When John Turner’s biography of Brigham Young was published more than a decade ago, I marveled at his skill in dealing with a (very!) complex historical subject fairly. He sifted through a mountain of evidence — much of it conflicting — and assessed it in a way that was balanced but also maintained a consistent POV for the reader. The book let us know what Turner thought, after weighing all of the evidence, but without being driven by any kind of agenda.
So it’s not surprising that Turner’s done it again, only with an even more complex biographical subject: Joseph Smith Jr., the founding prophet of Mormonism. As someone who has never been LDS himself (he is Presbyterian), Turner’s perhaps freer to bracket the central question that plagues current and former Mormons — namely, was Joseph Smith a true prophet? Was he legit? — and focus on the story of his life and times. And what a story it is.
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