Ann Eliza Young testified before Congress in 1875 regarding the neglect and cruelty that accompanied the life of a woman bound into a plural marriage.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, under the presidency of Brigham Young, practiced polygamy, the condition of one man marrying multiple wives. Ann Eliza Young married Brigham when he was 67 and she was 24 years old, becoming his 19th wife. She would later flee with her children and file for divorce.
The rest of her life, Ann Eliza would be an advocate for women's rights and a strident member of the fight against polygamy.
In "The 19th Wife," author David Ebershoff has done a masterful job weaving Ann Eliza's story throughout a mystery murder set in a polygamist community in modern day Utah.
Jordan Scott, a young man who had been thrown out of a modern fundamentalist sect, considers himself an escapee and a survivor. When he receives word that his mother, a modern day 19th wife, has been charged with the murder of his father, Jordan heads back to Utah uncertain what old enemies might await him.
To help his mother, who has become completely unable to help herself due to the lifestyle and training of the wives in the polygamist compound, Jordan must start digging into secrets he never wanted to face again. He soon finds himself in a race to prove his mother's innocence before he becomes the latest victim and scapegoat of a crumbling empire.
Ebershoff's novel is not a denunciation of any particular religion or lifestyle. Instead, he paints a vivid and intriguing story that allows the reader to work through complicated questions of what happens when you give away your personal sovereignty to another human being.
The fascinating narrative of historical fiction based on Ann Eliza enriches the dramatic mystery. The two stories constantly provide background information and deeper character development, weaving together a thought-provoking page turner.
Mariah Luebbering is the children's assistant at the Missouri River Regional Library.