Massacre at Mountain Meadows – Ronald W. Walker, Glen M. Leonard, Richard E. Turley, Jr. – 3 Stars

Massacre at Mountain Meadows – Ronald W. Walker, Glen M. Leonard, Richard E. Turley, Jr. – 3 Stars

Title: Massacre at Mountain Meadows

Author: Ronald W. Walker, Glen M. Leonard, Richard E. Turley, Jr.

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Year: Hardcover - 2008

Rating:  3 STARS

 

Price and Purchasing Options: This book is available at any major retailer for around $15 in paperback, this will include both online at Amazon as well as your local Deseret Book.  You can occasionally find it in second hand stores as well (included Deseret Industries and eBay) – for a couple of bucks.  I would recommend keeping an eye out for a cheap copy and picking it up.  Interestingly enough, this is also available on Audible – if you are interested in listening to it (it actually sounds greats when it is read).

Review: I really enjoyed this book.  I have both read this, and listened to it in audio format – and it is great in both contexts. 

For anyone who is interested in learning about the complexity, as well as the tragedy that is the Mountain Meadows Massacre – this is the book for you! 

For those of you who don’t know, the Massacre at Mountain Meadows is an event in Mormon history in the later 1850’s.  A group of Saints, for lack of a better word, slaughtered a camp of immigrants moving through Southern Utah.  It is a sore spot in Mormon history, and is extremely complex – hence the need for the book (rather than me trying to defend it here).

The authors have done a remarkable job of not only researching, but weaving a narrative that can actually be followed and appreciated.  It is written in a way that is actually interesting and builds momentum through the entire book – culminating in this terrible tragedy. 

It does a great job of presenting the facts, environment, and complexities in a way that helps you see the real-life tragedies involved.  You gain immediate sympathy fort the victims.  You see the LDS rhetoric of the time, which was unchecked, built fear through the community, and eventually built into a flash point that created this terrible event.  Yet, at the same time you witnesses the decisions being made by individuals who were also the victims of this unchecked rhetoric – making decisions as an individual.  These decisions, which they ultimately are accountable for, culminated into this tragedy.

The authors also do not create any false sympathy for the perpetrators – but presents the facts.  Even though, they might not have intended it to be the case, it is a remarkable study in social psychology.

This is not an anti-Mormon publication by any means, but it also is not faith producing.  You will not walk away feeling any better or worse about the leadership of the church at the time (rightfully so) – although, you may have some opinions on how the leadership was messaging fear throughout the communities.  You will however, see weak individuals filled with pride, envy, and fear making terrible decisions.  You will see small heroes attempting to do what it right; and you will see course corrections, with hard lessons about correcting too late.

Ultimately, this book depicts a tragedy in American history, and more importantly within Mormon history.  I would give this book 4 stars on the premise of how well it is written.  However, within the LDS community – it is not a topic that I think everyone needs to read or research.  With that being said, I give it 3 Stars with a strong endorsement, IF this is a topic you are interested it.  IF NOT then don’t worry about it.

Suggestions:  If you are interested in this topic – this is the text for you.  Pick up, or listen to it and I think you will enjoy it!

I hope you have enjoyed this review, and I encourage you to follow this blog as I update more reviews in the coming days, weeks, months, etc.  Please feel free to also follow my YouTube page – however, I enjoy writing more than being on camera!

Review #24

Tags: Massacre at Mountain Meadows, Ronald W. Walker, Glen M. Leonard, Richard E. Turley, Jr., Church History, 3 Stars, LDS Book Review, Ryan Daley