Saints: Boldly, Nobly, and Independent (1893-1955) – The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – 4 Stars
Title: Saints: Boldly, Nobly, and Independent
Author: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Publisher: The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints
Year: Softcover 2022
Rating: 4 Stars
Price and Purchasing Options: Similar to other
volumes and editions in this project, it is a mass-produced softcover that
should be available at any local LDS Book Store, Seagull Book, or Deseret Book.
The book should be less than $10 in physical
format, and within a month or two I would suspect to start seeing it in Deseret
Industries and secondhand stores for cheaper. This is also available through
the LDS Distribution Site for order. The
text is available on the LDS Library App for reading and audible listening
(both are recommended forms) – and the text is available online at www.churchofjesuschrist.org.
Review: This book is probably one of the better pieces
of work the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has ever done. It is probably one of the best books and
content that will never really be read or appreciated – due to the fact that is
covers a period of time often ignored for the perception of less than
sensational content. If there is
anything that I could do as a reviewer of LDS books, that might encourage you
to actually get and read this book, or even listen it – I should.
This book sits cushioned in a time often ignored within the
church (post-manifesto through the mid-twentieth century). It is not the foundations of the restoration,
or the building of the kingdom in the west.
The grand images of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young are long gone from
the narrative, and we find ourselves with a succession of Prophets navigating
the church through some unusual time.
But it is a time that is foundational to what we enjoy today – and it is
a time of faith promoting (and honest) challenges. The world has changed within this time and is
changing at a rapid speed with church debt, war, and navigating growing the
church through global conflicts.
It is a time of unusual revelation, that again we take for
granted, not recognizing the impact that those moments have on us today.
Most importantly, in addition to highlighting a critically
overlooked period within the history of the Church, it highlights this time
beyond just the facts and the figures.
It highlights them through the very real struggles that real people have
– the political challenges of navigating a church within a larger national
ecosystem with different political views within the upper governing bodies of
the church itself, the continuation of some practices of polygamy after the
original manifesto, and the prophetic navigation of the congressional
interviews in order to help seat an elected representative.
This book follows the hallmark of the previous books, with an
honest approach - one that will not
highlight the doings or creates additional commentary – but one that doesn’t
shy away from addressing the realities of the doings and challenges of the
church at this time. If there was an
issue at this time that is ever challengeable it is presented factually in the
text (however, it will not be addressed comprehensively).
The authors and collaborators have also done a remarkable
job of making the history readable and relatable. Rather than reading like a history book, with
dates and facts, if helps connect those dates and facts to the lives of the
people that are experiencing them. It
reads like an actual book, which I suspect will be extremely appreciated by
most readers. It was on of the easiest, fastest,
and smoothest books I have read in a long time.
It is highly encouraged that all members of the church read
this text. I give it four stars, because
it is the best book for the topic and the period of time it covers pretty succinctly
and comprehensively, while building faith through relatable narratives.
Suggestion: Pick it up!
Review # 57
