Mormons in America

by Richard L. Bushman, Claudia Lauper Bushman

Mormonism is one of the world's fastest growing religions, doubling its membership every 15 years. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the formal denomination of the Mormon church) is now 10 million strong, with more than half of its membership coming from outside the United States. More than 88 million copies of The Book of Mormon have been printed, and it has been translated into more than 50 languages. Mormons in America tells the tumultuous story of this religious group, from its humble origins in small-town New York State in 1830 to its present heyday. Claudia and Richard Bushman introduce us to charismatic leaders like Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, go deep behind Mormon rites and traditions, take us along the adventurous trail of the Mormon pioneers into the West, evoke the momentous erection of Salt Lake City in the desert, and draw us into the dozens of skirmishes, verbal attacks, and court battles between Mormons and their neighbors, other religions, the media, and the American government.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

144 pages, Hardcover

First published January 7, 1998

About the author

Richard Lyman Bushman obtained a Ph.D. from Harvard and published widely in early American social and cultural history before completing his most well-known work, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling, a biography of the founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Among his books were From Puritan to Yankee: Character and the Social Order in Connecticut, 1690-1765 and The Refinement of America: Persons, Houses, Cities. He teaches courses on Mormonism in its broad social and cultural context and on the history of religion in America, focusing on the early period. He has special interests in the history of Mormon theology and in lived religion among the Mormons. He has taken an active part in explaining Mormonism to a broad public and in negotiating the tensions between Mormonism and modern culture.

Reviews

[Samuel · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a children's book on Mormonism, this is a winner. Not shying away from controversial topics including polygamy, violence, and racial exclusion in the priesthood, the Bushmans address the grand scope of the Mormon faith in simple, straightforward language with historic photographs and other engaging illustrations. This is a tight presentation of Mormonism in the Oxford University Press's series: Religion in American Life. It is neatly organized primarily chronologically but there is one thematic chapter dedicated specifically to Mormon women from 1831-1890 : a smart move given the paradoxical nature of Americans decrying the allegedly pitiable state of Mormon women at the hands of a polygamous society and the lived reality of Mormon proto-feminists calling for women's suffrage decades before America got on board at the federal level and leading the way in women's education especially in the field of medicine. The Bushmans are especially well-qualified in this book's composition and execution and as a sweet side note, they dedicated it to their grandchildren.

[Alxandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is an overview/history of Mormonism. It is extremely one-sided depicting a sugar coated non-controversial version of Mormon history. For instance, I don't recall the book ever mentioning any of Joseph Smith's wives other than Emma, and she conveniently disappears after Joseph dies rather than helping to found the Community of Christ. I was surprised to see the book mention the Mountain Meadow Massacre although only one paragraph was devoted to that subject. As the book is fairly short at 142 pages, a paragraph for the massacre may be appropriate. Since the book is part of a series on religion in American life, I expected a more well-rounded discussion.

[Jackie]

Junior high book for anyone interested in what Mitt Romney believes. Interesting, simple, not profound, makes it easier to explain Mormonism.