The 19th Wife: “You of all people…”

In the chapter where Ann Eliza goes to Beehive House to ask Brigham Young for a new stove, he balks at first but then gives in, telling her, “I always thought you of all people would understand what it meant to be my wife.” What does he mean by this? Is his statement justified at all?

19th Wife: mothers

In David Ebershoff’s The 19th Wife, how do Ann Eliza’s mother and Jordan’s mother influence the decisions they make? What do these decisions say about faith?

The 19th Wife: on faith

In the opening of David Ebershoff’s The 19th Wife, Ann Eliza Young, the 19th wife of Brigham Young, writes that when people approached her with incredulity about being raised to believe in plural marriage, she responded:

“Faith, I tell them, is a mystery, elusive to many and never easy to explain.”

Does Ann Eliza’s statement hold true in general? How valid do you believe her statement to be?