Alex called the book "utterly false. She claims the family always made decisions in lockstep with the church, but Hugh Nibley was one of the major liberal voices in the church. To portray him as a part of 'groupthink' is ridiculous."

Zina, a sister two years younger than Martha, said the two girls spent their adolescence together, sleeping in the same room in "incredibly rickety bunk beds, her on top. They could barely support the weight of two wispy little girls." The tiny house with thin walls, she said, had bedrooms in which the doors were never closed, with essentially no privacy.

"I was very close to her," said Zina. "I was her sidekick. I saw nothing at all to indicate any abuse taking place. None of us idealized our father. None of us think he was a great father. He was funny and sweet, but he was not emotionally approachable, not a good father for teenagers, but he was not guilty of abuse."

The only hint of division within the united family front is Rebecca, who is four years older than Martha. She said the sexual abuse allegations "are not true" and attributes them to Martha's "emotional sensitivities — but (Martha) is brilliant and funny. Martha and I are very close. I'm the only one in the family she sees regularly, so I have a more current view than the other siblings. I am emotionally closer to her than to my other siblings. I want to be close to her, so I call her a lot. There is no one in the world as enjoyable to be with and as loving as Martha.

"But My dad has always been my biggest fan. I was nurtured more by him than I was on the maternal side. Both Dad and Martha are high-quality people. My dad is as righteous a man as I can ever imagine. I wish I could be on both their sides!"

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E-mail: dennis@desnews.com