Crew, Linda. Brides of Eden; a true story imagined.

HarperCollins, Tempest. 243p. illus. c2001. 0-06-447217-5. $6.99. JS

Written with a first-person perspective, Brides of Eden dramatizes a true story from Corvallis, Oregon, in 1903. An attractive young preacher known as Joshua wakes up the sleepy hamlet. His fiery preaching electrifies the women of the town, particularly 15-year-old Eva Mae Hurt and her sister and mother. They abandon their comfortable middle-class lifestyle to live simply with Joshua's other followers and find themselves subject to intense ridicule and hostility from Corvallis' other inhabitants who are appalled at the women abandoning their traditional roles. Over time Joshua's preaching becomes more apocalyptic and self-centered as he styles himself a messiah, and it isn't long before he begins seducing his female followers, naive Eva Mae included. The movement comes to a head with the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, which is seen as the fulfillment of Joshua's predictions; and the book concludes with a dramatic ending complete with lingering doubts on Eva's part about her role in the cult.

With large print, occasional newspaper excerpts and small b/w period photographs, the format of the text has tremendous appeal for the junior high student while the content will also appeal to older ages. Joshua's molestation of Eva is handled with brevity and sensitive language. The true-story nature of this work would make it appealing fiction for students usually attracted to nonfiction. The early 20th-century perspective on cults provides an interesting comparison to other, more modern works like Leaving Fishers by Margaret Peterson Haddix. Courtney Lewis, Libn., Wyoming Seminary College, Kingston, PA