A look into the complex and often troubling history of the Latter-Day Saint church. Interesting to read as someone raised in it.

This is an extremely comprehensive attempt to fully document the history of the Church of Latter Day Saints . The author begins by setting out some of the previous attempts to do this and throughout it becomes obvious that access to archival material and complete neutrality here is no easy task given the Church’s image control and factions within the senior levels of the organisation pulling in different directions. I had no idea before reading this how rooted in American history the Saints are/were . I would have liked to know more about the author’s positionality in relation to the Church but certainly this appeared a very even handed and factual account. Some of the finer detail might only be digestible for the religious historian but setting this out must be a great achievement . I found the epilogue a little lacking - very short in comparison to the time it follows.

This is an extensive and fair treatment of the history of the Mormon religion. It begins with the revelations claimed by Joseph Smith and the explosive growth experienced by the new sect right from the start. It continues on through the Saint's trials in Navoo MS, including the violence perpetrated by both sides, the beginnings of plural marriage and the long journey to Utah. It ends in the present, bringing in the Mormon world's collision with racism, sexism and homophobia.

Among the very interesting aspects of Mormon history is how, in many respects, its beginnings were truly radical. Women had a prominent , powerful and independent role in running the Relief organization as well as independent sacramental functions in healing ceremonies. Mormon women played a prominent role nationally in the suffrage movement and women in Utah had the vote early on.Black men were ordained priests. It was only as Utah moved toward statehood and the Federal government moved against plural marriage that the Mormon leadership began to change Mormonism to more closely reflect the US as it then existed. Ordination of Black men was covered up, women lost the vote, the independent roles women had been able to take were closed to them.

One criticism on what is otherwise a very interesting book: little is revealed as to what various rituals are and how much they mean. For instance, the significance of "sealing a marriage" was not clear to me. I did not know what an "endowment" was or what was meant by a "Quorum of the Priesthood". Since these things meant a lot to the Saints it would have been helpful for the reader to know.

This is a history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is, of course, a very abbreviated history since the Church has roots going back over 100 years and there are millions of members all over the world. It is also a history focused on the controversies and in-fighting among Church leaders. I understand why this is the case. The controversial stuff makes a history interesting and I
did find this history very interesting. Park is a good writer and I learned some things I didn't know, even though I have read quite a bit of Church history. Be aware that this is not a devotional history. If you're a member and tend to be defensive about criticisms of the Church this probably isn't for you. As a general history though, I thought this was an interesting and well-written read.

A thoroughly engaging piece of non-fiction. It immediately drew me in with facts I didn't know about Joseph Smith. Engaging and cleverly written. Not to be missed.

American Zion is a tremendous overview of a hefty subject. The author has great personal knowledge of Mormonism and writes persuasively.

Rarely has their been an accessible, non-denominational history of the LDS church in American life. Park does a great job at showing the ways that Mormons fought the dominant American culture, as well as becoming subsumed by it.

This is an excellent book which is remarkably fair to the Mormon faith, while evaluating their history based on material evidence. Its judicious neutrality means that it would serve well as a textbook in a religion classroom.

Benjamin Park states outright at the very start of his latest work that "American Zion" is not a comprehensive history. But honestly, he could have easily fooled me with the amount that he was able to pack within these pages while covering a period stretching from Joseph Smith Jr's childhood all the way up to the present day. It strikes that fine balance between informative in its content but also accessible in its style, and I can easily see this quickly becoming a new go-to for any readers interested in a detailed overview of the LDS Chuch's past. At the very least, it definitely feels like it would make an accessible edition in the history section of the academic library I work in.