamy abuses in America remain in the public eye thanks to Oprah, CNN, ABC Primetime, A&E Television and other media sources, including newspapers The Salt Lake Tribune, The Spectrum of St. George, Utah, The Phoenix New Times, The Arizona Republic, and the Deseret Morning News. With polygamists setting up an enclave in Texas, The Eldorado Success, San Antonio Express-News, Fort Worth Star Telegram, The Dallas Morning News, and others are working to make their citizens aware.

Product Details

• Paperback: 236 pages
• Publisher: Agreka Books; 1 edition (July 21, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1888106859
• ISBN-13: 978-1888106855
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 7.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #365,823 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A unique history of a idiosyncratic group, September 24, 2006

By	Dennis A. Lowrey (Mesa, AZ) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Ben Bistline's history of the First Ward of Colorado City is unique excursion into a secretive group dedicated to a non-mainstream set of beliefs and practice. The Colorado City Polygamists is the shorter version of this history and is more suited to the general (and in particular) non-LDS reader. While a background in restorationist religious history is useful it is not essential to enjoying this insider view of the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints (or FLDS). The book is full of names and events of the 20th century development of a utopian group dedicated to a practice now shunned by the mainstream LDS church. For a student of American utopian experiments this story has the typical and sad end of most American experiments in group living with the rise of charismatic and erratic leader leading the people into the wilderness in the nominal pursuit of purity and truth. Do not look for sensational from this book but a respectful yet tough telling of the inside religious story of a eccentric group of American utopians.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Interesting, September 21, 2007

By	Korin Adamson (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a very interesting book which helps explain why the polygamists believe what the do. It would have been helpful if there was a guide that stated the various peoples names and who they are.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Lots of Info, but terminally boring!, September 16, 2008

By	Anastasia's Mommy "vsims68" (Winter Park, FL USA) - See all my reviews

If you are researching an academic paper on polygamy, this would be a good resource. However, if you are interested in the stories of polygamists as in "Escape," "Stolen Innocence," or "Daughter of the Saints," you should bypass this book. It is just a compilation of dry statistics.