We used it because our book is a response to the TV show, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, and they used it in their title. The word Mormon is the name by which most of the world identifies our theology. It is not, however, accurate, which is why it’s in quotes. The name of the organization is and has been since its foundation, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

In pop-culture, members of the Church of Jesus Christ, or Latter-day Saints are represented through a number of stereotypes and caricatures that don’t do justice to the lives of its members. We wanted to use a word that communicated our effort to represent accurately the lives of these women and many others.

We wrote this book with the intention of representing the lives of women within the Church of Jesus Christ to those who don’t live with the Church’s teaching as the backdrop to their lives in the hope of building community through empathy and understanding.

Five of the women who contributed are immigrants to the United States, and include individuals from Brazil, Nigeria, Taiwan, England, and yes, Utah. Each of the eight co-authors were chosen because of their personal and professional success, but most importantly they were selected because of their devotion to our Savior, Jesus Christ. We believe that Christ invites all to come unto Him, and while it is impossible to represent the entire world with the stories of eight women, we did the best we could.

Community is an essential part of humanity, and it is an essential part of being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ. One of the remarkable things these women have in common is that they chose companions who have always supported them. After all, community starts with family. But there are many families who do not provide the supportive loving community we all need. When these women didn’t have that familial support, they were able to find it within the walls of a chapel. That isn’t everyone’s experience, but as members of a faith-based organization, Latter-day Saints strive to build strong families both at home and at church for people to feel welcome and loved.

We hope that readers feel welcome. There are many people who do not identify with or appreciate organized religion, but who live good, honorable lives. We hope that they feel a sense of commonality in trying to make the world a brighter, more understanding place for everyone. As such, we hope that after reading The Not-So-Secret Lives of REAL “Mormon” Wives that more people, regardless of background or experience, may feel a greater sense of understanding, empathy, and community with Latter-day Saints wherever they may find them.

To start, we say, “Thank you.” We did our best to represent women, and we are encouraged by women of other theologies and of no theology that see themselves in the disparate yet similar stories of these remarkable women. We also hope that women from all walks of life have the opportunity to feel seen and heard, that they feel loved and safe. And if they do not, we hope that the space we’re trying to create is one where they can find safety, love, and hope.

One of the gravest misrepresentations of women in the Church of Jesus Christ is that they don’t have any voice, that they are second class citizens, mere appendages of their husbands. Each of the women found in this book chose their destinies for themselves. They are just as responsible for building the lives they live and are proud of as anyone else in their lives. Many of these women were dealt hands that did not provide for them the advantages that many people in the world today enjoy. But through faith in Jesus Christ, through determination and with courage, each of these women decided what they wanted in life, and they went and got it. These are not voiceless women; rather, these are strong women who can say life wasn’t fair. Yet their strength turned injustice to peace. Their perseverance turned absence into abundance. Their faith turned trials into joy. And yet, most of them would say they’ve been blessed rather than suggest they’ve earned it.

To those who have taken offense at something in the book, we encourage them to represent themselves as best they can in whatever journey or with whatever art form they are most comfortable. It isn’t possible for us to represent everyone. For example, you will notice that none of the women in these stories have a disability themselves. However, there are many women, wives, and mothers in the Church of Jesus Christ who are disabled and who overcome astounding obstacles to find joy in their lives. Eight women is a very small sample size to try and represent the fifty-one percent of the 17.5 million global members who affiliate with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.