American Zion
A New History of Mormonism
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Narrated by:
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Tom Parks
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By:
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Benjamin E. Park
About this listen
The first major history of Mormonism in a decade, drawing on newly available sources to reveal a profoundly divided faith that has nevertheless shaped the nation.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was founded by Joseph Smith in 1830 in the so-called "burned-over district" of upstate New York, which was producing seers and prophets daily. Most of the new creeds flamed out; Smith's would endure, becoming the most significant homegrown religion in American history.
In American Zion Benjamin E. Park presents a fresh, sweeping account of the Latter-day Saints: from the flight to Utah Territory in 1847 to the public renunciation of polygamy in 1890; from the Mormon leadership's forging of an alliance with the Republican Party in the wake of the New Deal to the "Mormon moment" of 2012; and beyond. In the twentieth century, Park shows, Mormons began to move ever closer to the center of American life, shaping culture, politics, and law along the way.
A definitive, character-driven work of history, American Zion is essential to any understanding of the Mormon past, present, and future. But its lessons extend beyond the faith: as Park puts it, the Mormon story is the American story.
©2024 Benjamin E. Park (P)2024 HighBridge, a division of Recorded BooksListeners also enjoyed...
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-
Watchman on the Tower
- Ezra Taft Benson and the Making of the Mormon Right
- By: Matthew L. Harris
- Narrated by: Christopher Reid
- Length: 4 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Ezra Taft Benson is perhaps the most controversial apostle-president in the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. For nearly 50 years, he delivered impassioned sermons in Utah and elsewhere, mixing religion with ultraconservative right-wing political views and conspiracy theories. His teachings inspired Mormon extremists to stockpile weapons, predict the end of the world, and commit acts of violence against their government.
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Essential for any Mormon who wants to understand the rise of conservatism in the Church
- By Julie Rose Allen on 08-18-21
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Joseph Smith's Gold Plates
- A Cultural History
- By: Richard Lyman Bushman
- Narrated by: Kirby Heyborne
- Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
According to Joseph Smith, in September of 1823, an angel appeared to him and directed him to a hill near his home. Buried there, Smith found a box containing a stack of thin metal sheets, gold in color and covered with what appeared to be ancient engravings. Exactly four years later, the angel instructed Smith to translate the plates into English. When the text was published, a new religion was born.
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The deep dive I was hoping for
- By Adam on 09-07-24
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Mormonism Unvailed
- A Faithful Account of That Singular Imposition and Delusion, from Its Rise to the Present Time
- By: E. D. Howe
- Narrated by: Josiah Stonehill
- Length: 8 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Performance
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Story
Mormonism Unvailed, authored by Eber D. Howe and published in 1834, presents one of the first published critiques and investigations into the origins and credibility of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS Church or Mormon Church) and its founder, Joseph Smith. The book elucidates the skepticism and criticism of early Mormonism, disputing its authenticity and alleging fraudulent and deceptive practices within its early formation.
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More Mormons need to listen to this!
- By Anonymous User on 11-21-24
By: E. D. Howe
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Joseph Smith
- Rough Stone Rolling
- By: Richard Lyman Bushman
- Narrated by: James Anderson Foster
- Length: 28 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Founder of the largest indigenous Christian church in American history, Joseph Smith published the 584-page Book of Mormon when he was 23 and went on to organize a church, found cities, and attract thousands of followers before his violent death at age 38. Richard Bushman, an esteemed cultural historian and a practicing Mormon, moves beyond the popular stereotype of Smith as a colorful fraud to explore his personality, his relationships with others, and how he received revelations.
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Polarizing...in a great way
- By Brigham Larson on 01-24-18
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Vengeance Is Mine
- The Mountain Meadows Massacre and Its Aftermath
- By: Richard E. Turley, Barbara Jones Brown
- Narrated by: T. Ryder Smith
- Length: 17 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Published in 2008, Massacre at Mountain Meadows was a bombshell of a book, revealing the story of one of the grimmest episodes in Latter-day Saint history, when settlers in southwestern Utah slaughtered more than 100 members of a California-bound wagon train in 1857. In this much-anticipated sequel, Richard E. Turley Jr. and Barbara Jones Brown examine the aftermath of this atrocity. Vengeance Is Mine documents southern Utah leaders’ attempts to cover up their crime by silencing witnesses and spreading lies.
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One of the best historical audible books ever
- By Tonuster on 08-18-23
By: Richard E. Turley, and others
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Kingdom of Nauvoo
- The Rise and Fall of a Religious Empire on the American Frontier
- By: Benjamin E. Park
- Narrated by: Bob Souer
- Length: 9 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Compared to the Puritans, Mormons have rarely gotten their due, often treated as fringe cultists or marginalized polygamists unworthy of serious examination. In Kingdom of Nauvoo, Benjamin E. Park excavates the brief, tragic life of a lost Mormon city, demonstrating that the Mormons are essential to understanding American history writ large. Using newly accessible sources, Park re-creates the Mormons' 1839 flight from Missouri to Illinois.
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Can't get over "Nauvoo" pronunciation
- By Emily Christensen on 03-10-20
By: Benjamin E. Park
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Watchman on the Tower
- Ezra Taft Benson and the Making of the Mormon Right
- By: Matthew L. Harris
- Narrated by: Christopher Reid
- Length: 4 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ezra Taft Benson is perhaps the most controversial apostle-president in the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. For nearly 50 years, he delivered impassioned sermons in Utah and elsewhere, mixing religion with ultraconservative right-wing political views and conspiracy theories. His teachings inspired Mormon extremists to stockpile weapons, predict the end of the world, and commit acts of violence against their government.
-
-
Essential for any Mormon who wants to understand the rise of conservatism in the Church
- By Julie Rose Allen on 08-18-21
-
Joseph Smith's Gold Plates
- A Cultural History
- By: Richard Lyman Bushman
- Narrated by: Kirby Heyborne
- Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
According to Joseph Smith, in September of 1823, an angel appeared to him and directed him to a hill near his home. Buried there, Smith found a box containing a stack of thin metal sheets, gold in color and covered with what appeared to be ancient engravings. Exactly four years later, the angel instructed Smith to translate the plates into English. When the text was published, a new religion was born.
-
-
The deep dive I was hoping for
- By Adam on 09-07-24
-
Mormonism Unvailed
- A Faithful Account of That Singular Imposition and Delusion, from Its Rise to the Present Time
- By: E. D. Howe
- Narrated by: Josiah Stonehill
- Length: 8 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mormonism Unvailed, authored by Eber D. Howe and published in 1834, presents one of the first published critiques and investigations into the origins and credibility of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS Church or Mormon Church) and its founder, Joseph Smith. The book elucidates the skepticism and criticism of early Mormonism, disputing its authenticity and alleging fraudulent and deceptive practices within its early formation.
-
-
More Mormons need to listen to this!
- By Anonymous User on 11-21-24
By: E. D. Howe
-
Joseph Smith
- Rough Stone Rolling
- By: Richard Lyman Bushman
- Narrated by: James Anderson Foster
- Length: 28 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Founder of the largest indigenous Christian church in American history, Joseph Smith published the 584-page Book of Mormon when he was 23 and went on to organize a church, found cities, and attract thousands of followers before his violent death at age 38. Richard Bushman, an esteemed cultural historian and a practicing Mormon, moves beyond the popular stereotype of Smith as a colorful fraud to explore his personality, his relationships with others, and how he received revelations.
-
-
Polarizing...in a great way
- By Brigham Larson on 01-24-18
-
Vengeance Is Mine
- The Mountain Meadows Massacre and Its Aftermath
- By: Richard E. Turley, Barbara Jones Brown
- Narrated by: T. Ryder Smith
- Length: 17 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Published in 2008, Massacre at Mountain Meadows was a bombshell of a book, revealing the story of one of the grimmest episodes in Latter-day Saint history, when settlers in southwestern Utah slaughtered more than 100 members of a California-bound wagon train in 1857. In this much-anticipated sequel, Richard E. Turley Jr. and Barbara Jones Brown examine the aftermath of this atrocity. Vengeance Is Mine documents southern Utah leaders’ attempts to cover up their crime by silencing witnesses and spreading lies.
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One of the best historical audible books ever
- By Tonuster on 08-18-23
By: Richard E. Turley, and others
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Brigham Young
- Pioneer Prophet
- By: John G. Turner
- Narrated by: Stephen Hoye
- Length: 19 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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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 50 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.
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The Lion of the Lord says "Mind Your Own Business"
- By Darwin8u on 08-26-13
By: John G. Turner
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The Mormon Mirage
- A Former Member Looks at the Mormon Church Today
- By: Latayne C. Scott
- Narrated by: Tamara Marston
- Length: 14 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Three decades after leaving the Mormon faith, Latayne Colvett Scott looks back to her original journey out of Mormonism and the reasons why she left. Revised and updated, this third edition of The Mormon Mirage presents both a fascinating inside look at Mormonism and new and formidable evidence against its claims and teachings.
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Keep away from it. Hate-Literature.
- By Amazon Customer on 04-13-12
By: Latayne C. Scott
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How the Book of Mormon Came to Pass
- The Second Greatest Show on Earth
- By: Lars Nielsen
- Narrated by: Lars Pauling Nielsen
- Length: 17 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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With an infusion of new data, this book presents a novel and distinctive exegesis as well as a mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive framework for organizing and evaluating the merits of all prior authorship theories. One mechanism, in particular, has emerged as the most comprehensive, evidence-based, and satisfying explanation for how The Book of Mormon came to pass.
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Wow, Stunning!
- By AmazonCustomer on 05-22-24
By: Lars Nielsen
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Blood of the Prophets
- Brigham Young and the Massacre at Mountain Meadows
- By: Will Bagley
- Narrated by: Charles Henderson Norman
- Length: 20 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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The massacre at Mountain Meadows on September 11, 1857, was the single most violent attack on a wagon train in the 30-year history of the Oregon and California trails. Yet it has been all but forgotten. Will Bagley's Blood of the Prophets is an award-winning, riveting account of the attack on the Baker-Fancher wagon train by Mormons in the local militia and a few Paiute Indians.
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religion is dangerous
- By david dunn on 04-17-16
By: Will Bagley
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Mormonism
- What Everyone Needs to Know
- By: Terryl Givens
- Narrated by: James Anderson Foster
- Length: 8 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Covering the origins, history, and modern challenges of the church, Mormonism: What Everyone Needs to Know offers listeners a brief, authoritative guide to one of the fastest growing faith groups of the 21st century.
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Enjoyed
- By Daniel on 11-16-20
By: Terryl Givens
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Joseph Smith for President
- The Prophet, the Assassins, and the Fight for American Religious Freedom
- By: Spencer W. McBride
- Narrated by: Christopher Grove
- Length: 8 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Though Joseph Smith's run for president is now best remembered for its gruesome end, the renegade campaign was revolutionary. Smith called for the total abolition of slavery, the closure of the country's penitentiaries, and the reestablishment of a national bank to stabilize the economy. But Smith's most important proposal was for an expansion of protections for religious minorities. At a time when the Bill of Rights did not apply to individual states, Smith sought to empower the federal government to protect minorities when states failed to do so.
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Incredible look at a fascinating time in history
- By Jim Johnson on 03-11-22
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Like a Fiery Meteor
- The Life of Joseph F. Smith
- By: Stephen C Taysom
- Narrated by: Anthony Proctor
- Length: 21 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Joseph F. Smith was born in 1838 to Hyrum Smith and Mary Fielding Smith. Six years later both his father and his uncle, Joseph Smith Jr., the founding prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, were murdered in Carthage, Illinois. The trauma of that event remained with Joseph F. for the rest of his life, affecting his personal behavior and public tenure in the highest tiers of the LDS Church, including the post of president from 1901 until his death in 1918.
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Excellent biography of Joseph F. Smith
- By Tony Vance on 05-16-24
By: Stephen C Taysom
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David O. McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism
- By: Gregory A. Prince, Wm. Robert Wright
- Narrated by: John Hopkinson
- Length: 24 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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Ordained as an apostle in 1906, David O. McKay served as president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1951 until his death in 1970. Under his leadership, the church experienced unparalleled growth - nearly tripling in total membership - and becoming a significant presence throughout the world. The first book to draw upon the David O. McKay Papers at the J. Willard Marriott Library at the University of Utah, David O. McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism focuses primarily on the years of McKay's presidency.
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A Must Read for Faithful Members of the Church
- By Amy W. on 01-11-22
By: Gregory A. Prince, and others
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The Mountain Meadows Massacre
- By: Juanita Brooks
- Narrated by: Kirk Winkler
- Length: 6 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
In the Fall of 1857, 120 California-bound emigrants were killed in lonely Mountain Meadows in southern Utah; only 18 young children were spared. The men on the ground after the bloody deed took an oath that they would never mention the event again, either in public or in private. The leaders of the Mormon church also counseled silence. The first report, soon after the massacre, described it as an Indian onslaught at which a few white men were present, only one of whom, John D. Lee, was actually named.
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Truth suppressed is its own kind of a lie.
- By Darwin8u on 08-15-16
By: Juanita Brooks
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Recovering Agency
- Lifting the Veil of Mormon Mind Control
- By: Luna Lindsey
- Narrated by: B.J. Harrison
- Length: 20 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Story
In 2012, Mormon General Authority Marlin K. Jensen acknowledged that members are leaving the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints "in droves". Access to the internet is often credited and blamed for this mass exodus, where members learn about problematic doctrines and cover-ups of LDS history. Many are happy as Mormons. And many are not. Those who leave, and those doubters who stay face struggles that few others can understand.
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Extremely helpful book to further heal after a faith deconstruction.
- By Anthony D. Miller on 11-20-18
By: Luna Lindsey
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American Crucifixion
- The Murder of Joseph Smith and the Fate of the Mormon Church
- By: Alex Beam
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
- Length: 10 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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On June 27, 1844, a mob stormed the jail in the dusty frontier town of Carthage, Illinois. Clamorous and angry, they were hunting down a man they saw as a grave threat to their otherwise quiet lives: The founding prophet of Mormonism, Joseph Smith. They wanted blood. At thirty-nine years old, Smith had already lived an outsized life. In addition to starting the Church of Latter-Day Saints and creating his own "Golden Bible" - the Book of Mormon - he had worked as a water-dowser and treasure hunter.
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All religious histories are not created equal
- By Kendra on 07-01-14
By: Alex Beam
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Truth Seeking: The Story of High-Ranking Mormon Leader Hans Mattsson Seeking Sincere Answers from His Church but Instead Finding Contempt, Fear, Doubt... and Eventually Peace
- By: Mr. Hans Mattsson, Mrs. Christina Hanke
- Narrated by: Spencer Bean
- Length: 6 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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This is the story of high-ranking mormon leader Hans Mattsson seeking sincere answers from his church but instead finding contempt, fear, doubt...and eventually peace.
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Thanks
- By Joel Werly on 01-09-21
By: Mr. Hans Mattsson, and others
What listeners say about American Zion
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- guy hanna
- 03-21-24
Great Book.
This is a great piece of historical work. Some of the names can be tricky for outsiders, but other than that the book is wonderful.
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- James
- 10-15-24
Great historical review
Dr Benjamin Park did a great job outlining this historical points and presenting the information with academic objectivity. I personally found the book very engaging.
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- David Petersen
- 02-11-24
The Definitive Mormon History for the Next Generation
Ben Park masterfully captures much of the nuance across the width and breadth and depth of Mormon histories. He is respectful of Mormon beliefs and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints while not glossing over controversy or thorny issues.
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- Yasser Sanchez
- 08-31-24
Incredible historical narrative of LDS Faith
interesting history of how internal and external pressures forged and formed LDS Faith. The author goes into great detail in painting a full and fair picture of the formation, growth, challenges, and leadership within the “Mormon” context. As a member of this church I learned quite a bit.
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- Erik
- 02-10-24
The book’s narrative.
An excellent, well-researched, survey of Mormonism in America. The best book on the topic available.
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- anthony w morgan
- 07-26-24
Honest, balanced history
A refreshingly honest and balanced history of LDS Church up to the present day. Deals with controversial topic that institutional approved histories do not.
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- Forrest
- 12-18-24
Eye opener
Park takes the reader through the 200+ year long history of Mormonism and demonstrates convincingly how political and societal pressures takes Mormonism from upstart faith with heretical yet uniquely American doctrine to a hulking corporate bureaucracy.
The audiobook performance is lacking because it is AI. The narrator makes pronunciation errors for many proper names that a human reader should have researched beforehand (eg Moroni, Manti, Strangism, etc.) The quality of the voice is pleasant but never changes in quality like happens with human readers.
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- KR
- 02-07-24
Excellent book and narration
Engaging, thoughtful, thoroughly enjoyable single-volume history of Mormonism in America. Park traces the major social, political, and theological shifts as Mormonism reacted to, against, and integrated with the larger American culture. Park went far beyond the nearly all-white male priesthood hierarchy to highlight aspects of the larger story through the experiences of women, racial minorities, and LGBTQ+ individuals. The book will appeal to a broad audience as Park successfully argues how the story of this home-grown American religion reveals much about how the United States has changed over the last two centuries. Strong audio performance.
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- Theodore Austin Holt IV
- 03-21-24
Fascinating
As an outsider, helped me understand Mormonism. Thorough and well narrated. I recommend to history buffs.
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- Faith Burnside
- 07-07-24
entertaining and informative
This book is well researched and informative. it is honest but not an attack.
the only issue I had was that the reader misprounced several names.
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