Keep Sweet, (Keep true, Keep silent.) by Michele Dominguez Greene

Keep Sweet, (Keep true, Keep silent.) by Michele Dominguez Greene.  The title tells how the girls in polygamist families are to behave.  Alva, 14, is one of 28 children her father has by his 7 wives.  This group's "prophet" rules with an iron hand.  He has "revelations" to explain why his followers must do as he bids.  When Alva develops a normal crush on one of the boys her age, it is taboo.  They are caught kissing.  The boy is beaten severely and taken away, and dumped along the roadside.  Alva is also severely beaten, shunned and told she will marry an older man who physically abuses his wives.  There is no where for her to go, no way to get there.   She is brutally raped on her wedding night, with many such nights to follow.  One of her sister wives, who can't escape and is permanently disabled from her husband's horrible, public, beating, helps her.  But what kind of life will it be on the run, unprepared for life outside the compound?  The story doesn't get this far.  I wish there was a sequel. This book helps you understand how these women and families get to the point where they can be coerced into living their lives under strict controls by unscrupulous "prophets." Quick read.  Fiction, but with knowledge of how the hidden side of the group operates in the compound.  8+ out of 10.  Recommended.