Wife no. 19, or, The story of a life in bondage

Ann Eliza Young

The true story behind David Ebershoff’s bestseller “The 19th Wife”! At the age of 24, Ann Eliza Webb was forced into marriage with Brigham Young, her spiritual leader and the 67-year-old president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. By her own count, she was his 19th wife. Less than five years later, she filed for divorce on the grounds of neglect, cruel treatment, and desertion – and shocked the tight-knit Mormon community by winning the case. Excommunicated from the church, she traveled the country, speaking out against polygamy and Mormonism, and becoming an early advocate for women’s rights in 19th century America. In this autobiography, dedicated to the Mormon Wives of Utah, she published a devastating exposé of the privation, cruelty and violence that were a constant part of their lives. Her story was an immediate best-seller, and remains a gripping read to...