This book is very compelling (hard to put down) and insightful. Its story is similar to many others about the cult of Fundamentalist Mormanism. It is sad to think that many women and children are stil trapped in polygamist situations. There are many implications pointing to the cult of Mormonism itself and why and how it has grown so large. Think broader than just this one situation when you read this true story!

I am totally fascinated by the FLDS society and being a librarian have found lots to read on the subject. This was a favorite. Living in Utah makes the subject all the more interesting because it is going on here. I would recommend this book to anyone. It is traveling on to my daughtger next and then will find its way to Indiana to a good friend. Had lots of startling information......both funny and sad. My heart goes out to all the people, young and old in this society.

This was a very good, well written book, although, after you have read "Shattered Lives", it doesn't compare to the details given. It does show the true life of someone who simply doesn't know any better. Doesn't know that she has rights, doesn't know she has a choice. I think I would have killed myself had I had to live out some of these lives. I thank God every time I read a Polygamist book that I wasn't born into it. It is total mind control - totally!

I began this book while waiting for 'Escape' by Carolyn Jessop to become available at the library. I am so thankful for the hold on 'Escape', because 'His Favorite Wife' was hands down an incredibly well written, informative, and riveting read. Rarely do I read a book twice, but 'His Favorite Wife' will be one of them. Excellent job, Susan! I commend you for your perseverance and openness.

This is a fascinating look into a polygamus group in Mexico with Utah roots. It is almost unbeleivable to think that there are people who choose to live in poverty, isolation and submission so they can follow their religious beliefs in this day and age, but they do. At times my heart went out to the people in this book and other times I found myself wanting to shout at them to open their eyes and start thinking for themselves! Susan does a good job telling her story and this is a good read. I also recommend reading some of the other books written by women who have left polygamy (Including Irene Spencer and Caroylyn Jessop) because it will give you a better perspective on the culture. Also, you begin to see how some of these stories are written by individuals with their own stories to tell, but the underlying theme emerges in all of them - people should not think for themselves (especially women) but listen to their leaders and do as they are told. If they do not do this they will not go on to a glorious afterlife but be dammed for eternity. This book and the others are eye openers!

I was interested in this subject due to recent events in the news (i.e., Texas-Custody Battles). When I first received the book, I thought "400 pages, how could this writer possibly keep this subject interesting through 400 pages?" You not only stay interested, you get pulled into the story, kept me reading until the wee hours. Excellent book!

Very interesting and candid book about the polygamists' lives. I have read other ones on that subject. They were very thorough about what their beliefs are, but this one gives a closer, more intimate view of what a girl having to share a husband with so many wives and raising children at a very young age has to go through.

This is the autobiography of Susan Ray, a woman born into an offshoot of the Jeff's FLDS sect. This polygamous cult left Utah and settled in Mexico after breaking off from Jeff's FLDS. It is a story of violence, exploitation and subjugation. Susan is forced into an arranged marriage at a young age to an older man who already had four wives. The reader can sense how Susan's eyes are opened to the injustice of polygamy as she matures. This polygamous cult evolves into coercion and murder at the hands of an insane leader. Susan pulls no punches as she describes her life as the fifth wife of a polygamist who uses sex, intimidation, expeditious interpretation of the gospel and abject poverty as tools to keep his wives under his control. I recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in learning more about polygamy and the FLDS.

This book is a very informative story about a lifestyle and culture that is not widely understood or even recognized as existing by the general public. The book provides a great deal of insight into the emotional and psychological conflicts confronted by a young girl living in a controlled and closed religious society. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning about polygamy and the effects it has on children.

Irene Spencer, Shattered Dreams (wife #2)takes Susan Ray's hand and places it in Verlan's. In a few moments Susan becomes (wife #6) and there will be 4 more wives to come. "Sister wives" share one man, babies, poverty, and living conditions usually found in a third world country. Susan writes a fast moving yarn covering the birth of 5 children in barely 6 years. Lonely women, in a polygamous sect where men and women are willing to kill those that do not agree and follow the rules! "Staying Sweet" is what a woman must do unless she wants to go to Hell after death. Amazing what power learned behavior can have when you begin learning only what men want you to know at age 1 day.

I bought this book after hearing so much in the recent news about polygamy. This is the second book of this nature I've purchased and thus far is the best. The story itself is unusual, and gives an outsider the chance to see what day to day life in polygamy is like. The writer doesn't smooth over her own faults and blame everyone else for her lot in life. She also gives an honest look at the good qualities of some of the people in their religious conference, including her former sister wives and even gives an honest detail of her ex-husband and his good qualities.

All in all I was very impressed with her honesty and how she made her decision to leave the sect, while generally not blaming or judging the others who still remain in the sect. I was however slightly disappointed with how she treated her husband after she made the decision to leave.

The book itself was fairly easy to read, and keeps the interest of the reader simply to see how it all worked out in the end. However, it did get old sometimes reading about all the jealousies in their lives day to day. It was also chilling in respect to the murders in their communities, and because of this, I probably won't read the book a second time.

Fast read, I could not put it down. Susan Ray Schmidt's book is a beautifully written tale of courage, compassion, heartache, and bravery. Her story is vividly told in such a way, that I was emotionally drawn in, experiencing the trap this young women walked into. Falling in love with Verlan, her polygamous husband, she begins a journey into poverty, jealousy, loneliness, and her eventual search for truth. I applauded her bravery to care more about her children and their future, than stay in the only way of life she knew. Her story of leaving her husband and family was heartbreaking, but her eventual success, for herself and her children, is inspiring. This beautifully written story about a strong, caring women is a must read!!!!

I felt like I was right there, seeing things through the eyes of a young impressionable girl as her life in a polygamist world unfolds.
Beautifully and sensitively written. Left me wanting more.

The story here is pretty amazing, the author though should have gotten real help with a co-author or ghost writer even. It's written on a 7th grade level at best and some of the early chapters are written for a 5th grade level. The hardships placed on these women in general by their religion are outrageous in the eyes of the rest of the world and why on Earth states like Utah, Idaho and Arizona haven't cracked down on these cults is beyond my comprehension. Freedom of religion is one thing, being born into slavery and neglect under the guise of religion is what really goes on inside these groups.

I bought this and another book about polygamy (Escape by Carolyn Jessop), because of the current situation in El Dorado, Texas, and I hoped to gain some insight from those who have been on the inside.

I couldn't put this book down as I found Susan's story riveting, amazing, unbelievable, interesting, tragic, inspiring, thought provoking, soul searching, and more. It is a very moving story.

I think having some hint of an idea of what goes on "inside" some of these groups helps those of us on the "outside" to be better equipped to understand some of the actions being taken, and pause to give real thought to what is the "right" or "best" thing to do. There are no easy answers or solutions, for sure. Nobody wants to see children taken away from loving mothers, but at the same time, we want to protect woman and children who may not be in the position to protect themselves, particularly when it comes to physical and sexual abuse of children. There are certainly many complex issues in all of this, but I think it is at least time to keep the spot light on until there are thorough investigations.

In any case, I'm so happy that Susan wrote this book. Her story is incredible, and I highly recommend it to anybody who is interested at all in learning more about polygamy. While I thought Jessop's book, Escape, was also very interesting, and more closely related to the group in Texas in time and space~ I definitely found His Favorite Wife to be a much more interesting story and the style more readable for me, too.

I have a feeling I'll be reading a few more books on this subject... after learning Irene has written Shattered Dreams. It goes beyond morbid curiousity, because there are so many real life and spiritual issues that come to light in these books that apply to some degree to all of us.

I'm not in any book clubs, but I would absolutely recommend this book to those of you who are. It would provide a foundation for many interesting discussions~

And I want to know how they ever got all of Verlan's daughters together for a cruise!

Susan has written a powerful book. Though not a professional writer, she indeed must have "innate" writing talent to so skillfully tell the story and describe in such an understandable way some of her most sublime feelings. As others have noted, this story has it all. Personal crisis, despair, doubt, strength, adventure, danger, murder, power struggles within the church--really, it's all there. Making the story all the more intriguing is that it is true. She tells her personal story as at age 15 she becomes the 6th (plural) wife of one of the church leaders. Enduring the worst third world poverty at times, yearning for a true marriage, remaining steadfast through extraordinarily difficult circumstances, and finally overcoming the notion that women could not and should not think through their situation themselves are some of her challenges. At one point a power struggle within the church leads to murder and attempted murder of people she knows well. It is a saga of courage, strength, steadfastness, and finally the victory of reason over blind obedience. Her message has appeal for everyone. Another reviewer has said it should be made into a movie, and indeed it would be a fascinating story to see portrayed on the screen. Buy the book, you will not be able to put it down.

This was a good book, but Susan didn't share as much of the emotional side of polygamy as I had hoped. For a better read on the subject, read Shattered Dreams by Irene Spencer. It's definitely worth your money.

This is an absorbing and fascinating book based on the author's life as she lived it. You do not want to miss this true story! I could not put it down! I was left wanting more and more information about the author's life, her children and the legacy of FLDS cult that dominated her life and so many others. It was easy to read, written in an unaffected manner, sometimes humorous sometimes devastating in its truth. I was drawn into the story and felt like I knew Susan and all those around her. This is a great story that will have you thinking about the true impact of FLDS and the Mormom church especially as current events uncover crimes within the fundamentalist church.

I've been reading a lot about polygamy as all these cases in the media unfold... Under the Banner and Shattered Dreams by Irene Spencer. She was the 2nd wife and Susan was the 5th. The stories are different because, even though they all had children by the same man, they had different living arrangements and marriages. Both are really good books. It makes a great memoir... fascinating.

This book was a little slow at times, but overall very good. I think I enjoyed it a lot because of the fact that most of it was set in the Mexican Colonies where my dad was born and raised (I've actually lived in Casas Grandes myself for a short time). My great-great grandfather was a polygamist and I've always been curious about polygamy. I really like that fact that the author has pictures in the back of the book too. Fun to see what the characters actually looked like.

Let's get right to it: this highly recommended book is an autobiographical doozy. Billed as a true story of violent fanaticism, this is the tale of Susan Ray, who was raised by a loving family in Colonia LeBaron in Mexico and who in 1968 married Verlan LeBaron one week after her 15th birthday. He was some 30 years her senior. Susan was Verlan's 6th wife. More wives would soon follow.

Filled with teenage romanticism, Susan, true to her age at the beginning of this story, is in love with love. She is swept off her feet by the twinkling blue eyes of Verlan, one of the brothers at the pinnacle of the LeBaron fundamentalist Mormon sect. Polygamy is common--even expected--in this isolated world, and Susan looks forward to having her own home with Verlan and close friendships with his other wives. This is God's will for her.

Things go down hill fast when Verlan moves her to Baja California where his other families live. One of her sisterwives is frequently cheerful and friendly; the others range from haughty to jealous and disdainful to blindly, seethingly angry. Verlan is oblivious. He works in Utah as a painting contractor and is away for weeks and months at a time either working or on church business. His random 2- or 3-day visits to his families mean that no wife ever gets enough time with him. Abject poverty barely describes how the wives and their manymanymany children live. (At the time of his death in 1981 in an auto accident, Verlan had fathered 57!)

In the midst of all this, trouble is brewing in the LeBaron sect. Ervil LeBaron, Verlan's brother, decides that he is the voice of God and that anyone who disagrees with him and his followers on anything must pay with his or her life. Yes, murder. Yes, kidnapping. Yes, pure mad fanaticism. And, yes, some of the Ervilites are still wanted by the FBI.

This book is a trip through the looking glass, a journey into an absolutely alien theology, a work that would be astonishing as fiction. As autobiography it is dumbfounding. The writing is as clear as a bell, the pacing excellent; Susan's voice never strikes a false note. How this uneducated, isolated young woman with 4 small children came to realize that the life they were living was not God's will and how she managed to escape polygamy and divorce Verlan in 1974 is absolutely gripping.

Between this book and three others that I read about polygamy lifestyle, I know that I could never live that way. It sure isn't very glamourous, fun, or easy. It sounds very lonely. It is unreal to think that people actually live like this today in the 21st century, and of course, in the past 20th century. Very good book to read.

Susan, thank you for sharing your amazing story! Like so many others, once I began reading this book, I could not put it down. When an author writes in such a manner that you feel as though you with her or him, you know that it is a great book. This is such a book. Susan's story will take you to her heart. With compassion, she writes of her enduring hardships and her ability to persevere with determination to leave a lifestyle that is so entrenched in a polygamy sect's beliefs. Throughout my reading, I questioned, can this be true? Yes, it is true, and all I needed to do, was to look at the family photos that she shares to verify it. Susan's story is one of heartache, courage, compassion, and love. Our book club selected this for discussion, and I am thankful that we did--it created considerable discussion! Read this book, it will stay with you!

This was the third book that I have read concerning the effects of polygamy on a wife's soul. Living for a number of years in Eastern Idaho and with all of the subsequent views of women's rights, I can only say that the polygamist attitude has to have a bearing on the way women rights are subjegated. Thank you for a heartfelt and moving account of this form of sorrowful treatment of women, children, and morals in general.

I really had no idea this could really happen. What a courageous and strong person to rise above such a restrictive life! I was fasinated by the entire story and thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.

After reading "Under the Banner of Heaven" and watching Big Love, I became interested in the subject of polygamy in America. I was shocked to learn of the way these groups live in modern America. Susan's book is a true story of her upbringing with polygamy and her years of living as a plural wife and the danger she and her family were in as their church divided and were at "war". But the book is so much more than that; it is a woman sharing her life, the ups and downs and innermost feelings of her struggles with that life she was living. I really felt like I knew the characters in the book so well and I have not been able to stop thinking about them since I finished the book. It is a wonderful story of sadness, fear, love, hate, friendship, family, and bravery.

I enjoyed this book thoroughly. I couldn't put it down. It did start out slow but I quickly was hooked on this true story. Susan tells it from her teenage years to the time she escapes. Then she gives the reader a synopsis of what happens to those involved in her story and further information should you want to read more. I can't imagine being a member of such a cult, then having the conviction and willpower to escape. She is lucky to have escaped with her life, and she saved her children from a horrible future as well.

Not that good of a read ~ Hogwash!!!! It was written very well and it was well coordinated and throughout the entire book. Susan Ray Schmidt makes you want to ignore your doing nothing for God life, long enough so that you can finish the book. And it left me with tons of questions that only the author can answer. Our Women's group will be asking her to speak at our next conference. However, I too could not put the book down. It was an advanture that makes you feel as if you're right there with Susan while this journey is taking place. Not only do you feel as if you know her personally after you've finished the book, but your heart goes out to her and the children that were left there to continue to suffer and live in such horrible conditions. The other book was more focused on the "bitterness" that had soaked into her heart after MAKING THAT CHOICE TO BE WITH THAT MAN AND HIS FAMILY. But as Susan is leaving that world behind hurdles and stumbles continue to follow her until she meets the love of her life. I found myself cheering for her to leave and never go back. I found myself wanting to share the book with all my friends that have at one point in time been forced to live in abusive relationships. See, Susan did it, you can do it too. Wow, what a positive message to those women that are still living in fear. If only we'd buy this book for women that we know who are in that type of life = EMOTIONALLY ABUSIVE LIVES. I admire her courage to question his religious authority and then leave with her children. There are millions of women that have been physically abused throughout my life and I've sat in horror was they returned to their abusers. How many women do we know (I can count 3 right now) that live with emotionally abusive men that make their women live in constant fear? Because I've been raised by my father (after my mother passed away at age 13) everything my father taught us, I questioned. But I thank God that my father had actualy proof of what he beleived in. And our grandparents took the time to show us in the Bible so that we could read and absorb it ourselves. Even with the background of being raised, a "Southern Baptist", the book left me thanking my Savior that my parents were God fearing people. Now that I approach my over the hill years, I realize that had my father NOT BEEN GROUNDED in the word of God, there is a sure fact that I would not have the drive to want to be active in human rights programs or upholding the rights of women. How awful it must have felt, after Susan discovered that there were so many errors in her religion. What were her parents thinking when they allowed their 15 year old child marry a man that old. With my past experience in the legal field, I don't understand why Irene would not have reported this to the authorities. And even though she was taught that this was the right thing to do, in her heart, why didn't she just make a phone call to the local authorities over the border and not leave her name? Why didn't someone ask the authorities in the United States to investigate? And why did these murders go on in the name of religion. The words "Charlie Mason and Jim Jones" popped into my mind as I read this story. Wow, what a book. Now my question to you Irene is; how much of a fight did you really present to her husband when he started to go after this 15 yeard old child? I know in my heart, after reading this book, that Susan Ray Schmidt, may not hold any anger towards those whom she once looked up to as her "religious leaders". After having the description about her personal nature described so very well, there is no doubt in my heart that you will find this author on her knees praying that God would rescue other women trapped in this type of world and on her knees daily praying that other women trapped in that type of "emotional and sexual abuse situation" will have the courage to leave as well. This book has motivated our Christian Women's group to form a book club with His Favorite Wife, as the focual point of our discussion. No matter what religion you belong to, the emotional abuse and fear that is constantly inflicted upon women, happens in every day, on every level of our world, walk of life, religious circle, culture, and races. There are so many cases in our United States courts right now that cry out for others to rescue women and their children from this type of hell. Not banding together, as motivated Christians to help put an end to financial and emotional abuse won't this maddness disappear. We as Christian need to dig deep into our pockets and start making a pro active move towards restoring our American Families. Now, what are you prepared to do to help with this religious and human rights battle? I'd love to hear about how your life has changed since you have read the book. I for one called my father and thanked him for never swaying from his religious beliefs. Also, what have you done to help rescue families like Susan's and what has your church or group done to pitch in to stop this maddness? Please feel free to email me; longbeachlegal@aol.com. I'd love to hear how you're taking a pro active role in pulling families from the polygamy cults or from an abusive relationship. I couldn't put the book down. IT WAS THAT GREAT.

I have read Irene's "Shattered Dreams" and yes, it is the better book. That said all women should read these books.
This 'religion' is the bench mark for brain washing. 14 year old girls being told they must marry these old men so that they both can get into heaven.
The husband of both Irene and Susan had 10 wives and 56 children!! He was a house painter! Couldnt provide a good living for one wife much less 9 others.

These women and the children lived in poverty. No lights, no bathrooms, no furniture and their clothing was brought to them by the husband from thrift shop cast offs.

It is absolutely disgusting. In my opinion this "religion" is all about these disgusting men wanting a new young wife every 6 months! In other worlds, it is about these men wanting sex. Getting into Heaven and being a God is their
con
to have these young , very young, girls to submit to them and have sex!

I just finished this book and wow what a story. Ever since I moved to Las Vegas and heard stories about the FLDS from my Mormon friends, I have been curious about the lifestyle. This story depicts what it is like through a wife's eye. The jealousy, the loneliness, and the poverty. My heart ached for Susan. Tremendous read. This book should be made into a movie.

I read Escape and was totally captivated by this that I felt the need to read additional books on Polygamy. Again, I was fascintated that this goes on in this day and age and that women allow themselves and their children to live such an oppresive life. I am so glad Susan had it in her to get herself and her children out of this miserable life. Susan was intelligent enough to research the Bible and realize that the life of Polygamy is unacceptable and I am thankful she got herself and her children out of this lifestyle...if only the others would follow. I felt like I got to know Susan in this book, as well as her sister-wives. Very well written and again, another book I couldn't put down!

I've already recommended this book to several people I know. It really was hard to put down. I stumbled across it on Amazon and bought it based on the reviews and because I was interested in the subject matter. It's a surprisingly insightful book, and one that doesn't offer simple answers--the author confronts and deals with the complexities of her life in polygamy. She condemns the institution, but she doesn't let herself off the hook either, and she therefore helps the reader who hasn't lived through her experiences really understand what it means to be trapped in this life. If you're at all interested, this is the book to get.

A very interesting book about how fundamentalist cults use their power over women and others who look to their leaders for direction and salvation. Sure there were some good and kind men and women in the group, but the fact that a 15 year old girl is married to a man who already has several wives and children and was not capable of really taking good care of them is hard to fathom in our recent history. The fact that these women relied on their husbands to get into heaven and any form of insubordination is a surefire way of being doomed just shows how dangerous these religions are. It is hard to face the manipulation and self-interest that is mascaraded as the "TRUTH". Wise up people and face reality. Any religion that says that the only way a woman can get into heaven is through their husband sounds suspicious to me.
Fortunately Susan was able to leave and live a relatively "normal" life after all her experiences. Apparently she had enough self-preservation to get out of that situation.

A very interesting book about how fundamentalist cults use their power over women and others who look to their leaders for direction and salvation. Sure there were some good and kind men and women in the group, but the fact that a 15 year old girl is married to a man who already has several wives and children and was not capable of really taking good care of them is hard to fathom in our recent history. The fact that these women relied on their husbands to get into heaven and any form of insubordination is a surefire way of being doomed just shows how dangerous these religions are. It is hard to face the manipulation and self-interest that is mascaraded as the "TRUTH". Wise up people and face reality. Any religion that says that the only way a woman can get into heaven is through their husband sounds suspicious to me.
Fortunately Susan was able to leave and live a relatively "normal" life after all her experiences. Apparently she had enough self-preservation to get out of that situation.

As many others have said, this book was "un-put-down-able"! It was well-written and the author tells her story in an easy to follow narrative. Her life in polygamy is shocking and my heart went out to her in reading of her experiences. DEFINITELY read this book!! It's the best book I've read about polygamy. I read it two days!

This book was a good book however it pailed in comparison to "Shattered Dreams" written by her sister wife. This is the reason I gave only 3 stars. I did not like the direction I felt the book was taking early on in the story. I got the feeling from reading that the author was too absorbed with herself to explain her life. I hate to say it but when I read "Shattered Dreams" I felt compassion for Irene. I felt I could relate to her as a human however, I found it diffucult to read about Susan because it seemed as if it was a "poor me" story line. I am not saying the book was not a good read it was just not a great read.

I just finished His Favorite Wife and thoroughly enjoyed this insightful book! I spent many late nights reading about Susan's life story that had me mesmerized. I admire Susan's courage and though it was hard to comprehend, enjoyed learning more about her life as a plural wife. This book was the perfect choice for our book club. We all agreed this was one of our favorites!

I could hardly put this book down, and still didn't want it to end. Susan tells her gripping story of growing up in polygamy and her own innocence lost as she turns her life over to Fundamental Mormonism and the LeBaron group.
She writes of her hopes and beliefs in her prophet and her family as all of it crumbles around her....and does it in a way that you understand exactly why she tries so hard to join in her husband's delusions. And his delusions are his dominant feature...the schmuck thought he was a loving husband and father, but somehow forgot to support over 50 of his children or his ten wives.
The descriptions of abject poverty and the squalor she lived in are heartwrenching, yet she stuck to the party line and bore one child after another in the hopes of fulfilling her destiny in heaven. You come to understand how an intelligent woman can fall into believing her hardships are a badge of her choseness as 'God's special people'.
The book is spellbinding and well written...a story that needed to be told. I'd love to see it in a movie.

After having read Shattered Dreams, by Irene Spencer, I was thrilled to find this book by Susan Schmidt, wife #6 (of 10) of Verlan LeBaron. What an amazing journey Susan brings us on into a secret world, which is unknown to most. Susan does so with honesty, humor, candor and integrity. This book is the perfect companion and compliment to Shattered Dreams, as it's a completely different perspective on the same story.

I could not put the book down. Although, I knew the ending, I had to keep reading to see how Susan managed to escape. What a brave and inspiring soul she is. I will remember this book for years to come.

His Favorite Wife is a heartwrenching documentation of Susan Ray's life in Polygamy. It will grab your attention the whole way through the book. It is very hard to take in but her inner strength is nothing short of a miracle. Susan Ray has a story to tell and everyone should read it. The book is awesome and has a lot to tell us about faith.

Susan Ray Schmidt is an excellent story-teller. The story of her life in polygamy unfolds with a fascinating and unforgettable cast of characters, heart-wrenching tales of isolation and struggle, and inspiring accounts of strength of character and resolve. To think this is a true story is remarkable- it opened my eyes to the daily life of a young woman growing up in and participating in a polygamist lifestyle. The details were just right- not too many to bog down the story, but enough to reveal the ugly truths of polygamy. I could barely put it down because I wanted to know what happens next! I was fortunate enough to be able to participate in a question/answer session with the author of this book over the phone recently and I have to say she is so gracious and inspiring. I can't believe she lived through all she did and was able to come out of it without bitterness and she is able to use her experiences to inspire and inform others. I highly recommend this book to everyone and I know you won't be disappointed.

This is an amazing true story of a woman's journey through polygamy and how she gets out on the otherside. This book definitely has it all... wide array of characters, intrigue, mystery, struggle, love, broken hearts, family, relationships.... It is a page-turner! Susan does an exceptional job of helping you realize how a woman could be led into this lifestyle and the heartache it brings. Susan's openness and candor throughout the book helps you really understand what she went through and takes you on her entire journey for the "ride." I am so thankful she made it out and wrote this truly inspirational story. This is a must read!

Susan's book, His Favorite Wife, is fascinating and very informative on the lives and emotions of those trapped in polygamy. Susan story is insightful and powerful. She is an inspiration to all.

This book nothing short of inspiring and engaging to read. The true story will grip you from the beginning as Susan draws you into the details of her life in polygamy. Truly a great book and a wonderful read.

This book exceeded my expectations. If you are interested in understanding the problems and greif that come with polygamy then this is a great book to start with. The good news here is Susan Ray tells her story in such a way that you do not despise her husband or other wives. It is told in a fair and intellectual way. Her maturity comes from being able to live and do what was expected of her at such a young and tender age. Her strength and all the other wives comes in learning to live with responsibility woman in our lifetime will never have or understand unless they are in fact a part of polygamy or complete and utter poverty which is indeed happening on this earth. Any person that believes that this type of living will bring Godhood in the after life, makes as much sense as terrorist going to heaven with a plastic key if they blow up a car... or whatever. This is a sad phenomenon of life that only true cult beliefs can cause briliant woman and chiidren to sign up and follow suit. I must say I admire these woman who survive and get out and also, the ones who stay. God bless them.

08-05-07 Susan Ray Schmidt spoke at a church in St George, UT where I live. Her story is amazing. What a life she endured as a very young girl, born into a lifestyle she considered "normal" until she actually had to share her husband's love with other wives. Heartbreaking, and very sad.
Thank God she is free and happy now. She autographed my copy of HIS FAVORITE WIFE. V. McAloon

I had actually read another book prior to this one, that tied into the same "clan". It took me a minute to realize I was reading about the same family and the issues within the same family. Highly recommend, very informational and written well.

Susan Ray Schmidt's, His Favorite Wife, is the fact based account of one polygamist family, the same family which is recounted in the book Shattered Dreams. Irene, the author of Shattered Dreams was Verlan's second wife. Susan Schmidt, was Verlan's sixth. It is interesting to see how each wife viewed not only polygamy, but also their "sister-wives" (Verlan's other wives). The book also gives insite into the life, and personality, of the infamous Ervil LeBaron, the brother-in-law of Susan and Irene. Irene rarely discusses Ervil, Susan almost married him instead of Ervil's brother, Verlan. It's fun to compare the two account, although each book separately is a great read.

Wow...
Between, Full time work, sleep, and being a Mom - I still managed to read this book in less than a week! I myself go through phases of reading. I will read a book and be good for a year before reading another book, and to tell you the truth I couldn't have chosen a better book to read! It has left me wanting to read MORE! I wont give you any spoilers, only my opinion of how great this book really is...It makes we want to give Susan, her children, and all of her sister-wives a huge tear filled hug! I have so many emotions running through me, I can barely think strait. Reading this book has truly made me appreciate the wonderful life I live. The photo album in a back of the book was also a great touch, I loved being able to put faces to nearly everyone. I CAN'T WAIT to read Susan Schmidt's former sister-wifes Book, (Both authors were married to Verlan LeBaron), "Shattered Dreams: My Life as a Polygamist's Wife - By Irene Spencer" It's sitting in my shopping cart as I write this! Don't be surprised if I leave a review for that one as well! ANYWAY, Buy this book, Borrow it - Something!!

I so enjoyed reading His Favorite Wife! Susan tells of her life in polygamy with such great detail that you feel like you are there with her. I was shocked by the way she had to live and that she rarely got to see her husband. I couldn't believe how horribly she was treated by some of her sister-wives because of jealousy. Susan is an incredibly strong woman to endure what she did at such a young age and to have stayed with a very unstable man for so long. A man who contined to court other woman when he could not even handle the wives he already had! You will be captivated by this book!