Kody Brown - Becoming Sister Wives : The Story of an Unconventional Marriage

My life is my family. I enjoy nothing more than being surrounded by my wives and my children. I draw strength from them on a daily basis. I love the energy and unity that we exude as a group. We are wholesome and upright. We are devout and chaste. We are five consenting adults and seventeen happy children, all free to make our own choices in this world.

Kody Brown

I n many ways, the Browns are like any other middle-American family. They eat, play, and pray together, squabble and hug, striving to raise happy, well-adjusted children while keeping their relationship loving and strong. The difference is, there are five adults in the openly polygamous Brown marriageKody and his four wiveswho among them have seventeen children.

Since TLC first launched its popular reality program Sister Wives , the Browns have become one of the most famous families in the country. Now Kody, Meri, Janelle, Christine, and Robyn reveal in their own words exactly how their special relationship worksthe love and faith that drew them together, the plusses and pitfalls of having sister wives, and the practical and emotional complications of a lifestyle viewed by many with distrust, prejudice, even fear. With the candor and frankness that have drawn millions to their show, they talk about what makes their fascinating family work, addressing the topics that intrigue outsiders: How do the four relationships differ? What effect does a polygamous upbringing have on their children? What are the challengesemotional, social, or financialinvolved in living this lifestyle? Is it possible for all four sister wives to feel special when sharing a husbandand what happens when jealousy arises? How has being on camera changed their lives? And whats it like to add a new wife to the familyor to be that new wife?

Filled with humor, warmth, surprising insights, and remarkable honesty, this is a singular story of plural marriage and all the struggles and joys that go with it. At heart, its a love storyunconventional but immediately recognizable in the daily moments of trust, acceptance, forgiveness, passion, and commitment that go into making one big, happy, extraordinary family.

The Brown family husband Kody; wives Meri, Janelle, Christine, and Robyn; and their seventeen childrenare open polygamists and the stars of the popular TLC reality program Sister Wives.

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JACKET DESIGN BY JAMES PERALES

JACKET PHOTOGRAPH BY ALLISON EASLEY

COPYRIGHT 2012 SIMON & SCHUSTER

BECOMING SISTER WIVES

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Copyright 2012 by Kody Brown Family Entertainment, LLC

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Gallery Books Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020

First Gallery Books hardcover edition May 2012

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Photo Credits

Cover photo by Allison Easley

Group photo on first page of insert courtesy of Liz Bowles Photography

Wedding photo of Robyn and Kody on third page of insert courtesy of Bryant Livingston Photography

All other insert photos courtesy of Kody Brown Family Entertainment, LLC

Designed by Davina Mock-Maniscalco

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file.

ISBN 9780-1-4516-6121-7
ISBN 978-1-4516-6122-4 (ebook)

To all those who lived and loved before us, in secrecy, unable to acknowledge their love, marriages, and life publically, we dedicate our story to you.

BECOMING SISTER WIVES

I am sitting in a room off of the grand ballroom in the Beverly Hills Hilton. I almost cant believe Im here. Im a small-town boy, not some Hollywood superstar. This glittering place is a far cry from my current hometown of Lehi, Utah. The occasion is the Television Critics Association biannual press tour at which networks announce their fall lineup of television shows to the media.

Onstage they are playing a clip from a new show on the Discovery Channel. Its about Greenpeace crusaders who are devoted to saving whales. Its a hippie version of that channels smash hit Deadliest Catch . This is the kind of show the critics are expectingthe kind of show guaranteed to draw attention without polarizing the audience.

My show is a lot more controversial. Its the first of its kind. Like the Greenpeace activists onstage, I, too, am taking a stand. But I have no idea how my fight will play out in the court of public opinion. I have no idea how critics, the audience, and the American public are going to react to me. Im getting nervous.

Im sitting in a chair getting my hair and makeup done. Makeup! I grew up on a ranch in rural Wyoming. I never, ever thought Id wear makeup, let alone have a team of people apply it, making sure Im camera ready. The stylist asks me casually, So whats your show about?

Oh, I say, trying to be as offhand as possible, its about my family. Im a polygamist and I have four wives.

The stylist stops fussing with me for a second. I can see the shock in her eyes. I know whats shes thinking. Im an average-looking dude who looks more like a surfer than a religious fanatic. How could I be a polygamist?