Lost Apostles: Forgotten Members of Mormonism’s Original Quorum of the Twelve – H. Michael Marquardt & William Shepard – 3 Stars

Lost Apostles: Forgotten Members of Mormonism’s Original Quorum of the Twelve – H. Michael Marquardt & William Shepard – 3 Stars

Title: Lost Apostles: Forgotten Members of Mormonism’s Original Quorum of the Twelve

Author: H. Michael Marquardt & William Shepard

Publisher: Signature Books

Year: Hardcover 2014

Rating:  3 Stars

Price and Purchasing Options: This book is no something you are going to find in second hand stores or readily on eBay.  I would recommend just purchasing the book directly from Amazon, or directly from the publisher.  I don’t think I have seen this at Deseret Book either.

Review: If you are a fan of real early church history, and with real people, this is a great book!  This isn’t for people who want a general narrative of historical events, it is more for those of us who appreciate the reality of real people, making choices in the moment they make them in rather than in the context of the bigger picture, they rarely comprehend at the moment.

In this book Marquardt and Shepard do a wonderful job of tracking the original twelve members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.  Out of the original twelve we had people from different background, different personalities, different understanding of their callings, different relationships with Joseph, and different outcomes in their lives.

We had members of the twelve leave the church, some excommunicated, and some remained faithful (“remained” being a subjective word).  It is fascinating to read the lives of each of these early members and apostles.  To learn about their lives from conversion and ministry, to their choices and the consequences.

One element that I loved is the counter view towards the readily accepted outcome for those who abandoned Joseph or were excommunicated. Often times as members of the church, we have bought into the narrative that when people leave they are temporally cursed, doomed to live a life of shame, or even always be actively opposed to the church.  This book highlights that that is not necessarily the normal outcome.

Thomas B. Marsh was one of these great lessons.  An early President of the Twelve, he left the church – but actually continued to socialize with Smith, and continued to visit Nauvoo and interact in fairly constructive way.  He didn’t die a terrible death, and he didn’t actively contribute to the saints misery.  It was interesting.

You also begin to see these early twelve as people, and begin to grasp the concepts of their decisions (whether faithful or unfaithful choices).  They begin to be seen as real people, making real decisions, in the real moment – and there is a sense of empathy and perspective that takes place.

Books like this are important for the historian in the church.  It is important for members of the church to start seeing history in a more empathic way, rather than just a series of events that happen independent of the complexities of people.  I highly recommend that more books in this light are produced.

As for readers, I gave this three stars because although I loved it, it isn’t a book that everyone should read.  It is a book you should read if it peaks your interest, or if you are genuinely interested in history from a individual perspective.

Suggestions:  Pick it up ,if it peaks your interest.

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 #49

Tags: 3Stars, Historical, Biography, Lost Apostles, H. Michael Marquardt, William Shepard, LDS Book Review, Ryan Daley