The 19th Wife, by David Ebershoff

 

Wife #19: A Desert Mystery By Jordan Scott

The 19th Wife, by Ann Eliza Young Published 1875

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 19^th 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.

Tangerine, by Edward Bloor

Characters
Lake Windsor Downs – the Seagulls	Tangerine Middle School – the War Eagles
Paul Fisher Erik – “Erik Fisher Football Dream” Caroline Fisher – mother Dad   Football – Lake Windsor Seagulls Coach Warner Antoine Thomas – quarterback Mike Costello – ball holder, killed by lightning Arthur Bauer – new ball holder Bryan Baylor - center   Soccer – Mr. Walski - coach Tommy Acoso Gino Deluca   Mr. Costello – lawyer, HoA president Jack Costello – Paul’s friend   Mr. Donnelly – house always struck by lightning Terry - son   Tina Turreton – Arthur’s girlfriend Paige – Arthur’s sister	Middle School soccer: Betty Bright – coach, former track and field star Tino Cruz Victor Guzman Hernando Maya Panethi Shandra Thomas – goaltender, Antoine’s sister Nina Dolly   Middle School: Dr. Grace Johnson – principal Theresa Cruz – Paul’s escort first day   Luis Cruz – Tino and Theresa’s brother, developed new, improved tangerine “Golden Dawn”
Civil Engineering Department Charley Burns – department head, retired in controversy Dad- became department head

For Discussion:

NOTE: Page numbers from paperback edition.

1.       When Mike was killed by the lightning, Paul’s mother tried to get the football practice times changed to a safer time in the day.  But Coach Warner saw moving the practice time as destroying the team.  He said that, for some boys like Antoine, football was the only way to get to college.  Caroline saw the practice as putting kids in harm’s way while Coach Warner saw it as preparing them for an actual game.  Who was right?

2.       When the sinkhole gave way and the portable classrooms started to fall into the hole, Paul did not run away.  Instead, without thinking, he ran toward the hole and helped pull students out.  Later he thought, “I’m still afraid of Erik.  I’m afraid of Arthur now, too.  But today I wasn’t a coward, and that counts for something” (page 86).  How did this experience change Paul? 

3.       As you were reading, what did you think happened to Paul’s eyes?

4.       When Paul was asking to transfer to Tangerine without his IEP, he also said, “Dad, I don’t mind if you never pay any attention to me for the rest of my life” (page 94).  His dad was very surprised at this.  Should he have been more aware of Paul and not so wrapped up in Erik’s career?

5.       Why did Paul fit in better at Tangerine than at Lake Windsor?

6.       On Monday, November 20, Paul had his project group from Tangerine over to his house to complete their project.  Erik came home and was taunting the group and eventually hit Tino.  When Erik walked away, he looked at Paul and Paul saw an expression, “more like sorrow.  Or fear” (page 206).  Paul also thought he saw his father at the patio door, but he just walked away.  What emotions do you think Erik was feeling?  Why do you think the father did not intervene?

7.       After Mike’s tragic death, why did the kids start to make fun of it and call Mike “Mohawk Man?”

8.       Was it right for the TV station to replay the tape of “Erik Fisher Flying Placekicker” over and over?  Did the station have a responsibility to be fair to a teenager?  Was it fair to Erik for the coach to not tell him about the change in the play?

9.       After it was discovered that Erik and Arthur had stolen from all of the houses being fumigated, Erik’s parents offered to return or repay all of the victims in exchange for them not pressing charges.  Was this a good thing to do?  Would you have done the same?

10.   After the police left the Fisher house, Caroline’s parents arrived for their visit.  Upon hearing the story, her mother said, “You’re paying now for what you didn’t do back then” (page 287).  When Caroline and Dad replied that Erik didn’t need a doctor, Caroline’s dad said, “The kid needed to know which end was up, that’s all. First off, he needed to get his backside whipped for hurting Paul” (page 287).  Was that “all” Erik needed?

11.   What did you think about Paul’s parents?  His mother seemed very involved in the community and schools, but did not go to Paul’s soccer games.  His father at the end, “seemed more like those friends who had abandoned Erik, who now regretted ever getting involved with him in the first place” (page 300).

12.   In Paul’s second journal entry for Tuesday, December 5 (page 302), he wrote about Luis and what he meant to the people who knew him and then tried to write the same about Erik.  He ended with the question, “Why did they look up to him?”   Why do you think people looked up to Erik?  What do you think his parents thought as they were reading what he wrote?

13.   What do you think Paul and his father talked about on their way to Paul’s new school at the end of the book?

14.   Do you think a teenager would think about this book differently than an adult?  If so, how?

*****

First Semester Success, 2nd Edition, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer, is available at amazon.com and wordassociation.com.