Becoming Sister Wives

Source

I have been on the hold list for this book since it came out. Pretty sure my library only acquired one copy and the handful of readers ahead of me were S.L.O.W. and incurred many fines. Regardless, here is my second read of the new year, Becoming Sister Wives: The Story of an Unconventional Marriage, by Kody, Meri, Janelle, Christine and Robyn Brown.

Good Reads Synopsis: "In many ways, the Browns are like any other middle-American family. They eat, play, and pray together, squabble and hug, striving to raise happy, well-adjusted children while keeping their relationship loving and strong. The difference is, there are five adults in the openly polygamous Brown marriage—Kody and his four wives—who among them have seventeen children. Since TLC first launched its popular reality program Sister Wives, the Browns have become one of the most famous families in the country. Now Kody, Meri, Janelle, Christine, and Robyn reveal in their own words exactly how their special relationship works—the love and faith that drew them together, the plusses and pitfalls of having sister wives, and the practical and emotional complications of a lifestyle viewed by many with distrust, prejudice, even fear. With the candor and frankness that have drawn millions to their show, they talk about what makes their fascinating family work, addressing the topics that intrigue outsiders: How do the four relationships differ? What effect does a polygamous upbringing have on their children? What are the challenges—emotional, social, or financial—involved in living this lifestyle? Is it possible for all four sister wives to feel special when sharing a husband—and what happens when jealousy arises? How has being on camera changed their lives? And what’s it like to add a new wife to the family—or to be that new wife?

Filled with humor, warmth, surprising insights, and remarkable honesty, this is a singular story of plural marriage and all the struggles and joys that go with it. At heart, it’s a love story—unconventional but immediately recognizable in the daily moments of trust, acceptance, forgiveness, passion, and commitment that go into making one big, happy, extraordinary family."

What I Thought: For some reason (while I don’t agree with it), I finding stories about polygamy fascinating. I have watched Sister Wives on TLC since it premiered to gain a little more insight into this community that, intrinsically, I don’t understand. This autobiography of sorts answered a few more questions, which I appreciated. The writing isn’t particularly great and there is a lot of repetition as each wife recants similar stories just from a different point of view. Additionally, if you’ve never watched the show, this book probably isn’t for you. If you have no idea who these people or their kids are, a lot of it probably won’t make much sense to you in context. If you’re a fan of the show, you’ll probably enjoy this one.

Rating: * * 1/2