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4.17 AVERAGE
4.17 AVERAGE
This is one of the most well researched books about the Mountain Meadows massacre that I have ever read. It details the history of the Mormon church and the people and events leading up to the massacre of 120 men, women, and children. We learn that the evidence points overwhelmingly to the church and most probably its leader, Brigham Young, as the perpetrators of this crime, a crime that has been unequivocally denied by the church to this day. An excellent read very enlighteningly written.
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
challenging
informative
sad
medium-paced
sad
This is a pop-history book about a really terrible event in American history, which most of us never learned about in high school. In 1857, a wagon train was ambushed in Southern Utah as it was heading towards California. Most of the people in the caravan were murdered, a few of the children were kidnapped, all of the valuables were stolen or destroyed. According to many historians and the author, the attack was ordered by none other than Brigham Young, leader of the Mormons. Denton has gotten a fair amount of flack for some holes in her research and a pretty clear bias. Nonetheless, I think this book is a great jumping-off point for those who want to learn about the settlement of Utah. To my mind, the most interesting aspect of the issue is the relationship between the Paiutes, Mormon settlers, and the US government. No matter what else you think about the event, it's pretty clear that the Paiutes have gotten the short end of the stick for as long as Europeans have been settling that section of North America.
dark
informative
sad
medium-paced
This book for me was hard to read. Why? My ancestors are from Southern Utah and some (not direct lineage) were involved in the massacre. Growing up 'Mountain Meadows' was a hush-hush topic. It was something that was not talked about, mentioned, or even recognized. Growing up I heard that the Fancher-Baker wagon train boasted of being involved in the killing of Joseph Smith and that they were totally disrespectful to the Mormons living in Utah territory as they were passing through. This book, that is very well documented, proves that was not the case.
Even though the book is well documented, there are still some positions taken in the book that (for me) was a large leap in logic. For example, this book really wants to place the blame of the massacre at the feet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints and more specifically on Brigham Young. This book also recognizes the far-reaching vision and leadership that Brigham Young had. So here is the disconnect that I don't accept that the book is pushing. If Brigham Young is so visionary would he NOT recognize that your can't totally wipe out a wagon train of 120+ people and expect the world not to notice. No.....a visionary man would understand that and would not wipe out a wagon train.
I admit that Brigham Young did not role out the 'red carpet' for this Gentile Wagon Train rolling though the territory with the United States Army quickly approaching to put down the Mormon rebellion. And the wagon train did say somethings in Cedar City when they could not get the badly needed supplies that offended the locals......and hot heads, under stress, made extremely stupid decisions, under the banner of 'doing their duty to God'.
In all, this is a very painful event that occurred and my heart breaks thinking of all the pain and suffering that occurred on both sides of the equation.
Even though the book is well documented, there are still some positions taken in the book that (for me) was a large leap in logic. For example, this book really wants to place the blame of the massacre at the feet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints and more specifically on Brigham Young. This book also recognizes the far-reaching vision and leadership that Brigham Young had. So here is the disconnect that I don't accept that the book is pushing. If Brigham Young is so visionary would he NOT recognize that your can't totally wipe out a wagon train of 120+ people and expect the world not to notice. No.....a visionary man would understand that and would not wipe out a wagon train.
I admit that Brigham Young did not role out the 'red carpet' for this Gentile Wagon Train rolling though the territory with the United States Army quickly approaching to put down the Mormon rebellion. And the wagon train did say somethings in Cedar City when they could not get the badly needed supplies that offended the locals......and hot heads, under stress, made extremely stupid decisions, under the banner of 'doing their duty to God'.
In all, this is a very painful event that occurred and my heart breaks thinking of all the pain and suffering that occurred on both sides of the equation.
Terribly written with no narrative. Biased view Mormon murder amongst their own.
A well-written history that focuses on the context surrounding the massacre. Helps us understand why these men might have committed the murders and why their higher-ups helped cover things up for them. But when you write about a subject that so many people have told so many lies about for so many decades, it is *crucial* that you rely on and cite primary sources. Denton does, but she mostly works off and references previous historians instead of the large number of eyewitness accounts.