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Wife #19: A Desert Mystery By Jordan Scott |
The 19th Wife, by Ann Eliza Young Published 1875 |
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BeckyLyn –
mother and wife #19 Husband –
murdered at computer Jordan Scott
– son, expelled from group at age 14 “Queenie” (Elizabeth
the Second) – daughter, Jordan’s sister BeckyLyn’s
sister wives: Sister Rita -
#1 Sister Sherry Sister
Kimberly – last wife, Sarah 5’s mother Mr. Heber –
BeckyLyn’s lawyer Maureen –
secretary Brother Hiram
Alton – Queenie’s husband, police, investigated murder Sarah 5 –
waitress, escaped cult, married to Jordan’s dad (page 382) Sister Karen
– postmistress, conductor of underground railroad to help girls escape Roland –
Jordan’s friend Elektra – dog Johnny Drury
– expelled like Jordan Ann Eliza
Young House Kelly Dee –
volunteer, master’s program BYU |
Joseph Smith
– prophet Brigham Young
– carpenter, replaced Smith as head of group Ann Eliza
Young – wife #19, author of book Mary Ann
Angell – wife #1 Amelia –
favorite wife, got most of estate Elizabeth
Churchill Chauncey Webb Ann Eliza –
daughter, married to Brigham Young 1868 (2nd husband), author of
book Gilbert – Elizabeth’s
son Lydia Taft –
house girl, became 2nd wife Eleanor and
Margaret Oaks- wives #3 and #4 Mrs. Cox –
wife #5 James Dee – Ann
Eliza’s first husband James and
Lorenzo – sons with Dee Boarders –
helped with escape: Major James
Burton Pond Judge and
Mrs. Albert Hagan Friends: Rev. and Mrs.
Stratton – Methodist, helped with escape Major Ford – promoter
and manager |
For Discussion:
NOTE: Page numbers are from the paperback edition.
1.
How much does appearance factor in to how we
think about people? On page 61, Jordan
wrote that Joseph “had a presence unlike most men, with eyes wide and blue, and
the stature of a man who knows his place in history.”
2.
The Mormon church banned plural marriages in
1890. In Jordan’s family history, Ann Eliza was despised and referred to as
“that woman” (page 131). Her book, The
19th Wife, was thought to be “Nothing but a pack of lies” (page
131). Can the church simply ignore their
history? Is this fair to the men and
woman who were forced into this practice?
3.
If only wife #1 would spend eternity with her
husband (page 119), who would the successive wives spend eternity with? Knowing that, why would anyone become a
second wife? Were there advantages?
4.
Why did Brigham Young send Chauncey and Gilbert
on a Mission to England which cost them their livelihood and business? Was he jealous of their financial success?
5.
When Elder Joseph Hovey came to Payson, his
purpose was to get people to repent of their sins. After a while, people started to invent sins
to confess (page 174-175). Why?
6.
In the story “A Desert Mystery”, were you
surprised that BeckyLyn went back to Mesadale after she was released from
prison? Why do you think she did?
7.
In this story, what part did Sarah 5 play? Before you read who the real killer was,
what did you think had happened?
8.
Discuss your reading experience with this
book. What did you like or not like? How difficult was it to follow along with the
two story lines with close to the same title?
9.
Did you like the combination of the two
stories? Did they complement each other? Could one or the other have stood on their
own?
10.
In the Author’s Notes, the author stated that he
wrote all of the sections that appeared to be non-fiction: Wikipedia entry,
articles and letters from the LDS Archives, etc. Also, the web address www.2wives.com is not
real. How did these additions add to or
detract from your reading?
11.
How important was it for you to know what was
real and what was fiction?
12.
This book was a Publishers Weekly Best
Book of the Year and a finalist for the Utah Book Award as well as others. In your opinion, did it deserve these
honors? Why or why not?
*****
First Semester Success: 2nd Edition, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer, is available at amazon.com and wordassociation.com.
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