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Brigham Young: Pioneer Prophet Audiobook
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(4.00) - 151 listener ratings
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Brigham Young was a rough-hewn craftsman from New York whose impoverished and obscure life was electrified by the Mormon faith. He trudged around the United States and England to gain converts for Mormonism, spoke in spiritual tongues, married more than fifty women, and eventually transformed a barren desert into his vision of the Kingdom of God. While previous accounts of his life have been distorted by hagiography or polemical exposé, John Turner provides a fully realized portrait of a colossal figure in American religion, politics, and westward expansion. After the 1844 murder of Mormon founder Joseph Smith, Young gathered those Latter-day Saints who would follow him and led them over the Rocky Mountains. In Utah, he styled himself after the patriarchs, judges, and prophets of ancient Israel. As charismatic as he was autocratic, he was viewed by his followers as an indispensable protector and by his opponents as a theocratic, treasonous heretic. Under his fiery tutelage, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints defended plural marriage, restricted the place of African Americans within the church, fought the U.S. Army in 1857, and obstructed federal efforts to prosecute perpetrators of the Mountain Meadows Massacre. At the same time, Young's tenacity and faith brought tens of thousands of Mormons to the American West, imbued their everyday lives with sacred purpose, and sustained his church against adversity. Turner reveals the complexity of this spiritual prophet, whose commitment made a deep imprint on his church and the American Mountain West.
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"So I gave it a 5 star- this doesn't mean it will knock your socks off, it just means for a historical, well researched biography, it's very well written. Also, lets be honest, it's made less boring by the fact that Brigham Young had a foul mouth, a few wild ideas, and 55 wives (with some marriages more salacious than others.) Mormons and non-Mormons alike will probably find this book enlightening and a tad uncomfortable."
— Daniellefirth (4 out of 5 stars)
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An impressively detailed portrait of a controversial giant.
— Booklist Starred Review
Brigham Young Listener Reviews
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" This book was a scholarly look at a man who led the Mormon people. It was well researched and well written although often confusing as it treated a subject and then included it again in a later chapter. Brigham Young was painted as a competent man who built an empire but was severely inconsistent in his philosophies. The author treated theological controversies and what appears today to be strange thinking about sealing ordinances of both wives and children. The portrait of the man did not capture his personality or give any sense of his true nature. "
— Kathleen, 2/10/2014 -
" Pretty much the only book you'll ever need to read on Brigham Young. The reason I chopped it down one star is that the author bogs down the work with too much detail about Young's "large" family. Besides that, its a great reference book about this Pioneer and head of the LDS Church "
— Vince, 2/5/2014 -
" It seems that to be a religious prophet, you need to be a megalomaniac. Interesting to read about the early days of mormonism. Makes me wonder why any intelligent person in the 21st century would adhere to any religion based on ancient myths. "
— Ellen, 2/1/2014 -
" Great biography by a sympathetic outsider. Might be a bit challenging for traditional LDS readers, but with some prep work (American Moses, Rough Stone Rolling), I think it could work well. For other readers it will be the definitive biography for decades. "
— Samuel, 1/12/2014 -
" Not sure how to situate the new information I'm getting into my current belief system. Definitely not the first time this has happened before. "
— Viliami, 12/22/2013 -
" Not an LDS guy, but it's a great read to better understand a part of our US history that is rarely covered in school. "
— Tim, 11/29/2013 -
" While I greatly respect Mormon historian giant Leonard Arrington, his Brigham Young biography "American Moses" left me a little unsatisfied. This, however, is how Mormon biographies should be written. Interesting, understanding, honest, and gritty without being sensational. "
— Erik, 6/23/2013 -
" Author not a member of the Church; seemed to show great respect for Brigham Young, yet did not grasp spiritual side. Very nice to read from the this viewpoint. "
— Steele, 6/7/2013
About Stephen Hoye
Stephen Hoye has worked as a professional actor in London and Los Angeles for more than thirty years. Trained at Boston University and the Guildhall in London, he has acted in television series and six feature films and has appeared in London’s West End. His audiobook narration has won him fifteen AudioFile Earphones Awards.