Lion of the Lord: Essays on the Life & Service of Brigham Young

by Susan Easton Black (Editor), Larry C. Porter

Few leaders of the nineteenth century match the caliber and dogged determination of Brigham Young, the Lion of the Lord. His contributions to the church and kingdom of God are immeasurable. As president, he faced multiple problems of settling the West, religious persecution, and emigration, yet he never swerved in his conviction. "We have been kicked out of the frying-pan into the fire," he said, "out of the fire into the middle of the floor, and here we are and here we will stay." In Lion of the Lord, Susan Easton Black and Larry C. Porter have compiled sixteen essays by Latter-day Saint scholars on the life and service of Brigham Young.

Genres: Biography, Lds, Religion, Church, Historical, Nonfiction

462 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Susan Easton Black is a retired professor of Church History and Doctrine at Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah. She is also an author of several books related to Joseph Smith, Jr. and the early history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Riley Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick collection of essays on BY. I’ve never read a bio in this format with essays by different experts on diverse topics. I liked getting different views and opinions about Brigham all in one book instead of having to read multiple biographies to get that kind of depth of opinion. I was most interested with how Brigham organized and managed priesthood and colonization.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this years ago and remember enjoying it a lot! Nice variety of essays.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting collection of essays focusing on various aspects of Brigham Young's life--his conversion, leadership roles prior to Joseph's death, women's rights and polygamy, the trancontinental railroad, teachings, etc. He was a complex individual both within and outside the church.

[Tim Heise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked it. I like BY more then before.

[Willis · Rating 3 out of 5]

A series of essays written by a bunch of BYU professors. It gives you a good sense of many different perspectives of Brigham Young (eg as a teacher, as a colonizer, as a proponent of women, etc.). That makes more for some variety and you won't find it to be a biography. It does generally focus much more on his later life as a prophet than his earlier life and how he came to be converted to the church.

[Leo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was excellent. It gave me deeper insights into the man, the prophet, the colonizer and the statesman that Brigham Young was. It helped increase my testimony of the prophet and the church he helped shape. It offers an incredible glimpse into the life of this great man and makes me eager to read his Journal of Discourses.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read about Brigham Young, though since it is written by various authors (it is a collection of essays), it's a bit disjointed and the quality of the writing is hit-and-miss. Some of the essays are outstanding, but they are mixed in with some that are decidedly mediocre.

[Jared · Rating 5 out of 5]

Various essays about Brigham Young, about who he was, what he went through, and how he was shaped to be the 2nd President of the Church.

[Jeff Crosby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Historical essays.