No Man Knows My History : The Life of Joseph Smith

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Summary: Well studied misinformation.
Review: Fawn Brodie's book is fairly well studied out, however, it does not tell both sides of the story, and does not represent historical facts correctly. For an evenly balanced look at her views, read: Sounding Brass and Tinkling Symbols by Hugh Nibley. He answers most of her objections quite handily.

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Summary: Excellent 'first-book' for learning about Mormonism
Review: Ms. Brodie was a pioneer in the sense that she was the first to tackle the complex subject of Joseph Smith. She was a faithful Mormon at the time she wrote it and her reward was to be excommunicated by a panel of authorities which included her uncle David O'McKay (future prophet). Well researched and much vilified by church leaders, this is an excellent book for people unfamiliar with the Mormon church and its beginnings. Clint Lauricella

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Summary: A brilliant book about a fascinating man and period
Review: I read about this book in Israel and the Dead Sea Scrolls by Edmund Wilson, and was not disappointed when I found it. The most surprising thing about it is while it thoroughly discredits Joseph Smith and his "religion", I actually liked the guy. He was an entertaining rascal -- until, of course, he turned into a Jim Jones/David Koresh type towards the end, and started marrying all the women and their daughters, too.

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Summary: An Outstanding work from an outstanding scholar
Review: This work will spark either extreme -- because Mormons are taught to view Brodie as the antichrist (I know -- i grew up as a mormon and left the church in adulthood). But Brodie also began the book as a devout mormon, and had access to the intimate holdings of the church before its wave of antihistorical paranoia set in about the time of her book! As an historian, I also see some flaws in her attribution and other methodological issues that historians can disagree with. But the picture she paints of the life of Joseph smith is fascinating, thought provoking and the book is a must-have for anyone interested in the subject.

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Summary: save your money, inaccurate mind reading by author
Review: When this author somehow supplies what Joseph Smith "must have been thinking" and puts together a senario from that, as to why things happened instead of looking at what he and others said is the reason, then readers should take care. If you have read other non prejudiced books then you will be able to see the distortions here. If anybody REALLY wants to know facts, get The Encyclopedia of Mormonism by McMillian, it is only four volumes and was not put out by the LDS (they took a year to review it before they endorsed it!) though many LDS were asked to submit articles (only makes sense if it is about them) there is even a whole subject on Anti-LDS of over several pages which gi ves titles of Anti-LDS books and authors!

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Summary: I couldn¿t put the thing down
Review: When I finished the book, I thought that if 10% of it was accurate, the Mormon church certainly wasn't what it claimed to be. The book is far from perfect, but don't take a Mormon's word for it when they claim that, "She tends to ignore information and resources that don't support her preconceived ideas". Although this statement may be partially true, the reality is that the conclusions of those who objectively study Joseph Smith are very different from those of true believing Mormons who "tend to ignore information and resources that don't support their preconceived ideas". More on this book can be found here:
http://www.california.com/~rpcman/BRODIE.HTM

Rating:
Summary: It seems scholarly but it has its problems
Review: When Fawn Brodies book was first published it appeared to finally be a scholarly work on the prophet Joseph Smith. Although she did discredited some of the stories sensational stories about Joseph Smith, her book suffers from two major flaws. 1. She tends to ignore information and resources that don't support her preconceived ideas. 2. The book reads more like a novel than a true history. She knows more about what Joseph is thinking than any biographer can know. This criticism was dismissed by her supporters, but when she used the same technique on a biography of Thomas Jefferson, then those who knew better were strong in their denunciation of her work

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Summary: An exceptional life of one of our most extraordinary men...
Review: Long reviled by Latter-day Saints, Fawn Brodie's life of Joseph Smith is still impressive for its depth, its thoughtfulness, and its struggle with the exact nature of Smith's calling. Her respect for the man is undeniable; what stung when the book was released in 1945 (and must still hurt today) are her religious naturalism and her conclusion that Smith's spiritual legacy was "barren". Yet the book is far from an anti-Mormon tract or an exercise in debunking; one finishes it with a sense of Smith's extraordinary gifts and a great appreciation for the complexity and confusion of American life in his time, a psychological and religious ferment of which Mormonism is both a product and a legacy.

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Summary: One of the first books I recommend reading about Morminism.
Review: I was a Mormon for 30 years so I feel I know what I'm talking about. Groundbreaking book about the life of Joseph Smith. Traces his life both inside and outside of the church he founded. Some of her conclusions (written in 1945) took many years to be found correct. A good book to start understanding Mormonism from both a doctrinal and historical view. Clint Lauricella

Rating:
Summary: Full of errors
Review: This book has been around for a long time because people who do not know the facts are deceived by it. This book takes quotes out of context, mixes them with pieces of other quotes, then tries to make the reader believe they were said in connection with each other. Many dates are wrong. The author reads into an event her own explanation and then says that is the only reason that event occured. Truth is totally obscured in this book. A waste of time and money. A "friend" loaned a copy to me and now I'm glad because I could then see what a piece of junk it is.