The Lonely Polygamist

Barry Udall's The Lonely Polygamist would most certainly have made my top 10 for 2010, had I read it in 2010. It is as poignant and funny and sad as any of the books that made that list. Udall takes a topic (polygamy) that I have particular biases against and manages to make his polygamist protagonist humorous and heartbreaking and all to human. Udall deals with the particular pitfalls of such a particular lifestyle choice, but he also deals with the broader struggles and responsibilities of life and loss and faith and family. I had never read Udall before, but have now placed his Miracle Life of Edgar Mint high on my list of must-next-reads. Quirky and comical, winsome and weird; Udall should be added to your must-read list as well.