Rating: 
Summary: This book is ridiculous
Review: The autor clearly is a poor writer of history, she actually claims to know what the charactors are thinking. Very little research finds her sources unreliable to say the least. I also read Brodie's book on Thomas Jefferson and her same absurd way of writing is also in this book. Its not history, though entertaining to read. If you want an amusing "fiction" books on Smith or Jefferson go ahead, if you really want history there are plenty of better books available.
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Summary: Why is this book so controvertial?
Review: Why is everybody so mean when they review this book? It seems like every one is hateing each other. If the book is [poor], then just leave it at that, but don't personally attack people who disagree with the book. and yes, I have read its pages, and i am not sure what to think since my high school teacher always said not to use just once source when wirting a paper.
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Summary: Well-written and Researched--Read and Decide for Yourself.
Review: Without question, Fawn Brodie has produced a masterwork of religious history with this volume. I have been passionately interested in Latter-day Saint history and theology for several years, and feel it would be improper to formulate an opinion of Joseph Smith without consulting this work. Her conclusions will, of course, be attacked by members of the Latter-day Saint faith, but I would hope you would read it and form your own opinion. It's well-written, using a style that is both authoritative and approachable, well-paced and well-thought out. Please don't number me as an opponent of the Saints; I simply investigated their theology as part of a personal quest and found difficulties with it. Certainly, you should read more than one work dealing with subject, and make up your mind accordingly. Make sure, however, that this is a cornerstone of your search-I believe you will find it well worth your efforts.
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Summary: Bent references and weird inferences. A taint of bias?
Review: In studying Mormons as part of a look at some of my ancestors, I hoped to find that this book would be a purely historical account of Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism. While I found the information on his plural marriages accurate with other sources, some of the arguments on how the Book of Mormon was a reflection of Joseph Smith's life were bent to match the author's stance. Brodie refers to Nephi's family as a carbon copy of Smith's, but she changed the birth order of Nephi to mimic that of Smith. Brodie also claims that Smith was so concerned with the ideal world of the Book of Mormon, that he didn't include harlots or prostitutes. Funny- one of only a handful of women mentioned by name in the Book of Mormon, was a harlot named Isabel in the Alma chapter! Brodie also makes some weird conclusions and doesn't seem to focus on things contrary to her view. For example, Prof. Charles Anthon was visited by Smith's financial patron Martin Harris, and supposedly told him that the hieroglyphics of the record Smith was tranlating the Book of Mormon from were bunk. Yet Harris claimed that before he mentioned where the writings came from Anthon wrote a letter verifing their ancient origins. The letter was then ripped up when Smith was mentioned. Either way, Harris went on to mortgage his farm to help Smith finish translating the book. I think Anthon must have told him something positive, because would Harris financially ruin himself he was told by an expert that Smith was a sham? Brodie doesn't even dwell on this point, she quickly changes the subject. Another point Brodie doesn't look at is why the other men who saw the Book of Mormon (the witnesses) never recanted their statements. Most of them left the Mormon church at one time or another, but none of them ever took back what they said. Many of them called Smith a 'fallen prophet'- meaning that he was a prophet to them, just he did wrong in their eyes later. Brodie's only explanation for any of this is that Smith hypontized these men. If Smith had hypnotized these men, why did they leave his church and ridicule him eventually? Had the hypnotism been broken, don't you think they would realize that the golden plates were part of the trickery too? Again Brodie doesn't go in this direction. With these and other discrepancies, it was very hard to take anything Brodie wrote about seriously. When I later learned that she herself was once Mormon (related to Mormon President David McKay), I was not surprised at her obvious negative bias. There has got to be better books out there on Joseph Smith- more factual and less conjecture.
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Summary: An extremely useful & informative book
Review: Joseph Smith is probably the best-documented "prophet" of all time, and this book traces his career in highly illuminating detail. But first, let me try to get one question out of the way. That question is: "Did Joseph Smith REALLY receive a divine revelation which he set down in the Book of Mormon?" If your answer to that question is "Yes," then you get to explain how the Native Americans were the Lost Tribes of Israel! This is, of course, impossible to do, since the Native Americans are now known to be of Asian origin -- through studies of linguistics and DNA. And that's one of the big problems with the "Book of Mormon" -- its claims are so specific that they are actually falsifiable (unlike e.g. the generalities and moralizing found in the Koran). That question set aside (hopefully), this biography documents with meticulous detail Smith's exact sources for his holy forgery, including Ethan Smith's "View of the Hebrews" and the contemporary political uproars over Freemasonry. This view of the Native Americans may have seemed plausible in the 1820's, but why would anyone follow Joseph Smith, whose previous line of work was divining and gold-digging? The only answer seems to be: this is embedded in human nature. There are a lot of people out there who have a need to believe, and they flit from one cult to another, never for a moment imagining that they could have an independent life outside of a cult. The story of Joseph Smith is also the story of Muhammad. In just the same way, an uneducated man "received" a divine book and created a whole new religion. And the adherents of that religion argue that it must be true because "so many" people believe in it. Well, there are 3 million Mormons. :-) This is also the story of what I have seen in my own lifetime: the Hare Krishnas (still going in Australia, by the way), the Moonies, the Rajneeshies, the Branch Davidians, and -- most recently -- the Islamic suicide cults led by the likes of Osama Bin Laden. (Not to mention Jonestown, or those weirdos in Rancho Santa Fe who committed mass suicide over the arrival of a comet.) In every case, we find a leader who fits the "imposter" psychological pattern, and who has the charisma to attract followers, associated with a group of "believers" who apparently have no standard of truth whatever, but rush around looking for imposters to follow. (Oh, I forgot Scientology, Mme Blavatsky, and Gurdjieff.) Highly recommended!
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Summary: Joseph Smith: World's Greatest Salesman :)
Review: This is a pretty good book. No, the author does not "slam" Joseph, as many Mormons who review this book seem to imply. Sometimes she tries to explain how she thinks Joesph may have been thinking, and/or his motives for certain things he says or does. This is quite helpful, because she is very well-aquainted with his life, being able to use her knowledge to help us understand him. I enjoyed this book quite well. Only thing I don't like is the "older" style of writing, but the book was written in the 1940's, so what do you expect? Great reading!
-Bill Smith
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Summary: A "COLORFUL" CHARACTER
Review: To say this book is a riviting account of an outlandish American character is an understatement. Brodie's work is still the standard by which all other biographies of Smith must be measured. Having unparalled access to LDS archives gave Brodie a leg up on all other biographers (other than official LDS "historians" assigned the task of whitewashing the life of their church's founder). Since this work no one has been allowed the access to official LDS records which Brodie enjoyed because of her pedigree as the descendant of an LDS President. Brodie's writing style is professional and interesting. I will fault her with speculating on the feelings and thoughts of Joseph Smith's mother at the time of his birth (1st edition). Other than that Brodie does an excellent job of sticking to the facts and setting forth the character of Joseph Smith more thouroughly than any historian before or since. History has proven Brodie right and her critics wrong concerning controversies on some of her writings. This book is the type of tour de force one expects from a University of Chicago scholar, which Brodie is. If only all biographies were this well researched and written. LDS apologists will not like this book because it presents the shaddy side of Smith (conviction for disorderly conduct, what we would today describe as fraud, his illegal banking scam in Ohio, having affairs with married women and then latter coming up with the doctrine of poligamy)and the politically maniacal side of Smith (organizing a 6,000 member malitia and terrorizing his non-Morman neighbors by marching around the county, attacking and destroying private property because a newspaper pointed out the facts of his doings in the church and city). Brodie is fair and points out the positive aspects of Smith as well. Smith's great intelligence and familiarity with the King James Translation of the Holy Bible is very evident from this biography. The problems with the official LDS account of the discovery and translation of the book of Mormon become evident because of Brodie's thourough handling of this area of Smith's life. If you only read one book on Mormanism or Joseph Smith in our life, this is the one to read.
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Summary: Honest Look at the Mormon Prophet
Review: Having been raised to see Joseph Smith as something just short of a God, many members of the LDS church are quite surprised to read the realities of the Joseph Smith story; the natural reaction is, as has been demonstrated in previous reviews, to lump Brodie in the "anti-Mormon" author category and defend the foundations of their faith. Interestingly enough, Brodie was still in full fellowship with the Church at the time of the book's publication, seriously dampening the "anti-mo" theory. Proven time and again in the decades since the publication of "No Man Knows..." is the veracity of Brodie's sources and research. One simply has to thumb through the pages of sources at the end of the book to appreciate how exhaustive Ms. Brodie's research was. Not only does she utilize and cite "objective," non-mormon sources, but there are a number of quotes taken from church sponsored writings, i.e. _History of the Church_. As a former missionary for the church, I appreciated Ms. Brodie's own objectivity in her writing of _No Man..._. So often the material members of the LDS Church are presented with is so slanted and negative. Ms. Brodie frequently points out Joseph's intelligence, passion, and creativity. Ultimately, Ms. Brodie's biography of Joseph Smith feels sympathetic towards the prophet's weaknesses and his sincere desire and urge to be a prophetic holy man. Ms. Brodie makes sense of questions that have long troubled members of the Mormon church, such as polygamy, the causes of Joseph's final incarceration at Carthage, and the continual rotation of early church leaders. In fact, I found Ms. Brodie's hypothesis on the foundations of polygamy far more satisfactory and sensible than any I have ever heard in my 23 years in the church. Though certainly not recommended for the conservative, nonquestioning member of the LDS church, this book will provide an invaluable look at the most prominent character in all Mormonism for those with an interest in the Prophet and his vision.
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Summary: You call this an objective biography!!!!!
Review: Allright, I usually don't write reviews but when I read this book I have never been so upset in my life. I hope when people want to find out something about Joseph Smith that they don't look at this blasphemous book. It is put across as an objective book but page after page and chapter after chapter Joseph Smith is made to look like a charlatan in every sense of the word. He's blasted for everything and it sounds like a very embittered person such as this woman who wrote this sorry excuse for a biography on the Mormon Prophet. Don't waste your time because there are other sources out there that one can find something about Joseph Smith that is more fair. If this was meant as an agenda to discredit the Prophet and the Church then the word objective shouldn't even be used. I tell you what if you want to get a bad view of Joseph Smith and the LDS Church then go ahead and read this piece of trash. I have been a member of the Church all my life and I have never heard of such a heartless, unforgiving portrayal of the Prophet than I have heard in this book. Watch the excellent documentary "American Prophet" or read Truman G. Madsen's book on the life of Joseph Smith. Sure Joseph Smith had faults but I know for a fact that he did not make up the Book of Mormon and that it was divinely inspired of God. He was a simple farm boy who had a fantastic experience. He was not a mythmaker and no fake but probably one of the most fascinating individuals ever to grace History. He was faithful to one woman and that was Emma Hale. Please if you are searching for an objective viewpoint of Joseph Smith don't read this fallacious, lying, deceitful book because 90 % of it is not true.
Rating:
Summary: Very Informative
Review: This book helps the reader to know the truth about Joseph Smith, and how his story has changed over the years, revised as the LDS church sees fit. Anybody investigating the church should read this book in order to find the truth about the first prophet of the LDS church.
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