Scan barcode
A review by jvanwagoner
Brigham Young: American Moses by Leonard J. Arrington
informative
5.0
I have read much about LDS church history, Brigham Young, and many of his writings, but I have never read a full-length biography of his life. However, almost all sources highly recommended this work, so I grabbed a copy.
This book met my expectations. It covered a lot of material that I knew about but also things about Young's life concerning which I knew little. The book was well-written and kept my interest. Arrington does an excellent job assimilating his vast information into this biography. I have read some of his other works and have always been impressed with his presentation.
I like how Brigham was presented as a human being. He had his weaknesses and strengths, and they were offered in a manner that LDS would not be offended and non-LDS could see the real man.
I was also fascinated by one of the appendices that covered the settlement of Brigham Young's estate after his death. I hadn't realized how his assets were intertwined with the church's assets to avoid the punitive property ownership laws imposed against the church due to polygamy. It created a mess to clean up and separate the family and church property.
I highly recommend this book to anyone that wants to learn more about Brigham Young's life. What he accomplished in settling the West was phenomenal. His influence impacted not only the LDS church but also the entire West.
I originally wrote this review on 4/27/2010.
This book met my expectations. It covered a lot of material that I knew about but also things about Young's life concerning which I knew little. The book was well-written and kept my interest. Arrington does an excellent job assimilating his vast information into this biography. I have read some of his other works and have always been impressed with his presentation.
I like how Brigham was presented as a human being. He had his weaknesses and strengths, and they were offered in a manner that LDS would not be offended and non-LDS could see the real man.
I was also fascinated by one of the appendices that covered the settlement of Brigham Young's estate after his death. I hadn't realized how his assets were intertwined with the church's assets to avoid the punitive property ownership laws imposed against the church due to polygamy. It created a mess to clean up and separate the family and church property.
I highly recommend this book to anyone that wants to learn more about Brigham Young's life. What he accomplished in settling the West was phenomenal. His influence impacted not only the LDS church but also the entire West.
I originally wrote this review on 4/27/2010.