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Mar 20, 2009

Tommy rated it:

Even if in a naive way, I can almost understand why the Mormon settlers initially did what they did (the first day of the siege). Up to that point in their history they had suffered so much persecution and a massacre of their own at Haun's Mill that many were itching for vengeance for the wrongs committed against them. There were so many variables that came together at the absolute wrong time; i.e. 2500 U.S. troops marching toward Utah to put down the "Mormon rebellion," beloved Morm More...

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Jan 26, 2009

Brent rated it:

I had mixed feelings approaching this book. Wasn't sure I trusted this "establishment" version of the story, but hearing that it was good. My great=great grampa was Laban Morrill, and my great-great grand-uncle was Nephi Johnson. AND - my wife's great-great grampa was John D Lee - so there was plenty of natural interest in the story.

My reaction:

- Surprisingly lean telling of the story, at times even tedious
- Authors stuck close to the script; did not engage oth More...

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Nov 02, 2008

Heather rated it:

Commissioned by the LDS church, this book was surprisingly unsparing in its description of the atrocities at Mountain Meadows (more detailed in its account of the actual murders than Brooks' book). They had lots of information at their disposal, and I'm sure it was overwhelming to sift through all of the obviously biased accounts (mostly left by perpetrators) to come up with a reasonable assessment of what happened. They give details about the victims and others that were not present in Juanita More...

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Dec 15, 2008

Bill rated it:

Excellent and balanced treatment of a difficult subject. Each source is meticulously cited and they are careful in drawing broad conclusions. They also are show how many factors combined to create a tragic situation without removing the blame from the individuals who appear to have made the most grievous errors. Not a happy story, but a great resource for those trying to make sense of the time and place see a broad view of the problems.

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Mar 24, 2009

Walt rated it:

On September 11, 1857, more than 120 men, women and children traveling from Arkansas to California were butchered by Mormon militiamen and Paiute Indians at Mountain Meadows in southern Utah. This study of the tragedy, by three LDS historians, utilizes previously unavailable archival documents to answer the question, 'How could basically good people commit such a terrible atrocity?' The authors find responsibility almost everywhere: in the escalating tensions between the federal government and M More...

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Mar 14, 2009

Stephen rated it:

Can devout Mormons write serious, credible history about a shameful and controversial event from the Mormon past? This must be asked precisely because so much history written by the faithful, in this tradition and others, is committed to certain conclusions before the act of research even begins. After reading Walker, Turley, and Leonard's new book on the Mountain Meadows massacre, the Mormon 9/11 (September 11, 1857), my answer to the question posed above, albeit with a few reservations, is " More...

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Feb 04, 2012

Melinda rated it:

At first I was slightly reluctant to read this book, but I really wanted to understand this part of Mormon history better. I came away feeling like this was a very factual (yet readable), unbiased account of the horrific events that took place. I felt like the point the authors were trying to make was that this was an atrocity committed by several Mormon men of their own accord; none of it sanctioned by Brigham Young or higher church authorities. I felt like it gave a good understanding of th More...

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Jun 24, 2010

Terry rated it:

Massacre at Mountain Meadows is a thoroughly researched, well-written book. It describes the complex situation of the Latter-day Saints in 1857 frontier Utah and the conditions that led to the massacre of 120 pioneers immigrating to California. The authors unflinchingly describe the decisions and actions by local Mormon leaders that led to the massacre. The book provides very little detail on the aftermath of the massacre, which will be set out in a second book planned by the authors.

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Aug 11, 2009

Mary Etta rated it:

Four stars is defined as "I really liked it". True awful tragedy is not something I like. Even so, there are reasons to give it five stars. Massacre is an important book to read, but for various reasons a hard one. Because of the confusion of the previous accounts of the Mountain Meadows massacre of Southern UT I've tended to put my opinion on the shelf so to speak waiting for more information. I was impressed by the research of the three authors and the length to which they went More...

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Apr 07, 2009

James rated it:

A book of narrow but dramatic interest, Massacre at Mountain Meadows contains the most complete historical record of one of the bleakest events in the history of the Mormon settlement of the West. Few people know the extent of the Mormon colonization of what is today the western United States, Mexico, and even Canada. For example, you may not know that Las Vegas was a sleepy Mormon colony right up until people like Bugsy Siegel turned it into a modern Mecca for debauchery.

The 1857 ma More...

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Aug 26, 2010

Jeremy rated it:

Best Church History book I've ever read. By far. I have been fascinated with this subject since I moved to Iron County when I was 14 and realized that this massacre still could be felt all of those years later. I always thought that nobody could top Juanita Brooks' classic on the event. I was wrong. These three gentlemen have done an amazing job setting the stage. My only complaint would be that they don't cover what happened to the region after the event--and how the role it played on the psych More...

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Mar 20, 2009

Yvonne rated it:

So far very good, although a lot of information to absorb. I was intrigued because a few years ago, my husband and I (our ward, to be precise) were unwitting participants in a PBS special on "mormons" which was supposed to be very favorable to the church. Instead, a huge chunk of the program was on the MMM. Now I live near the infamous site and wanted a truly insightful look at what happened. Since the LDS church opened their archives and contributed research $ to this project, I k More...

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Jan 31, 2009

Clay rated it:

I really struggled with whether or not to give this book 3 or 4 stars.
The book is well written, and it gives an in depth look into the Massacre, early Mormon settlements and the American West.
Things I like about the book.

1) They did not skirt around the horrific nature of the massacre.
2) I learned a lot about the American West and early times in the great basin.

Beefs I have with the book.

1) Out of THREE AUTHORS, don't you think that they coul More...

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Nov 21, 2008

Joan rated it:

What I find intriguing is the actual interviews of those involved that were recorded after the fact by the Church and then kept under wraps all these generations. As I read the list of names of those involved I recognized many relatives probably brothers to my ancestors and that is what I wanted to know.
This book reads well and it draws you in. Even though I knew the ending I kept hoping someone would stop it.
There was one annoying thing about this book and that was the co More...

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Feb 03, 2009

Kurt rated it:

I take no pride in knowing that my great-great-grandfather participated in this awful episode in western American history. But I feel compelled to learn and understand how events and circumstances could unfold in such a way that a group of mostly honest and good people could abandon their values and principles in order to commit the atrocity described by this book.

An important saying tells us that if we fail to learn from history we are doomed to repeat it. I strongly believe that More...

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May 23, 2010

Chris rated it:

Killing fields. That is what the authors use to describe the massacre at Mountain Meadows. On September 11, 1857 approximately 120 emigrants of the Baker-Fancher party were massacred by a premeditated, systematic group of Mormon leaders, assisted by Paiute Indians. Massacre at Mountain Meadows was written by three faithful mormon scholars, sponsored by Brigham Young University and the LDS church.

In a pull-no-punches narrative, they present a simple, easy to read story of how th More...

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Oct 30, 2010

Debbie rated it:

I knew very little about the Mountain Meadows Massacre going into this. If I'm only going to read one book about the subject (I only read non-fiction for book club), I'm glad this is the book. It seems fair and very thoroughly researched.

It would be easy to categorically condemn the murderers, but we wouldn't learn anything from that. It is only when we ask why people do unspeakable things that we can hope to prevent them from happening again.

I like this quote from the end of More...

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Mar 22, 2009

Bev rated it:

As I am a descendant of John D. Lee I have read everything I could find about him and this terrible massacre. This is certainly the definitive book, thoroughly researched, very well written. The text is only 250 pages, though I skimmed the grisly detail I didn't want to read again. Lee wrote and said more about the massacre than any other source but the authors did not consider him a valid source, because they found contradictory facts, too much emotion and said he was a contentious man, which h More...

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Jul 03, 2009

Alan rated it:

Too Much to Take In

Don't expect to enjoy this book. The horrible truth is just too much to take in. The writers must have felt the same way, because as soon as their oh so thorough description of the killing field is over, they close the book as quickly as possible, skipping 20 years to a final vignette of J.D. Lee's execution at the massacre site.

Apparently a second volume is intended that should address the multi-generational post-massacre denial. Otherwise, this is a More...

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Mar 22, 2011

Terrol rated it:

Horrifying. Reading this book was possibly the most wrenching literary experience of my life. Exhaustively researched and noted (the narrative covers barely more than half of the book's 430 printed pages, the rest are notes, references, etc.), this must be considered the most important and complete historical account of what is, without any question, the blackest hour of LDS church history.

As a Mormon myself, I have no words for that awful scene. The historians do an admirable job of More...

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Sep 12, 2008

Russell added it

Regrettably, there is not much "new" in history. I did a major papper on the topic in 1976 at the U of U; the three authors and tons of research assistants added little - details to the point of microphobia! Do read the endnotes; therein lies the gold....

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Aug 07, 2010

William rated it:

I picked up "Massacre at Mountain Meadows" because it was one of the few historical works I could find on the area where I will be going for my honeymoon. It tells the story of the massacre of a group of emigrants headed to California by a combined force of Mormons and Indians. But to say that vastly oversimplifies the situation and the novel.

"Massacre" tells the story of a community of good, just, fair-minded people who headed west because of a promise, a hope, More...

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May 30, 2009

Sandy rated it:

This one was hard to rate. It was slow going, with a lot of people and events to keep straight. Although the authors are all LDS church members, you would not know it from reading the book. It was not at all religious or biased in tone, and they made no effort to excuse or justify the actions of the Mormon militia--in fact, just the opposite. I felt the book ended too abruptly and left me with unanswered questions. Why did it take 20 years to bring John Lee to trial (and subsequent execution)? W More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 01, 2009

Lora rated it:

This book gives an amazing commentary on the psychology of mob violence. It is such a tragic part of history. I had no idea it had happened to the extent that it really did until I read this book. I am glad for all of the research and honesty that the authors put into it. Its just the raw harsh facts. It made me feel so ashamed of the people... I am so glad I read this book. It is very disturbing. but I learned that people can think they are in the right when they are so off base. There More...

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May 07, 2011

Jim rated it:

I decided to read this particular book on this subject because the authors claim to have the most up-to-date research; most notably from the First Presidency archive and Family and Church History Department. This book was tough to read. Truthfully, near the end when the massacre was detailed, I had a pit in my stomach and dreaded finishing the book. With that said, I have to give the authors credit for tackling a subject that many want to forget. I felt that they were very even-handed and av More...

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Jun 25, 2011

Bethany rated it:

This book was very interesting and well-researched. It really set the stage for the time period and gave so much insight into the actions of the settlers and the lds people. It was very difficult to read at the end, and often I found myself wishing that an individual would make a different choice so the inevitable would not happen. My husband and I read this together and we both felt there was a lot that can be learned from the tragedy at Mountain Meadows. We finished the book on our drive to th More...

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Oct 08, 2009

Rick rated it:

Exquisitely detailed account of the events leading up to this tragedy. Even though the end of the story is known from the beginning, I found this book difficult to put down as the authors walked me step by step along the path of flawed decisions that led to this terrible tragedy. Even though the events of the Massacre are put in the context of the times, it is still incredible to me how otherwise good people could make such horribly wrong choices. To my mind, the authors make no attempt to ju More...

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Jul 30, 2009

LeNore rated it:

I average two non fiction books a year, so I am not qualified to write a review on the genre. I enjoyed this book. It was interesting from the beginning. I got a little bogged down in the middle because there were so many people being described. I found myself lost not being able to keep track. I just wanted to get to the massacre part...still I learned a lot and am looking forward to the sequal which will cover the after math of the massacre. The authors were unbaised in their presentation of t More...

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Mar 27, 2009

Dan rated it:

In my readings on Mormon History the subject of the Mountain Meadows Massacre has been covered mostly in passing with little attention to detail. Whenever I read about it I worry the information presented will lean one way or the other. The authors of this work seem to have gone to great efforts to present the facts as best they could from the surviving historical record as evidenced by the 127 pages of citations.
It is well written, easy to follow, and captivating.
It was raw and he More...

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Sep 16, 2010

Gary rated it:

My ggGrandfather was involved in this tragedy. This book gives me new insight into the events surrounding the massacre.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

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