God's Brothel: The Extortion of Sex for Salvation in Contemporary Mormon and Christian Fundamentalist Polygamy and the Stories of 18 Women Who Escaped

This is a heartbreaking account of eighteen women who escaped polygamy in various places around the US. It's quite horrifying to read how many times these women contacted police and authorities for help and were ignored. As the book explains, a lot of these polygamist compounds have police officers that are part of the faith, so they don't take any of the threats (almost always from the women/girls) seriously. It's encouraging to hear that the women who tell their stories in this book were able to escape and attempt a normal life away from abuse, incest and torment.

This is a very interesting book and definitely an eye-opener (if you are not aware of the problems inherent in modern-day paternalistic polygamous marriage). But you do also need to consider the source as the author definitely has an agenda. As someone who is quite familiar with the culture, however, it is both recognizable and chilling.

I am pretty sure this was the first nonfiction book I read about polygamy. I am so thankful to not have been born into a family who thought this was the right way. It is so unbelievable to me that people live like this.