A Good History Overview Of The Lds And Mormonism

[KevinG]

My daughter has a great US History teacher who has learned some things about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that "just ain't so". She was open to correction by my daughter in class but I'd like to provide her with a good history of the Church. Given she is a non-Mormon and a history teacher I'd like to find something that isn't necessarily a church publication but a good history written by someone with little or no agenda.

I am leaning towards purchasing Jan Shipps Mormonism: The History of a New Religious Tradition but I want to know if anyone has a recommendation for teaching the history of Mormons to someone well versed in history who is an outsider to our beliefs.

Please share your recommendations and "why" you recommend the particular book. Cost is a factor and I will be ordering a copy from my local used book store.

Thank you in advance for your ideas.

[USU78]

Rough Stone Rolling and BY: American Moses are, IMHO, the two greatest great bios in any library on Mormon History.

[ERayR]

Rough Stone Rolling and BY: American Moses are, IMHO, the two greatest great bios in any library on Mormon History.

I haven't read the BY one but I do second RSR.

[Rivers]

The Mormon People: The Making of an American Faith by Matthew Bowman. It covers all the important episodes in Mormon history from Joseph Smith until now. Its not super long either. It is very concise but very informative. RSR is good for an in-depth study of the Joseph Smith era, but the The Mormon People covers everything. I highly recommend it.

http://deseretbook.com/Mormon-People-Making-American-Faith-Matthew-Bowman/i/5077480

Edited August 15, 2012 by Rivers

[volgadon]

Bitton and Arington's "The Mormon Experience' is another good one, written with non-Mormons in mind. Both authors qualified historians and open-minded individuals with strong testimonies.

Edited August 15, 2012 by volgadon

[Ahab]

I'd like to find something that isn't necessarily a church publication but a good history written by someone with little or no agenda.

Everyone has an agenda, I think, even if only to share what they think about something. I think a history teacher should be able to appreciate the fact that all historians are biased to some extent, and I'd just give her a Church publication so she could see what we officially approve.

I'd also reinforce the idea that all people are biased, to some extent, so it's good to ask God for wisdom when we want to know truth.

[DBMormon]

very few people will take the time to get informed at the expense of reading a large book. I would recommend President Hinkley's "Truth Restored". short, accurate, to the point

[Scott Lloyd]

The Story of the Latter-day Saints by James B. Allen and Glen M. Leonard would be my recommendation. Thorough enough, yet accessible for someone just approaching the subject for the first time.

Allen and Leonard are both active Latter-day Saints, but also superb historians. Leonard is president-elect of the Mormon History Association, and Allen, iirc, is a past president.

And I don't see that membership in the Church should necessarily be a disqualification for authorship, even if the reader is non-Mormon.

Edited August 15, 2012 by Scott Lloyd

[Scott Lloyd]

very few people will take the time to get informed at the expense of reading a large book. I would recommend President Hinkley's "Truth Restored". short, accurate, to the point

That one's a bit dated.

If one is going to read something brief from Church curriculum, I think the Sunday School text Our Heritage: A Brief History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints would be a better choice. And it can be read or downloaded online at lds.org as well as obtained in hard copy from the Distribution Center.

Edited August 15, 2012 by Scott Lloyd

[volgadon]

The Story of the Latter-day Saints by James B. Allen and Glen M. Leonard would be my recommendation. Thorough enough, yet accessible for someone just approaching the subject for the first time.

Allen and Leonard are both active Latter-day Saints, but also superb historians. Leonard is president-elect of the Mormon History Association, and Allen, iirc, is a past president.

And I don't see that membership in the Church should necessarily be a disqualification for authorship, even if the reader is non-Mormon.

Forgot that one, I read my parents' copy as a teenager.

[Scott Lloyd]

Forgot that one, I read my parents' copy as a teenager.

I hope it's still in print.

I read a digital copy that I obtained from one of the CD-ROM "LDS Collector's Library" compilations -- which, alas, are out of print themselves these days.

Add-on:

I just checked Amazon. It's still available here.

You can even get a Kindle edition.

Edited August 15, 2012 by Scott Lloyd

[Calm]

Bitton and Arington's "The Mormon Experience' is another good one, written with non-Mormons in mind. Both authors qualified historians and open-minded individuals with strong testimonies.

That was the one I was going to recommend....

[Emerson]

I think Matt Bowman's book is far and away the best general survey on the church, now.

If you want something shorter, Richard Bushman's Very Short Introduction to Mormonis is incredibly deep, broad, and sophisticated for only 100 pages.

[Nevo]

I agree with Emerson's recommendations. Another I'd recommend is Claudia and Richard Bushman's Building the Kingdom: A History of Mormons in America. I would avoid Shipps's book, as it is quite dry and academic.

[KevinG]

Thanks everyone! I may get a few from the bookstore and read them before passing them on.

I don't think she would mind an LDS authored history but I'd like to give her a general history that shows Mormonisms place in the broader scope of American History. It sounds like:

The Mormon People: The Making of an American Faith by Matthew Bowman or The Story of the Latter-day Saints by James B. Allen and Glen M. Leonard may fit the bill.

[Tacenda]

I think Matt Bowman's book is far and away the best general survey on the church, now.

If you want something shorter, Richard Bushman's Very Short Introduction to Mormonis is incredibly deep, broad, and sophisticated for only 100 pages.

I think Matt Bowman is doing a podcast with John Dehlin very soon. Atleast on FB John was asking for questions from everyone, that he could put to Matt Bowman. I'm excited to listen to it. Hopefully it's still going to happen. I know Matt grew up near my hometown. He seems awfully young to have written this book, IMO.

Edited August 16, 2012 by Tacenda