Brigham Young: Pioneer Prophet

Brigham Young: Pioneer Prophet, by John G. Turner, tells the story of a fascinating and complex man, one who was loved my many but reviled by many as well. Much like Richard Bushman's Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling, Turner's work shows that Young was human, complete with faults and mistakes. It seems at times that many members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (of which I myself am a member) view our prophets as almost mythical figures who were not capable of doing wrong. Of course, this is not the case. Brigham Young was a complex man who had his share of faults, along with the many good qualities he possessed. Turner (who is not Mormon) does a good job of addressing the many issues that arose as Young served as President of the church. As expected, he examines his handling of the Willie-Martin Handcart company tragedy as well as the Mountain Meadows Massacre. He gives praise to Young for how he managed to move an entire church across the frontier and establish a new Zion in the Rocky Mountains. I enjoyed this book and felt that Turner examined Young's life as objectively as possible. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in church history, or in the history of the American West or American religion in general.