Illegitimate: How a Loving God Rescued a Son of Polygamy [Hardcover]

Brian J. Mackert (Author), Brian Mackert (Author), Susan Martins Miller (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2008

The recent events at a Fundamentalist Mormon compound in Texas have ignited a national dialogue on religious sects. Formed as a splinter group of the LDS church, these secretive cults exist in an insular world far removed from mainstream American culture. A world of abuse and twisted theology that seems too bizarre to be true.

Yet for Brian J. Mackert, life inside this sect was all too real. As a son in a family of one father, four wives, and 31 children, Brian experienced firsthand the devastating realities of polygamous cults.  

Now Brian tells his remarkable story of tragedy and healing. Illegitimate takes readers behind today's shocking headlines and inside the walls of this controversial sect. Brian reveals a world of loving mothers and abusive fathers, devoted children and sibling rivalry, fake religion and the truth eventually found in Christ-outside the walls of the FLDS. Ultimately, Illegitimate demonstrates the incredible love of God, and His ability to bring light into the darkest of places.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Brian J. Mackert was raised in a splinter group of the LDS church that endorsed polygamy. He later embraced a true relationship with Christ and became a licensed Baptist minister. In addition to his profession as a telecom engineer, Brian regularly speaks to church groups about the realities of radical Mormonism.Susan Martins Miller has edited and authored over 30 books for children and adults. In addition she has conducted several publisher-development workshops for writers and editors in Nepal, India, Slovakia, Colombia and Bolivia on behalf of Cook Communications Ministries International. She lives in Colorado Springs with her husband and two children.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: David C. Cook; New edition (October 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1434766918
• ISBN-13: 978-1434766915
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,003,678 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Brian Mackert was raised in a splinter group of the LDS church that endorsed polygamy. He later embraced a true relationship with Christ and became a licensed Baptist minister and is dedicated to doing church plants in heavily populated Mormon regions. In addition to his profession as a telecom engineer, Brian regularly speaks to church groups about the realities of radical Mormonism.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A story of healing and redemption, October 22, 2008

By 

Steel Wyrm "Steel Wyrm" (McKinney, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Illegitimate: How a Loving God Rescued a Son of Polygamy (Hardcover)

Brian is very careful to focus the text specifically on the abuses he suffered as a boy growing up without fathering in a polygamous LDS household. He goes to pains not to assault Mormonism per se, as this is not the goal of the book, but rather the abuses put upon the children by those who setup a false and absent godhood in themselves as the father's of so many children whom they at best benignly ignored and at worst as was the case for Brian horribly abused.

In the end though this book is about triumph, the triumph of a boy becoming a man and finding grace, fulfillment, and love through a journey of discovery ending in finding the real love of a gracious God.

Brian wrote not to raise up his suffering, but rather to tell about his healing and the peace he found. He wrote about a journey beginning in fear and abuse an ending in a place where he was capable of forgiving the man who abused him.

I highly recommend this inspirational, at times poignant, and strongly written book.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must Read, October 18, 2008

By 

David Mackert (Anacortes, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Illegitimate: How a Loving God Rescued a Son of Polygamy (Hardcover)

I laughed, I cried, my anger grew, and I rejoiced, as I finished reading "Illegitimate" at 3 o'clock in the morning. It is rare and powerful when someone has the courage to be this honest and open about their pain and hurt. Thank you Brian for sharing with the world the hope your story brings. The great writing balances these emotions in a way that left me in awe.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Honest and Real!, September 29, 2008

By 

Chevy55 (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Illegitimate: How a Loving God Rescued a Son of Polygamy (Hardcover)

Brian gives an amazingly gripping look inside a very closed society where control and the misuse of power cripple innocent children emotionally, intellectually, physically and socially!
A must read for anyone concerned about the children of our nation and our collective future.
His life is a miracle of grace and healing. He is very vunerable and honest about his own failings, which makes his story believable at a deep level. The epidemic of "fatherlessness" in our nation is no more strongly represented than between the covers of "Illegitimate"!!