Chapter 5 - The Prophet Joseph Smith

I apologize for the month-long break. I have been busy at school/work, but am happy to report that I was successful in completing my thesis proposal on March 28th. Hooray! Next big step will be my thesis defense in 18-24 months or so, if things go as planned.

Today I decided to review some biographies of Joseph Smith that I have read. I think everyone should read at least one biography of the Prophet. He has such a fascinating life and we get so much more appreciation for what he accomplished when we learn about all he went through during his lifetime. He truly was a remarkable man! There are a lot of biographies of Joseph Smith out there, but I would like to mention three that I have read. While all three are quite different in approach and style, I enjoyed each of them in their own way.

Life of Joseph Smith the Prophetby George Q. Cannon was the first of the three that I read. George Q. Cannon was called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles at the age of 33 and was later a counselor to four church presidents – Brigham Young, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, and Lorenzo Snow. His biography is unique compared to most others in that he was a contemporary of Joseph Smith, having met the Prophet and known many of the people who were intimately involved in the early history of the church. Cannon’s biography is full of praise and admiration for Joseph Smith, and serves as a testimony-of-sorts to the divine call and work of the Prophet. Of the three biographies, Cannon’s is certainly the most biased, with a pro-church, pro-Joseph Smith stance. This, I should say, is not a bad thing; it’s just the nature of the writing style of the book. I read this book a few years ago and really enjoyed the stories and descriptions in it. It is a wonderful biography of the Prophet of the restoration.

Joseph Smith An American Prophet by John Henry Evans was the next biography I read. I don’t know anything about the author other than that John Henry…he could hammer…he could sing. Oh wait, different John Henry. So, no, I don’t know anything about the author other than that he wrote several books on church-related topics. (If anyone does know more about him, please let me know!). Besides his biography of Joseph Smith, I also have a book of his entitled One Hundred Years of Mormonism. His biography of the Prophet was printed around 1933 (I don’t have my copy with me right now to check) and had a much more ‘scientific’ style to it than Cannon’s. By scientific, I mean it was unbiased, with the facts presented clearly, and interpretation often left to the reader. I really enjoyed the style of this book and felt like I was reconfirming my faith in the prophet throughout the book, but not because of any convincing that Evans did. Rather, he presented the facts in such a way that I drew my own testimony-building conclusions throughout. I’m not sure if the style of this book will be enjoyed as much by everyone, but for me and my scientific mind it was a delight to read.

Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling by Richard Bushman was the last biography of the Prophet that I read. Bushman is an emeritus professor of Columbia University and a patriarch in the church. He wrote one early biography of Joseph Smith called Joseph Smith and the Beginnings of Mormonism but Rough Stone Rolling is a more complete, full account. This book is fairly new, having come out at the end of 2005. The subtitle of this book is “a cultural biography of Mormonism’s founder,” which is a good description of what the book seeks to accomplish. The book tells all about the life of Joseph Smith but also presents the historical and cultural context in which he lived. By providing a more complete picture of the people, places and ideas that surrounded him, Bushman is better able to help us understand events in the Prophet’s life. I really enjoyed learning more about the cultural environment of the early 1800s and I think it does give significant insight to understanding Joseph Smith and what he did. Another thing I really enjoyed about this book is that no stone is left unturned. Bushman doesn’t hide or shy away from any of the ‘controversial’ or complicated aspects of Joseph Smith or the early Church. Rather, he discusses these topics but then gives his interpretation or understanding, which always seemed to strengthen my view of the topic. I read somewhere that Bushman said he wanted to present Joseph Smith as he was, “warts and all.” But he does so in a very intelligent, positive way. (If you happen to like this book, you should also check out David O. McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism by Gregory Prince and Robert Wright, a fascinating biography of David O. McKay that I’ll review sometime in the future).

So, in conclusion, there are some great biographies out there on the life of the Prophet Joseph Smith. I have given a few comments on three of these, all of which were quite different in style, but all very enjoyable to read. I would highly recommend any of these three to anyone. If you’re interested in reading one, I would suggest picking the one that seems to match your style most. Whether you pick one of these three or not, if you haven’t yet read a biography of the Prophet Joseph Smith, I would highly recommend you Buy the book!

At this point, I should mention that I am far from being an expert on Joseph Smith or Church history and many of you are much more knowledgeable than me. I would love to hear feedback or comments from any of you who would like to add to my thoughts on these three biographies. (Especially you Ben Pykles, who worked with Bushman and who’s work is referenced in Rough Stone Rolling!). AND, if any of you have read other biographies of Joseph Smith, please write up a short summary/review that I can post on the blog for others to read. It would be most appreciated and would be really great to have reviews of additional biographies.

(If you are looking for earlier copies of either of the first two books, I recommend Eborn Books or Benchmark Books in SLC.)