American Zion: A New History of Mormonism by Benjamin E. Park

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has accidentally become part of my life. Marrying an ex-mormon with a very mormon family means that I get to go see ‘Savior of the World’ (pretty good show, those mormons know how to put on a musical) and look at the proclamation of the family any time I use the bathroom at my in-laws house. I have a lot of exposure to the church without a deep understanding of the theological content and the history. A year & a half ago, I read Joseph Smith and the Mormons by Noah Van Sciver, a graphic novel about the founding of the church. I thought it was a really good overview of (with pictures!) of Joseph Smith’s experiences, life, and death. Sam himself even enjoyed reading it (after asking me why on earth I would want to check it out from AADL), because it was a relatively balanced view of the church - not written by a mormon apologist and also not by an angry non-believer. American Zion is the perfect follow-up novel for this, as it focuses on the story of Mormonism & America: how they’re intertwined, where they diverged, and how now the LDS church has become a mainstay in our culture. It was fascinating! I usually limit myself to only a few non-fiction books per year (I love fantasy and science fiction too much), but I felt really compelled by this one. Dr. Park’s narrative writing is strong and I was invested in so many of the figures - Emmeline Wells, Emma Smith, Eliza Frost.

I was struck by the church’s ability to rewrite its own history. Polygamy and (slightly more) expansive leadership roles for women were at the core of the origin of the church, yet today both are taboo. My personal opinions aside, American Zion truly shows the truth of the statement “the victors write history”, with the LDS church as a case study.

One mormon figure who I was particularly struck by was Juanita Brooks. She advocated for truth (taking ownership for the Mormon Massacre) while still retaining her faith. Juanita followed her heart, her inner prompting, and defied the male leaders of the church who would have preferred her to be silent. History looks more kindly upon her than her contemporaries did. I wish that more members of the church would stand up for something they know to be wrong (inequality of women & gay people). Brooks shows that you can have faith and disagree with the bureaucratic church.

I would highly recommend reading Dr. Park’s AMA on reddit (sorry to be a cringe reddit reader). He adds more context to his own faith experience and his favorite parts of the writing experience. I really want to also check out his Youtube channel - I’m DYING to know what he thinks of Taylor Frankie Paul & the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives!! The mormon church’s story is part of the American story and part of my own story.

4.5 out of 5 stars simply because this was a big book. I really did enjoy it & loved the conversations it sparked with Sam. Yeah, Brigham Young really did say that shit about Emma Smith. & it was crazy.