I read three books in a row about polygamy (The Polygamist Daughter happens to be the flip side of Ruth's story, which I'll be reviewing soon), and this was the first of the three. I've read a lot of books about polygamy, and this one ranks way up there in terms of being the best. It's written from the point of view of a child - which I normally hate, because no one can ever write like a child when one is an adult - but is actually well done in this book. There's not a lot of emotional stuff in this book, not a lot of explaining away the facts that happen in so, so many other memoirs. Ruth's life growing up is utter, utter crap, but she someone manages to convey that without the "poor me" syndrome. It's refreshing, really.

And Ruth goes through horrible, horrible things - if you only read one book on polygamy, this is a good one because so much awful stuff happens - you'll lie awake wondering how she had the strength to get through it all.