Patricia Dixon We Want for Our Sisters What We Want for Ourselves

Annotation

Polygyny - the practice of having multiple wives - has existed since ancient times and is still practiced in many countries throughout the world. In We Want for Our Sisters What We Want for Ourselves, Dr. Patricia Dixon (aka Dr. Ra Heter) argues that the practice is one the African American community should consider adopting as well. According to Dixon, the concept of monogamy was spread by Christianity and created an unrealistic and romanticized notion of marriage that leaves many women, especially African American women, unfulfilled, and unsupported. She offers many reasons to support polygyny, most importantly, the shortage of available African American men. Through extensive interviews, she offers an insider's look at polygynous marriages, showing readers its benefits and disadvantages, interpersonal dynamics, how financial, sexual, and parental responsibilities are determined, and the legal, moral, and cultural challenges that must be overcome to make polygynous marriage possible within American society.