Mormon Lives: A Year in the Elkton Ward

by Susan Taber

This pathbreaking cultural study is a candid portrayal of what it's like to be Mormon. Mormon Lives presents oral histories of more than one hundred church members from a diverse congregation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Maryland and Delaware and places them within narratives about church activities during a typical year. These ordinary ward members reflect on agreements and disagreements with church practices, women's responsibilities, the role of missionary work in the growth of the church, interactions within the congregation, and personal testimonies. The book presents a dramatic portrait of life in the Elkton Ward, a microcosm of the Mormon Church outside Utah and a more typical Mormon way of life-far from the center of the church-than that ordinarily depicted.

Genres: Mormonism, Nonfiction, Lds

376 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 1993

Reviews

[Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was written in the 80's and the discussion of current issues and challenges facing people in the ward seems out of date at times. In spite of that i found the book interesting. The summary of Ward activities was nothing new for me but to read the interviews and dicussions with so many members of a single ward fascinated me. I was surprised at the diversity of opinions and the varying degrees of testimony. There was nothing new or surprising but it really made me think about how a ward functions and how a very diverse group of people come togther to make everything work.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

out of print, but SO worth a read. written by the mother of a friend of mine, Christina Taber-Kewene. a must-read for anyone who questions church culture or doctrine on a regular basis.