Joel's Wife

In 1991 it was not safe for polygamous families to reveal to the public the practice of their religion but when a woman traveling across the continent turned on the television in her motel room that night there they were. The husband was seated on a chair surrounded by his wives one of which was the daughter of the oldest wife. Spellbound she stared at the screen while quietly declaring I know you. I know where you are from. I know your stories. The televised documentary followed the family through their nightly dinner in the barn activity room and showcased the family activities which involved singing and reading aloud to the children. It explored their family structure including what appeared to be an annual crop of babies. When the woman was settled in her new home in Oregon she began each day at her typewriter releasing the control of the keys to the women who lived and loved in the polygamous family in rural Utah. She daily emerged completely mesmerized by their stories and by her demotion from author to spectator and typist. It is their story and they tell it. They are Joels wives.