Summary of Susan Ray Schmidt's Favorite Wife

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 I was 14 years old when I went to church with my family in 1968. I was so excited to see the flowers and trees in bloom, and the prosperity of the colony. I was beautiful as the desert blossoms around me.

#2 I was six when my father moved my mother and five youngest siblings away from Utah and the traditional Mormon Church. We joined a group of fundamentalist pioneers who were not afraid to live the teachings of Joseph Smith to their fullest.

#3 I was excited to see my sister Fara, but I was also dreading the fact that I would have to babysit Thelma during church. I was tired of being the built-in babysitter.

#4 I was studying the church patriarch, Ervil LeBaron, as the congregation began singing the opening hymn. His cool, blue-gray eyes roamed the crowd, measuring people’s abilities and weaknesses. I was not sure what his job entailed, but I knew he was a master at preaching from the books that the church considered scripture.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Jul 26, 2022
• ISBN: 9798822552265

IRB Media

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Insights from Chapter 1

#1

I was 14 years old when I went to church with my family in 1968. I was so excited to see the flowers and trees in bloom, and the prosperity of the colony. I was beautiful as the desert blossoms around me.

#2

I was six when my father moved my mother and five youngest siblings away from Utah and the traditional Mormon Church. We joined a group of fundamentalist pioneers who were not afraid to live the teachings of Joseph Smith to their fullest.

#3

I was excited to see my sister Fara, but I was also dreading the fact that I would have to babysit Thelma during church. I was tired of being the built-in babysitter.

#4

I was studying the church patriarch, Ervil LeBaron, as the congregation began singing the opening hymn. His cool, blue-gray eyes roamed the crowd, measuring people’s abilities and weaknesses. I was not sure what his job entailed, but I knew he was a master at preaching from the books that the church considered scripture.

#5

I was eight or nine when Ervil began preaching at our church. He was a hell and damnation preacher, and everybody in the church knew he considered his older brother Joel to be a weak leader.

#6

I had the right to choose my husband, and I chose Verlan LeBaron. I was glad that all he could see of me was my new dress. With my blond hair braided and pinned up, I knew I looked at least sixteen.

#7

I was suddenly aware that I was staring at Verlan LeBaron, and I felt very warm and shaky. I had to remember who he was and his age, and think about Lane and how much I liked him.

#8

Thelma wanted a bird, and she wanted me to get it for her. She darted toward a huge robin that was busily scratching and pecking at the bank of the irrigation ditch. I pulled her away, but she wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled strands of my hair down around my shoulders.

#9

I was supposed to play the piano during church, but I was so nervous that I played worse than I ever had before. I was so mad at Thelma that I wanted to strangle her. I looked completely awkward and clumsy.

#10

Lane and his wife, Estela, were having a paleta together on the ditch bank. His wife became jealous of me, and she threw the ice cream, hitting him in the chest. He apologized to me, and said they would see me later.

#11

I was uncomfortable with the way Lane was getting serious with me. I enjoyed our flirtation, but because of it, he was having big problems at home. I needed to break it off.

Insights from Chapter 2

#1

Lane Stubbs, the boy I’d been dating, came to see me at my parents’ house. He was a Christian who wanted to raise up a righteous posterity. He was sidetracked by the laughs and happiness he found with me, but he still wanted to do what was right.

#2

I knew that Estela was the problem, and I understood how it was affecting me. But I was too young to be married. I would never do such a thing. I was sure of that.

#3

Lane and I were late to church practice, and when we sat down, Esther LeBaron Spencer, the only LeBaron sister who was a member of the church, went on and on about how important it was for the teenagers to be on time for practices. She had made up her mind years ago that the young people of the colony would not be deprived of whatever refinement she could teach them.

#4

The new girl, Debbie, made a point of annoying Esther at every opportunity. With Debbie here, I