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A review by shaunireads1
Brigham Young: American Moses by Leonard J. Arrington
4.0
From reading biographies of Joseph Smith (No Man Knows My History, Rough Stone Rolling) I learned quite a bit about the doctrine and foundations of the LDS Church. From this biography of Brigham Young, on the other hand, I learned much more about church culture and structure. That stems from the fact that Brigham Young was much more of a pragmatist than a theologian.
I was impressed with Arrington's objectivity in this book, especially considering that he served as the official historian for the LDS church. He painted a clear picture of Brigham Young, flaws, strengths, and all. Brigham was a strong and respected leader, that's for sure! He was single-handedly responsible for many unique aspects of Mormon culture that we often take for granted(strict movie/theater standards, modest dress, Word of Wisdom enforcement, etc.). I only wish Arrington had devoted more of the book to Brigham's polygamous relationships and the Mountain Meadows massacre, but I understand that each of those topics warrant a book of their own.
Coming from an LDS background, there wasn't much in the book that was terribly surprising or shocking. There were a few things, though. For example, this was my first exposure to the early Mormon's relations with the Native Americans in Utah. Also, I must say that I was somewhat disgusted at the history of ZCMI, and was outraged when I read about the excommunications of William Godbe and E.L.T Harrison, the editors of the Utah Magazine (which would later become the Salt Lake Tribune). Their defenses sounded so similar to Kate Kelly's and just hit a little too close to home. At the same time, after reading about the siege of Johnson's army and government censure for polygamy, I think I understand better now why the LDS church insists so strongly on unity and conformity among its members. We can thank Brigham Young for that!
This book was a little bit long and dry at times, but I still recommend it to anyone interested in Mormon and/or Utah history.
I was impressed with Arrington's objectivity in this book, especially considering that he served as the official historian for the LDS church. He painted a clear picture of Brigham Young, flaws, strengths, and all. Brigham was a strong and respected leader, that's for sure! He was single-handedly responsible for many unique aspects of Mormon culture that we often take for granted(strict movie/theater standards, modest dress, Word of Wisdom enforcement, etc.). I only wish Arrington had devoted more of the book to Brigham's polygamous relationships and the Mountain Meadows massacre, but I understand that each of those topics warrant a book of their own.
Coming from an LDS background, there wasn't much in the book that was terribly surprising or shocking. There were a few things, though. For example, this was my first exposure to the early Mormon's relations with the Native Americans in Utah. Also, I must say that I was somewhat disgusted at the history of ZCMI, and was outraged when I read about the excommunications of William Godbe and E.L.T Harrison, the editors of the Utah Magazine (which would later become the Salt Lake Tribune). Their defenses sounded so similar to Kate Kelly's and just hit a little too close to home. At the same time, after reading about the siege of Johnson's army and government censure for polygamy, I think I understand better now why the LDS church insists so strongly on unity and conformity among its members. We can thank Brigham Young for that!
This book was a little bit long and dry at times, but I still recommend it to anyone interested in Mormon and/or Utah history.