Cult Insanity: A Memoir Of Polygamy, Prophets, And Blood Atonement (2009) - Plot & Excerpts
At the end of Irene Spencer's first book, Shattered Dreams, she mentions that she'd written about her evil brother-in-law Ervil but then ripped those pages out so his story would not overshadow her own. This book is basically those ripped pages put together into a book, re-following Spencer's own life story but through the experiences of Ervil's horrific reign of power. It does feel a bit scattered and sometimes the chronology is confusing because she jumps between time periods, and I really just wish that this book and the first one had just been combined into one book. I loved the first one but wanted there to be more about what happened with Ervil, and then I read this one and felt like it was lacking in Irene's personal experiences. The two really go together since Irene's personal life was heavily affected by what happened with Ervil, something you don't realize as much when you read Shattered Dreams. I did end up just as engaged with this book as I was with Shattered Dreams, but only once I'd gotten past the weak beginning and into the more juicy parts of Ervil carrying out his truly abhorrent actions against the people blindly following him. I can understand why Irene separated her story from Ervil's, but unfortunately for her, there was no way her life could really be understood without understanding what happened between the LeBaron brothers. Men who are convinced that they are priests, or infallible, in a milieu that encourages the nutty to believe that they are the one mighty and strong; the resurrected. Add the ethic of multiple wives. And you get a bunch of assholes who use their daughters as a medium of political exchange, giving 15 year old girls to old men as plural wives. Compare to the Islamic multiple wive social structure. There's something intrinsic in this polygamous organization that devalues women even as women are the primary medium of exchange. Spencer's book is a great yarn, I read it in one day.
What do You think about Cult Insanity: A Memoir Of Polygamy, Prophets, And Blood Atonement (2009)?
I love Irene's books, even though it is non-fiction, it reads like fiction. She is easy to read.
—shruti
This was an insanely good book! I read it as quickly as a week and would defintely read it again!
—Chloe
Important story to read - explains the unbelievable. However, could use an editing.
—emilianalizardo
