Brides of Eden: A True Story Imagined

Many of the citizens of Corvallis, Oregon, hope that the handsome, fervent drifter who claims to have God's ear will continue on his spiritual journey--right on out of town. But its young people, especially 16-year-old Eva Mae Hurt, are completely entranced by itinerant preacher Joshua Creffield. From the first time she sees Joshua in 1903, Eva Mae feels "absolutely riveted." Her feelings are shared by other young women, who follow Joshua unhesitatingly. They listen to his end-of-the-world sermons in a state of ecstasy, confident in their "chosen" status. But Eva is troubled by Joshua's unreasonable rules and the "secret rites" he performs with his "brides of Eden" alone in his tent. Swept up in his wonderful and terrible vision, Eva Mae loses almost everything before she is able to break free of the bindings of Joshua's brainwashing. Based on historical events, Brides of Eden is strongly written and deeply felt. Using Eva Mae's voice, Crew captures perfectly not only the spell of fanaticism, but also the difficulty in readjusting to everyday life: "If you've felt yourself to be center stage in a great drama, a thrilling story which might, on any given day, climax with your ascension into the clouds, it's not so easy to return to your old place in the real world." Older teens will identify with Eva Mae's aching need to belong to this exclusive group and will be fascinated by this portrait of extremism parallel to the Heaven's Gate and Branch Davidian cults of their time. (Ages 13 and older) --Jennifer Hubert