"Shattered Dreams by Irene Spencer is a masterpiece. What courage it took to carve out a life in a polygamist cult for twenty-eight years, sharing her husband with his nine other wives, caring for her thirteen children in the starkness of poverty, and trying to come to terms with a religion that had swallowed up her identity. Spencer's personal portrait as a long-suffering wife in the LeBaron Colony based in Mexico is a true, heart-wrenching story, but one that's long overdue, exposing the bleak, spirit-crushing world of plural marriage. A must read."
--Bud Gardner, co-author of Chicken Soup for the Writer's Soul
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"Irene Spencer is proof that the human spirit survives intact after decades of psychological suffering. Her story shows how inhumane behavior spans cultures, universally wearing the same face, while humane impulses thrive in the indestructable nature of the spirit. Her memoir begs the question--will we (like Irene) ultimately choose the best of ourselves over the negative forces that invade our lives? Will we follow our innermost voice leading us out of harmful circumstances and beyond our former disempowerment?"
--Maxine Hanks, author, editor, feminist theologian, Merrill Fellow
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"In Shattered Dreams, Irene Spencer describes a way of life that most of us don't even realize exists. Irene shares with us her agony and heartbreak as she survives horrid living conditions, heartbreak, and a husband who takes wife after wife. Few writers can bring out the heartbreak of living in a polygamous marriage the way Irene does. This book is a must read."
--Duane Newcomb, Author, Literary Consultant
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