Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling

I have wanted to read this book for so long. I started with great anticipation because I had heard that Bushman wrote a biography that was straight forward and not a perfectionist illusion. I enjoy very much reading biographies about real people, not the fake stuff. I have to be honest I only made it to page 21. I felt Bushman's probable (as I don't know him personally) biases were becoming apparent through judgmental comments that were his personal views. Page 9 he gives his opinion (as if a absolute fact) that Lucy Mack Smith was belligerent. In my opinion that is a very, strongly negative adjective, that I have never in all my studies seen a hint of. A strong faith filled woman may be understood, by misogynist men of our day, to be belligerent, but Lucy Mack Smith was most certainly not belligerent! On page 20 Bushman quotes from Lucy's writings that she and her family (at that time) had nothing to want for. Next sentence starts with "Still not content they purchased candles to work at night". Another judgement as if he were all knowing. He does go on to explain how culture was at that time. The goal being to build up your own farm, then buy more farms for your children to start out in adulthood with and still have enough leftover for old age for yourself and your wife. So if that is what they were doing, (according to him) why did he need a judgement statement that blatantly stated the Smith's were not satisfied with enough. I realize these are somewhat small inconsistencies and I may miss wonderful information but Bushman's biases cloud the issues and demand a biased judgement by the reader, even before all the facts are in place. I hope to find a fair and honest biography of Joseph Smith Jr. that is written factually and without personal bias and judgement poured in.

Desiring some basic understanding of Mormonism, I asked a priest friend from Utah to recommend a book. He said that it is hard to find a good book because writings on Mormonism tend to be either Mormon propaganda or anti-Mormon attacks. He did mention that a lot of people were reading *Under the Banner of Heaven* by Jon Krakauer. It turned out be a slash-and-burn attack not only on Mormonism, but religion in general. Shortly after reading Krakauer's book, I discovered *Rough Stone Rolling.* What a contrast! And what an amazing accomplishment! As both a practicing Mormon and a Columbia University professor, Dr. Bushman enables an outsider (like myself) to appreciate the life and times of Joseph Smith. Before commenting on *Rough Stone Rolling,* I want to make an obvious (but necessary) disclaimer: As a Catholic I do not accept the basic thesis of Mormonism - namely, that Jesus founded a Church and then allowed it to fall into apostasy until a nineteenth century American named Joseph Smith restored it. Mormons believe that, with the death of the last apostle, the Church also died. Catholics, by contrast, believe that the pope and bishops are successors of the apostles. With that disclaimer in mind, I must say that Dr. Bushman helped me appreciate the great genius of Joseph Smith. At a time when rationalism was robbing people of a direct experience of God, Smith convincingly presented himself as a prophet and wanted others to have similar revelations from God. But he also recognized the need for authority to prevent individual revelations from fracturing the community. In the process he set up structures very familiar to Catholics: a priesthood, a hierarchy with one final authority and rituals which connect believers to divine mysteries. *Rough Stone Rolling* details the steps involved in the creation of a church that would impact the lives of millions of people. Joseph Smith lived only thirty-eight years, but he had a greater long-term influence than any nineteenth century American. In some ways he was the quintessential American. Emerging from very humble origins, Smith embodies the American ideal of the self-made man. And he had democracy deep his bones: Notwithstanding his extraordinary revelations, he did not put on airs; he wanted all of his follower to receive revelations. Above all, Joseph Smith was a quintessential American in his can-do spirit. Build the heavenly Zion here on earth? No problem. Let's do it right here in Missouri. And when they drove him out of Missouri, he started over again in Illinois with an even bolder vision. That is the American spirit - and Joseph Smith incarnated it to the nth degree. As Bushman brings out in great detail, Joseph Smith not only had faith in his personal revelations; he had great faith in his country and its constitution. Even when that country treated him badly, he kept faith that its institutions would bring him vindication. In the end the legal system and its officers failed him and he di

It's hard to overestimate just how much Richard Bushman's long-awaited biography of Joseph Smith has been eagerly anticipated by Mormon readers. Now that it's finally here it would be only natural if it didn't live up to expectations. The thing is--it's just as good as we all hoped it would be. "Rough Stone Rolling" is the culmination of almost forty years of what has been called "the new Mormon history." It's impossible for LDS writers to be objective about Joseph given his place in LDS history, so Bushman aims for balance and candor and succeeds brilliantly. When I was growing up as a Mormon I have to admit that much of the LDS writing about Joseph was an obstacle to my faith. According to many he was a ideal man without flaw, a sort of 19th-century superhero. This made him a papier-mache saint that was impossible to relate to on a human level. Bushman describes a man who trusted the wrong people at times; was hotheaded, impulsive, and contentious; couldn't abide personal criticism; was a lousy businessman--in short, a man with familiar human foibles. On the other hand he had a large, open heart, an expansive view of human possibilities, and an almost scary insight into the religious quandries of our lives. He was able to convince many, many others that the heavens had been opened. Much of 19th century Protestantism seemed spiritually dead as a stone; Joseph and his followers believed he had restored the flow of revelation that had existed in Biblical times. He became a prophet in a distinctly American vein. Perhaps his most famous line for non-Mormons was "no man knows my history; if I hadn't lived it I wouldn't have believed it myself." Bushman captures the sheer mystical mystery of Joseph's life. Watching Bushman's Joseph is a little like watching William Blake or even Joan of Arc: how such miraculous things happened still can't be fully explained in this life and one can only marvel at what has been left behind. Bushman's explication of the Book of Mormon is as searching and fascinating as we are likely to get, and yet it only scratches the surface of this American scripture. Joseph came to personify will and energy, and with the sheer force of history turned America into the promised land. From now on, all future attempts to write about Joseph will have to deal with Bushman.

As a trial lawyer, I am always amazed by the reaction of jurors to the reality of human memory and the surpassing difficulty of determining intent and motive. Nobody's stories mesh, everyone perceives things differently--the same person can honestly tell stories with contradictions; and if you do not believe it, let a good lawyer take you on cross-examination. Now take the whole exercise back two hundred years, with the attendant degradation of the record and the reliance, of necessity, upon hearsay. In short, the problems of writing the biography of an historical figure such as Joseph Smith are well beyond the appreciation of most readers. Mr. Bushman's work bears the stamp of meticulous research; he does not shy from confronting the popular arguments and weaves his arguments not from his admitted faith in the man but from the actual events and the flawed and incomplete historical record. This reviewer accepts Joseph Smith as what he purported to be--a Prophet who received revelation directly from God as did the Prophets of the Bible. The religious among us will accept their duty to answer to God as to whether they followed the biblical injunction to judge righteous judgment--by their fruits shall ye know them. Joseph Smith's teachings have endured and have developed in exactly the manner that one would expect and that the Prophet predicted. I loved this biography precisely because it portrayed the man who was a Prophet--a man who refused, sometimes unwisely, to take the safe path; a man who overcame the lack of social and educational advantages in a quintessentially American fashion; a man who made dumb mistakes just like we all do but who maintained an absolute optimism. A man who was sometimes too quick to trust, regularly overworked, frequently disappointed and who was often betrayed by his own better instincts--but he learned from his mistakes and he was absolutely faithful to the light he had received. Judge him by the Book of Mormon, which he translated, judge him by the leaders he trained, by Brigham Young and by his successor, Gordon B. Hinckley, judge him by a Church whose members and temples span the globe, judge him by the good works of those who follow his revelations as such, judge him by what he accomplished in such a short life, judge by the focus of his writings upon Jesus Christ, but don't judge him because some reporter or diarist recorded events with discrepancies or because of a wrinkle in Joseph's recollection of unprecedented events. In Rough Stone Rolling, Mr. Bushman walks the path of truth--he admits his bias towards belief but backs up his statements. He calls it as he sees it while still admitting that there are arguments both ways. He demonstrates that a positive faith-promoting history does not need to ignore difficult issues. Mr. Bushman realizes and acknowledges that at some level any beliefs regarding the Prophet end up being based upon faith--whether faith in DNA analysis of Indians, faith in the

I've had this preordered for months and was happy to receive it in the mail and read it as fast as I could. Fawn Brodie wrote the most accepted and well written Joseph Smith Biography and it has irked Mormons for over fifty years that the definitive work on Joseph Smith saw him as a talented religious organizer, but, overall a fraud. Since that time occasional biographies come out-but lack the writing or research of Brodie. Also, add into any study of Joseph that writing about Mormonism is anything but objective. You don't find many people without an opinion of Joseph Smith. Some write about him to proselyte, other write as iconoclasts. The key is an honest and thorough treatment. Bushman is well equipped to take on the task of a new definiative Joseph Smith biography. The author said he was workling on this for seven years and it shows. Considered by many the best Mormon historian since Leonard Arrington, he does better that most to try and flesh out and construct a human Joseph, while also allowing for the possibility of divine inspiration. Thoroughly research and aided by the author's expertise as a historian who specializes in the area and time of Joseph Smith, he provides excellent contextualization and placement for Joseph and his movement. The writing is near excellence. A little thick at times, but more often flowing and allowing for artistic articulation. I could only see a few minor notes I would add were I to be the proof reader. I feel like I would be greedy to criticize orask for more than is presented overall. The book follows Joseph from a poor New England upbringing through, local superstition and magic practices, religious retrenchment, visions, controversial gold plates, the formation of church and utopian cities, conflict within and without, to his run for presidency and assassination. This book may not be comfortable for all orthodox Mormons. The author shows integrity by questioning traditional timelines of priesthood restoration. He presents plural Marriage with a lot of the facts that are commonly left out,like marriages to women who were already married to another man. He discusses josephs failures and struggles. He includes an ocassional item that may not fit with the orthodox narrative. There is no whitewash here. Yet he presents a sincere and loyal Joseph Smith. One who is believing and intelligent. A man with weaknesses, but also a man considered by millions to be a 19th century prophet. He makes Joseph appear new and real, and brings in fresh sources for even those well read on the subject. This book does faithful Mormon studies proud. As I read I made a mental list of controversial subjects, wondering if he would he address them, and found almost all of them were addressed, while allowing the narrative to flow. The skeptic may think too much benefit of the doubt is given to Joseph. Counter points are in here, but when he can the author gives the subject the benefit of the doubt. The footn