(Image from Barnes & Noble)

In 1820, a time when religious fervor was sweeping the country, a young farm boy began to wonder.  All the churches in his small New York town claimed to be God's true church, but how could that be?  If they all preached different doctrine, which one was correct?  Directed by a promise in the Bible (see James 1:5), 14-year-old Joseph Smith knelt in a grove of trees and asked his Heavenly Father to help him know which church to join.  The answer changed Joseph's life.  

Young Joseph saw God the Father and Jesus Christ in a vision.  He was instructed by them to join none of the churches.  Instead, he was commanded to translate an ancient record called The Book of Mormon and organize a church based on its teachings, plus the revelations Joseph would continue to receive from God and Jesus.  As overwhelmed and inadequate as this modern-day prophet must have felt, Joseph nonetheless did as he was bid, knowing the Lord would provide a way for Joseph to accomplish everything that had been asked of him.  Despite constant persecution that ranged from name calling to libel to false imprisonment to physical violence and even to his eventual murder, Joseph never wavered in his faith.  To the end of his life, he did everything the Lord asked of him, even sealing his testimony with his own blood.  

Many people across the world were drawn to the infant church, receiving burning testimonies of the Gospel.  Making great personal sacrifices to gather and worship together, the early Saints persevered—through persecution, in-fighting among church leaders, financial crises, forced evacuations, mob violence, controversial revelations, doubt, a tribulation-laden trek to Utah, and much more—to prove their faith and willingness to let God direct their paths.  From those very humble beginnings grew a global church that today has more than 16 million members spread over dozens of different countries.  Like their forebears, modern Church members strive to walk in faith and righteousness, despite continuing persecution and everyday trials.

Whatever your opinion of Joseph Smith and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, theirs is an incredible story.  Saints: The Standard of Truth is the first installment in a planned four-volume series about the Church's rich, intriguing history.  Purposely written in an easy-to-read narrative style, the series is geared toward readers of all ages, all backgrounds, and all degrees of familiarity with Church history/doctrine.  Despite its simple style, the book has been painstakingly researched to ensure accuracy.  As evidenced in this first installment, the series explores its subject with a forthright and refreshing honesty that has been somewhat lacking in previous histories.  In fact, The Standard of Truth discusses some of Mormonism's most troubling historical issues—polygamy, pride and power-mongering among Church leaders, Joseph Smith's treasure-hunting, criticism of the prophet, spiritual crises, etc.  Sharing personal, intimate stories of many of the Church's early leaders and followers, the book makes it clear that although the Saints were faithful people doing their best to obey God's will, they were filled with the same human frailties and weaknesses as are we all.  

Although the paperback version of The Standard of Truth weighs in at a hefty 586 pages, it's actually a fast, easy read.  It moves quickly and offers plenty of compelling stories, some of which will be very familiar to members of the Church, others of which will not (even to "lifers" like myself).  The book is available for free online (read it here or download it from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Deseret Book, etc.).  The print version is chunky and a bit unwieldly, but it can be purchased for less than $8 at store.lds.org, BYU Bookstore, Deseret Book, and other retailers.  Whether you're a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints or not, now is the perfect time to learn more about its history.  You won't be disappointed in this very readable and informative volume.

For additional stories and information from Church history, check out https://history.lds.org/saints as well as the Saints podcast, which you can find here:

(Readalikes:  The Church has published other histories in the past, but I haven't read any of them.)

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I know murder and mayhem seems to be business as usual around here, but occasionally I do tackle serious books.  The shock!  The horror!  When my husband saw me reading At the Pulpit: 185 Years of Discourses by Latter-Day Saint Women—highlighters in hand—I think he shed a real tear at this so-obvious sign of my literary (and spiritual) maturation!  Although I find myself consuming books mainly as a form of entertainment (hence the mystery/thrillers), like any religious person, I enjoy reading things which inspire me, uplift me, and strengthen my faith.  Dense, heavy tomes rarely keep my attention, so I prefer this kind of literature to be on the lighter side.  While I believe At the Pulpit qualifies as such, it is by no means fluffy or insignificant.  In fact, it's an incredible collection of words by LDS sisters that provides a penetrating peek at the kind of smart, passionate, devoted women who have always filled the Church with their faith, fortitude, and fidelity.  

Edited by Jennifer Reeder and Kate Holbrook—both historians with the LDS Church History Department—the book includes 54 discourses (selections come from talks, meeting notes, informal testimonies, songs, etc.) that were given by LDS women between 1831 and 2016.  Presented in chronological order, each installment includes a biographical sketch of its speaker as well as a note about the historical context in which the discourse was given.  Photographs also accompany some of the selections.  Together, these articles provide a fascinating timeline of the evolution of the Church's Relief Society program while also offering proof of the vital role women always have—and always will—play, not just in that organization, but also in every one that exists within the Church.  Anyone who believes women and their contributions are not appreciated in the LDS Church needs to read this book.  

Probably my favorite part of studying At the Pulpit involved discovering and re-discovering the amazing women who've been part of the Church since its very beginning.  Emma Hale Smith's vision was extraordinary.  Eliza R. Snow's practical pioneer wisdom rang out loud and clear every time she spoke.  Alice S. Smith's simple testimony of visiting teaching struck a chord.  I wept over the conversion story of Irina Kratzer, a Siberian convert.  I laughed at the "cheekiness" of Judy Brummer, a South African who was instrumental in bringing the Gospel to the Xhosa people.  Elaine Jack helped me to "Get a Life." Jutta B. Busche reminded me never to feel inferior, remembering always that I am a daughter of God.  Sheri L. Dew made me laugh over inaccurate addition and bad hair days at the same time she taught me valuable lessons about listening to the Holy Ghost.  And Elsie Talmage Brandley—whom I'd never heard of before—blew me away with a talk about the "The Religious Crisis of Today."  It couldn't have been more timely, even though it was written in 1934! 

Reeder and Hobrook make a point of including as much variety as they can in these discourses and truly, it's remarkable, how different are these women.  Some hail from the United States, some from Africa, some from Latin America, and beyond.  Some are single, some are married, some are plural wives, some are widows.  Some are mothers, some are grandmothers, some are favorite aunts.  Some are teachers, some are poets, some are social workers, some are authors, some are businesswomen.  What do they have in common?  All are sisters.  All are women of God.  All are devoted to their faith, their families, their nations, their neighborhoods, their fellowman (and woman).  All promote what is good, what is Christ-like, what is right.  

When I received At the Pulpit for review, I started reading 1-3 selections from it every night along with my scripture study.  That nightly devotional sustained me.  It was inspirational and awe-inspiring.  I'm anxiously awaiting volume 2 in the series (which, as far as I know, is only wishful thinking on my part) so I can continue what has been, for me, a transforming experience.  Bottom line: I love this book and highly recommend it to anyone.  Anyone at all.

For more information, please visit the book's website, where you can read about At the Pulpit and enjoy a number of the published discourses, as well as several bonus selections, for free.   The book can be purchased through the Distribution Center, as well as at Amazon, Deseret Book, Barnes & Noble, and other retailers.  

(Readalikes: Um, I can't think of anything.  Can you?)

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