The Book of Mormon: Selections Annotated & Explained

If you are not Mormon and are curious about the "Book of Mormon", the foundational text of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, this book is a very good introduction (LDS members can learn from it, too.) Jana Riess, the religion book editor for "Publisher's Weekly" and an adult convert to the LDS faith, tells what attracted her to the Book of Mormon and annotates selected passages from it. This edition is part of a series of abridged versions of sacred texts from around the world, and it's interesting to see the Book of Mormon stacked up against Buddhist and Hindu scripture, as well as the Christian Old and New Testaments and the Koran as well as Jewish holy books. How the format works is: on the right hand side page is the selection from the Book of Mormon, and on the left hand side are Riess' notes. She draws from the best Mormon scholars, explains things in a clear and concise way, and occasionally relates a Mormon way of seeing to that of another faith tradition. Riess correctly locates Christ at the center of the book and shows how Mormons believe in His power to atone for our sins. Although only a fraction of the actual text of the Book of Mormon is included here, I'm glad to see that Alma chapter 32 is, along with thoughful notes from Riess. It's about how faith can ripen into knowledge, and really does explain the Mormon way of looking at the world. Congrats to everyone involved in producing this striking volume.