Joseph Smith an American Prophet

by John Henry Evans

Book by Evans, John Henry

Genres: Biography, Lds

453 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1946

Reviews

[Ginger Poulsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Normally I would've only given this 4 stars, but because the book was written a while back, the writing style is much different from current non-fiction, which I enjoyed. Here are some examples:

"During the festivities a strange man lunged into the room. Was he drunk? His hair hung down to his shoulders; his hat, an old, slouchy piece of headgear, was pulled down over his ears and eyes; and his general attire was anything but neat. "A Missourian!" was in everybody's mouth."

"Evidently the Mormon prophet gave the matter considerable thought. He put two and two together, theologically speaking, and got the astounding product four--an intellectual feat which the most astute theologian of the old school had apparently been unable to perform."

Another review on Goodreads says the author was not LDS. I believed that and was confused because the book was so favorable toward Joseph Smith and Mormon beliefs that the author had to have at least been converted by the time he was done with research. Then I got out the dust jacket of the book, which says the author was active in the church and taught at LDS University. Not as impressive as if a non-member had written such a positive biography, but it was still a good book.

[Swhite · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the content and extensive historical sources used in this book. The writing style was just so objective that it lacked warmth (thus only 3 stars- I had to wreck my ankle in order to make myself finish this). On the other hand it's objective style was a main theme of the book in illustrating the power and influence of Joseph Smith's experiences and teachings from a more scientific point of view. It seeks to illustrate historical facts side by side with the historical hype that followed Joseph and his followers and haters. Written in 1933 it is an early compilation of his life before and after proclaiming prophethood. I, for one, am inspired and fascinated by how he did what he did and that the fruits of his labor, integrity and sacrifice are still bearing fruit- as he also prophesied. And all this despite intense opposition and dying (murdered) at the age of only 38. The author proposes that we examine religion and spirituality as separate things whose quality fuels the other. I appreciate what he says about valuing personal experience as much as scientists value repeat experimentation in order to understand the formerly unknowable and the "miraculous".

[Julie Seamons · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm enjoying this book that was written in 1933 by someone who was not Mormon. He gives a very unbiased view of the prophet. It was an old book of my Dad's and it has been interesting to see an outsider's point of view. The bottom line has been that Joseph Smith is a very hard individual to explain because he was either very brilliant or inspired and taught by God or both.

[Spencer · Rating 5 out of 5]

See my review of this book here...
http://bythebookblog.blogspot.com/200...