Brigham Young – Pioneer Prophet - Couverture rigide

Turner, John G.

Couverture rigide

ISBN 10 : 0674049675 ISBN 13 : 9780674049673

Editeur : Harvard University Press, 2012

Synopsis

Pioneer Prophet

A propos du livre

Revue de presse :

"Turner's book is wonderfully well sourced and he has had the benefit of co-operation from the Morman archives." --David Aaronovitch, The Times, Monday 20 August 2012

"[an] exceptional well researched and endlessly interesting biography" --Stuart Kelly, The Scotsman, Saturday 29 September

"Young's life is admirably chronicled in this fine new biography by John G Turner" "elegantly written and well-researched" --Richard Aldous, The Irish Times, Saturday 22 September 2012

"[an] impressive biography" --Jeremy Black, Standpoint, Thursday November 1 2012

"Young's life is admirably chronicled in this fine new biography by John G Turner" "elegantly written and well-researched" --Richard Aldous, The Irish Times, Saturday 22 September 2012

"[an} impressive biography" --Jeremy Black, Standpoint, Thursday November 1 2012

"Young's life is admirably chronicled in this fine new biography by John G Turner" "elegantly written and well-researched" --Richard Aldous, The Irish Times, Saturday 22 September 2012

"Previous biographers of Brigham Young have used epithets such as 'American Moses' and 'Lion of the Lord.' However, what Turner demonstrates here is that the three-dimensional Young cannot be reduced to saint or tyrant; he was bold, brave, crude, petty, visionary, manipulative, creative, charismatic, kindly, and much more besides. He presents Young as a family man navigating the complexities of polygamy, as a leader moving large numbers of people across the Great Plains, and as a politician negotiating enough independence for the Mormons from the American government that he could build the kingdom of God as he saw fit. Turner was given unprecedented access to the LDS church archives and he makes full use of them and other sources, as well as providing a cogent interpretive context. It is easy to forget Young's significance in American history, but at a minimum it needs to be remembered that he is responsible for settling a vast swath of the West. Turner gives him his due... There aren't enough superlatives for this book. It will remain the standard biography for a long time. Because of its thorough documentation, academics will take it seriously, while general readers will appreciate its clarity of prose and argument." --D. S. Azzolina, Library Journal (starred review), 1st August 2012

"Young's life is admirably chronicled in this fine new biography by John G Turner" "elegantly written and well-researched" --Richard Aldous, The Irish Times, Saturday 22 September 2012

Présentation de l'éditeur :

Brigham Young was a rough-hewn craftsman from New York whose impoverished and obscure life was electrified by the Mormon faith. He trudged around the United States and England to gain converts for Mormonism, spoke in spiritual tongues, married more than fifty women, and eventually transformed a barren desert into his vision of the Kingdom of God. While previous accounts of his life have been distorted by hagiography or polemical expose, John Turner provides a fully realized portrait of a colossal figure in American religion, politics, and westward expansion. After the 1844 murder of Mormon founder Joseph Smith, Young gathered those Latter-day Saints who would follow him and led them over the Rocky Mountains. In Utah, he styled himself after the patriarchs, judges, and prophets of ancient Israel. As charismatic as he was autocratic, he was viewed by his followers as an indispensable protector and by his opponents as a theocratic, treasonous heretic. Under his fiery tutelage, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints defended plural marriage, restricted the place of African Americans within the church, fought the U.S. Army in 1857, and obstructed federal efforts to prosecute perpetrators of the Mountain Meadows Massacre. At the same time, Young's tenacity and faith brought tens of thousands of Mormons to the American West, imbued their everyday lives with sacred purpose, and sustained his church against adversity. Turner reveals the complexity of this spiritual prophet, whose commitment made a deep imprint on his church and the American Mountain West.

À propos de cette édition

• Éditeur: Harvard University Press
• Date d'édition: 2012
• ISBN 10: 0674049675
• ISBN 13: 9780674049673
• Reliure: Relié
• Nombre de pages: 490