The Secret Story of Polygamy [Paperback]

Kathleen Tracy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 2001

Despite the fact that polygamy was declared illegal in 1890, there are an estimated 60,000 practicing polygamists in the United States, most of them living in the western states. In The Secret Story of Polygamy, author Kathy Tracy examines the current state of polygamy, revealing the shocking abuse of women that often comprises life in a polygamist family.

Her investigation exposes a world where women are treated as breeders of children, and daughters are taught to become faithful servants to the man they marry, often at the age of 14 or 15. Some of the men have as many as 14 to 16 wives; and even when the family has wealth, the women frequently live impoverished lives in run-down homes or dwellings and are forced to claim independent status in order to collect welfare and food stamps.

The revelations of The Secret Story of Polygamy are centered around a dramatic narrative of the story of the Kingston brothers—a 1999 case in which a father in a polygamist clan pleaded no contest to beating his daughter until she was unconscious because she defied the mores of the clan; and in which the girl’s husband, her father’s brother, was convicted of incest. It is also the story of the young woman, Mary Ann Kingston, who had the courage at age 16 to come forward and expose her family’s secret.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Though polygamy technically means the taking of multiple wives or husbands, in practice it refers almost exclusively to wives. As Tracy reports, Utah, with its huge Mormon population (the faith once included polygamy as one of its tenets), is rife with "plural marriages." Thousands may be practicing polygamy there, she writes, but those who are prosecuted usually aren't charged with polygamy, but with crimes related to domestic violence. Tracy builds her book around a 1998 trial in which prominent Mormon John Daniel Kingston was tried for assault on his 16-year-old daughter, whom he beat severely after she refused to become his brother's 15th wife. Tracy's argument is that polygamy hurts women, girls and taxpayers: women and girls are abused and live in fear, while children from these illicit marriages are often supported not by their fathers, but by the state. And yet the author offers few facts to build her case. Although she interviewed numerous polygamous women, law enforcement officers and social workers, their comments are often rambling and nonspecific. The assault on Kingston's daughter is the axis of Tracy's case against polygamy, but she quotes no doctors or officials about the nature of the attack. Her rather garbled history of the Mormon faith is written from an insider's perspective both confusing to non-Mormons and occasionally inaccurate. More disturbing, however, is the cultish quality the author ascribes to Mormonism, which renounced polygamy in 1890. Polygamy in the West is a fascinating subject, but Tracy misses the opportunity to illuminate it.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Often considered Utah's dirty little secret, polygamy (the practice of having multiple spouses) was declared illegal in 1890 when the Mormon church renounced polygamous marriages as a condition to the Utah territory's becoming a state. There are still an estimated 60,000 practicing polygamists in the United States, most of them living in the West. Victims of polygamy include women who are treated as breeders of children, very young girls who are forced to become faithful servants to their husbands, and the general public, whose tax money supports social-service programs that polygamists take advantage of because lax rules allow them to receive benefits (e.g., food stamps and welfare checks). In this insightful investigation of polygamy, Tracy, a Los Angeles-based journalist and author of 20 books (Ellen Degeneres: Up Close), reveals these and many other examples of polygamous abuse. Her analysis is centered around the 1999 case study of the Kingston brothers, which involved unlawful sexual conduct, physical abuse, and incest. Recommended for large public libraries. Tim Delaney, Canisius Coll., Buffalo
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks (December 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570717230
• ISBN-13: 978-1570717239
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #715,842 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An adequate resource, September 15, 2007

By 

Anyechka (Rensselaer, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Secret Story of Polygamy (Paperback)

While this isn't the most exhaustive in-depth book on polygamy (more specifically, polygyny) out there, it is an adequate resource if one is just starting to learn about the issue. The meat of the book is about the trial of Mary Ann Kingston, a teenage girl from one of the most infamous polygamous clans in Utah, who ran away after her father brutally beat her for daring to try to leave her husband, who was also her uncle. Mary Ann was his 15th wife, and not the only blood relative he was married to. Her own parents are also halfsiblings, far from the only incestuous coupling in this huge local polygamous empire. When she brought her father and uncle to court for their crimes, it really got the national spotlight onto this issue, demonstrating that in the majority of cases, polygamy in this country at least isn't about what consenting adults choose to do or personal religious beliefs, but rather about power, control, abuse, fraud, fear, and horrifying crimes, one of which, incest, frequently results in children with severe deformities or handicaps. There's also a fair bit of attention paid to Tom Green, a polygamist who proudly admitted to his lifestyle on television multiple times, and who married most of his wives when they were teenagers and over half his age. Another case that forms the basis of Ms. Tracy's argument against polygamy is that of Andrea Johnson, a 15 year old who died of untreated toxemia and gave birth to a baby with cerebral palsy (the father was her halfbrother), a direct result of the extreme secrecy and crimes of these groups. There are also chapters on the general history and evolution of the various types of polygamy (polygyny, polyandry, and polyamory) and the history and treatment of polygyny in Mormonism.

However, this book just doesn't feel extraordinarily in-depth. There are a lot of good points made about how dangerous and damaging polygyny is to these women and their children, but a lot of times it feels more like she's not being as specific as possible, like having more extensive analysis or synthesis of the material. And for a book supposedly based around the Kingston trial, there just isn't a whole lot of information presented from enough of the sources, such as the doctors, police, and social workers who dealt with the case too. The writing itself is also crawling with embarrassing errors--grammatical, orthographical, punctuational, typographical. A couple of times she even gives the wrong year for certain events, writing 19xx when clearly she meant 18xx. She also repeatedly calls the Utah newspaper The Deseret News 'The Desert News.' At times it seems as though barely a page passes by without at least one such mistake. Where was the editor? And while I'm not Mormon myself, I couldn't help noticing that there were some inaccurate, even offensive, statements about that faith. For example, she doesn't seem to make enough of a distinction between mainstream Mormons and the fundamentalists who commit these vile crimes, people who really are condemned, not just officially, by the LDS Church. While it's true the religion does have a long and complicated relationship with polygamy, and it did take awhile for it to fully be stamped out even after it was first officially forbidden, today only these secluded enclaves of fundamentalists still sanction it, let alone practice it. There are also some statements that would have seemed a lot less offensive had there been some more specifics, like when she says that Mormonism is considered a cult in a passage about other Christian groups who practice polygamy. Is she saying it's considered a cult by just these other fringe groups or by everyone? She also says that the FLDS groups believe Joseph Smith had revelations from God; unless she specifically meant about polygamy, don't all Mormons believe he had Divine revelations? I also thought the section on the supposed double standard was in somewhat bad taste, particularly when Ms. Tracy was discussing Deborah Laake's book, which revealed some rituals that are supposed to be private, like the description of the Temple wedding ceremony. Just about all religions have beliefs and rituals which seem strange, premodern, or illogical to outsiders; it's all a matter of perspective. Every religion has the right to decide what to keep private and whether it's going to have a more liberal or conservative outlook in certain areas.

It's a shame, since with a lot more supporting details, scholarly analysis of these cases, and religious sensitivity, plus a much more attentive editor, this book could have been a lot more polished and professional, and made the case against polygyny even more compelling and insightful.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Eye-Opening!, May 14, 2006

By 

Elizabeth A. Root (Laurel, MD USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Secret Story of Polygamy (Paperback)

I thought that this was a fascinating book that pulled together a lot of bits and pieces of information that I have heard about here and there. I have rather mixed feelings about polygamy. On one hand, I have a fairly anarchistic view of private social arrangements. I would be willing to consider allowing polygamy, and various other unusual (in the USA) customs, as long as everyone participates voluntarily. This makes it clear that one cannot count upon that happening; not only are some women virtual prisoners, subject to rape, but the law is often reluctant to intervene when they do seek help. Some of the groups are deliberately incestuous. And I was just thrilled to learn that the polygamists see Welfare as a godsend to enable them to lie and support themselves at public expense.

Tracy is clearly against polygamy, and she recounts some frightening and tragic stories. She does recount some of the views of pro-polygamy women, and concedes that the Joseph family works fairly well.

Needed information about a rarely discussed topic.

9 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars fascinating subject; abysmal writing, September 29, 2002

By 

Robynne A. Williams (Silver Spring, MD USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Secret Story of Polygamy (Paperback)

This is, obviously, a fascinating subject & the author's research appears to be adequate. However, there is hardly a sentence which does not include at least one error in spelling, grammar, words, or dates. For instance, dates which should begin with "18" often begin with "19." The author does not seem to have a clue when to use the word "principle" and when to use "principal." She has no idea when to use "it's" & when to use "its." For anyone who cares about decent writing, this is a hard book to read. Overuse if Spellcheck may be part of the problem but real ignorance is also a problem. Whatever became of editors?