Mormonism Unveiled

Rating:
Summary: More anti-Mormon nonsense
Review: A manipulated version of real history. Mormon haters love this sort of thing. Objective scholars and history buffs,however, should look elsewhere for the truth.

Rating:
Summary: More anti-Mormon nonsense
Review: A manipulated version of real history. Mormon haters love this sort of thing. Objective scholars and history buffs,however, should look elsewhere for the truth.

Rating:
Summary: Not at all realistic
Review: Few events in Mormon history are more controversial than the 1857 massacre of the Fancher emigrant party at Mountain Meadows, Utah. First published in 1877, Mormonism Unveiled: The Life and Confession of John D. Lee Including the Life of Brigham Young points an accusing finger at Brigham Young and other prominent church leaders for their complicity in the deaths of 120 men, women, and children. Written while Lee was in prison awaiting execution for his part in he massacre, and prepared for publication by his attorney William W. Bishop, this blistering attack on the Mormon hierarchy includes Lee's autobiography up until 1847, his confession dictated to Bishop, accounts of assassinations carried out by the Mormon Church's "avenging angels," the transcript of the 1876 trial, an account of Lee's death by firing squad, and a biographical sketch of Mormon leader Brigham Young. It should come as no surprise that Lee, who for many years operated a ferry at the Colorado River crossing that still bears his name, portrays himself as a true believer who was set up as a scapegoat by Young and other church leaders. A sensation in its day, Lee's "confession" has been out of print for almost a century. This reprint allows modern-day readers to form their own judgment on Lee's role and Young's involvement in the Mountain Meadows tragedy.

The Journal of Arizona History, p.202, summer 2002

Rating:
Summary: Lee's words twisted...
Review: It is important to remember when reading this version of John D. Lee's writings that his words were manipulated by the editor to convey an anti-Mormon message. Lee NEVER turned his back on his religion, nor did he ever point the finger at Brigham Young for the massacre (whether Young ordered it or not.) He was angry with Young when he died - he felt betrayed and rightly so and he did speak and write angry words regarding Young. But Lee actually REFUSED an opportunity to go free if he would agree to implicate Young and speak out against the church. He refused and was executed. He was a faithful Mormon to the end. This book is availible in it's more pure form under the title "The Writings of John D. Lee." - His diaries were also recently republished under the title "A Mormon Chronicle" - read these books for a more complete picture. --------- I am a Lee descendant.

Rating:
Summary: Lee's words twisted...
Review: It is important to remember when reading this version of John D. Lee's writings that his words were manipulated by the editor to convey an anti-Mormon message. Lee NEVER turned his back on his religion, nor did he ever point the finger at Brigham Young for the massacre (whether Young ordered it or not.) He was angry with Young when he died - he felt betrayed and rightly so and he did speak and write angry words regarding Young. But Lee actually REFUSED an opportunity to go free if he would agree to implicate Young and speak out against the church. He refused and was executed. He was a faithful Mormon to the end. This book is availible in it's more pure form under the title "The Writings of John D. Lee." - His diaries were also recently republished under the title "A Mormon Chronicle" - read these books for a more complete picture. --------- I am a Lee descendant.

Rating:
Summary: An American Tragedy
Review: The Mountain Meadows massacre is one of those events in history that is too large for partisanship. John Lee and what happened to him is no more, no less a matter worth understanding than Mountain Meadows. Here is a book that comes as nearly as any is likely to ever approach to help students of history and the human condition grasp how abysmal that condition can become. John Lee was a good man who found himself killing men, women and children in cold blood. Anything to help humans understand how he came to do this is worth the read. Certain similar massacres of Vietnamese civilians by US troops, the Cambodian killing fields, the Nazi concentration camps and Spanish Inquisition are a single facet of humanity painful to examine. But we all need to examine them. This book is a good place to begin.

Rating:
Summary: An American Tragedy
Review: The Mountain Meadows massacre is one of those events in history that is too large for partisanship. John Lee and what happened to him is no more, no less a matter worth understanding than Mountain Meadows. Here is a book that comes as nearly as any is likely to ever approach to help students of history and the human condition grasp how abysmal that condition can become. John Lee was a good man who found himself killing men, women and children in cold blood. Anything to help humans understand how he came to do this is worth the read. Certain similar massacres of Vietnamese civilians by US troops, the Cambodian killing fields, the Nazi concentration camps and Spanish Inquisition are a single facet of humanity painful to examine. But we all need to examine them. This book is a good place to begin.

Rating:
Summary: Important Historical Document
Review: This book is an enigma. It is classic period writing, with a marvelous flavor for the "spirit" of Utah during its formative years, as well as the obvious disdain the "gentiles" felt for Brigham Young and his Mormon adherants. But it so clearly has an axe to grind that it's difficult to really know what's true and what's fiction. Do we believe John D. Lee? Do we believe the witnesses at the trial? Those outside the church in those days loved what Lee had to say in condemnation of the church that sacrificed him, and in publishing this in the manner they did, it is not unlikely that they were happy to leave unquestioned any of Lee's motives. On the other hand, the fact that the Church is so reluctant to have Lee's journals in the hands of the public is an indication that he really DID have some things to say that would cast a dark shadow over the church, and especially the teachings and tactics of its highest leaders. (It is interesting to note that the John D. Lee journals were recently made public as a part of the Leonard Arrington collection at Utah State University, and the church made a concerted effort to recover them, which effort they lost!)

There is an obvious tension that exists in this book... Lee paints himself as the single most noble, humble and honest man that ever walked the face of the earth, while Brigham Young was the grossest, most lascivious monster that ever shared the same planet with Lee. Of course, the truth lies somewhere in the middle, and you won't find that middle in this book. However, that's okay. The whole point of reading this book ought to be for "perspective," not for anti-Mormon propaganda. And this is GREAT perspective! Provided that you realize who published this book, namely Lee's defense attorney, and can read this for its "feel" rather than its "facts," then this is most worthwhile. If you get hung up on the "facts," you lose some of the perspective, because remember, this only tells one side of the story, and that from a man condemmed to die for one of the West's most infamous crimes. Nevertheless, this is a real eye-opener, and though I've read considerable church history, there were still things I learned in this book. It is a worthwhile addition to the library of anyone interested in the history of the west, and especially as that history pertains to the Mormons.