Thirteen-year-old Gentry Forrester loves music and playing her violin more than anything else, and she hopes to perform with her brother, Tanner, in the Santa Fe Music Festival. She and her 21 siblings live in the small polygamist community of Watchful, N.Mex., where they dutifully await (and follow) the commands from God handed down through the Prophet, who calls weekly from prison. Since Gentry just turned 13, it's time to prepare for her future as a wife and mother. But Gentry has her misgivings: "I know it's wrong," she thinks, "but I sometimes wonder if that's enough for me."
Then, the joy she finds in music is stolen when the Prophet proclaims that outside influences, including music, must be cut off, and that women are no longer allowed to leave Watchful. Gentry wants to be good and follow the Prophet, but as her life changes drastically, she questions why all the things that make her happy are forbidden.
The Prophet Calls, Melanie Sumrow's debut, is a sensitive, intelligent and carefully nuanced glimpse of life in a polygamist, fundamentalist community. Sumrow walks a fine line, using Gentry's point of view to illuminate an often-hidden part of society without judgment or discrimination: Gentry and her siblings are sheltered and naive, inquisitive and thoughtful; the adults of Watchful are realistic and each plays a distinct role. It is not religion itself that is condemned or questioned here, but rather the religious practices put in place by man. Riveting and intriguing, The Prophet Calls is an unforgettable coming-of-age story. --Kyla Paterno, former YA and children's book buyer