Synopses & Reviews
As the eldest daughter of the seventh wife in one of the most prominent contemporary polygamist families in Pineridge, Alva Jane Merrill is content with the domestic duties, religious ceremonies, and strict rules of dress and behavior that define her life. At fourteen, she is excited to become the first wife of her charismatic crush, and to fulfill her duties to her husband, her church, and her community. This is the only world Alva has ever known, and she does not question it.
But Alva's eyes are quickly opened to the dark and violent realities of her fate after she is discovered giving her sweetheart an innocent first kiss. Beaten, scorned, and facing a forced marriage to the violent, fifty-year old brother of the prophet, Alva suddenly realizes how much she has to lose--and how impossible it will be to escape.
Review
"Accessible and compelling." -School Library Journal, April 1, 2010
Review
"Real elements of the FLDS experience add contemporary authenticity. Readers may simply relish the peek over the wall into a lifestyle very different from their own." -- andlt;bandgt;andlt;Iandgt;The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Booksandlt;/Iandgt;, April 2010andlt;/bandgt;
Review
"Accessible and compelling." and#8211;andlt;bandgt;andlt;iandgt;School Library Journal, andlt;/iandgt;April 1, 2010andlt;/bandgt;
Synopsis
A gripping story about a fourteen-year-old girl's struggle to escape a forced polygamist marriage.
Synopsis
Alva Jane has never questioned her parents, never questioned her faith, never questioned her future. She is content with the strict rules that define her life in Pineridge, the walled community where she lives with her father, his seven wives, and her twenty-eight siblings. This is the only world Alva has ever known, and she has never thought to challenge it. andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;But everything changes when Alva is caught giving her long-time crush an innocent first kiss. Beaten, scorned, and now facing a forced marriage to a violent, fifty-year old man, Alva suddenly realizes how much she has to lose--and how impossible it will be to escape.
Synopsis
The author of "Chasing the Jaguar" returns with this novel about a Morman girl who lives in a fundamentalist sect and her struggle to escape a forced polygamist marriage.
About the Author
Michele Dominguez Greene is the author of andlt;iandgt;Keep Sweetandlt;/iandgt; andandnbsp;andlt;iandgt;Chasing the Jaguarandlt;/iandgt;. Sheandnbsp;is active in numerous writing and literacy workshops with inner city kids throughout Southern California, and speaks regularly at conferences around the country. She has published articles in the andlt;iandgt;Los Angeles Times Magazineandlt;/iandgt;, andlt;iandgt;Animal Wellness Magazine,andlt;/iandgt; and andlt;iandgt;Cuerpo Magazineandlt;/iandgt;, andandnbsp;has had a long-standing, successful career as an actress, appearing in television, film, and theater. She lives in Los Angeles.