New Mormon Books

for $5.95 you will get
philosophy
love
conversion
adventure
sects
drugs
rock and roll

and even if you don’t love it
as much as i do
you are only out a couple dollars.
or even if you aren’t mormon
as much as i am
at least you will gain some insight into us peculiar people.

. . . your favorite mormon-themed book for really cheap?
By cjane
Dear cjane, July 17, 2009
http://dearcjane.blogspot.com/2009/07/your-favorite-mormon-themed-book-for.html

…from my experience as a Mormon missionary, I have found that virtually every philosophy presented by the world contains at least some truth and can be related to the gospel. This sister, however, decided it would be her job to completely erase everything the investigator had learned from her professors and then replace it with the missionary lessons. The climax of her story came when she finally convinced the woman that secular teachings were derived from the adversary, and that all the truth she needed, she could find in the church.

A summer reading list for the thoughtful Mormon reader
By McKay Coppins
Mormon Times, Jul. 18, 2009.
http://mormontimes.com/mormon_voices/mckay_coppins/?id=9716
Books by Mormon authors included were:
* The Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton M. Christensen
* To Draw Closer to God by President Henry B. Eyring

Though it might be common for a reader to turn to a commentary in search of a particular doctrine or passage of verses, the two volumes’ construction also gives them a format friendly to reading chapter to chapter. Nyman even suggests portions that might be skipped in each chapter for a reader who is continuing from chapter to chapter.

Monte S. Nyman’s latest commentaries: 2 volumes on the D&C
By Steve Fidel
Mormon Times, Jul. 17, 2009
http://mormontimes.com/arts_entertainment/books/?id=9524

In his book, “Juanita Brooks: Mormon Woman Historian,” Levi S. Peterson describes a woman who lived two distinct lives. In one, she was the Bunkerville, Nev., native one or two generations away from early-Mormon pioneer life, bred to be a farmer’s wife and live a life similar to her mother and grandmother. But there were life changes in store for Brooks (1898-1989), a remarkable individual who experienced most of the 20th century. Left a young widow with a baby, she entered academia. As middle age approached, she made another life change. She married a sheriff, Will Brooks, and quickly had four more babies. Had she stayed single, opines biographer Peterson, she likely would have had a distinguished academic career, editing and writing literary criticism. Instead, her return to a domestic life signaled the career of Mormonism’s most tenacious historian. Brooks’ achievements brought much-needed candor to Utah and Mormon history.

Political Surf on biography of Juanita Brooks, Utah historian
by Doug Gibson
Ogden UT Standard’s Political Surf Blog, Jul 17th, 2009.
http://blogs.standard.net/2009/07/17/political-surf-on-biography-of-juanita-brooks-utah-historian/

Every faith and denomination has an approach for balancing faith and reason. In Chapter Two of the book, Bushman briefly outlines the LDS approach. The context, of course, is how a faith or denomination defends its claim to have possession of religious truth or correct doctrine. If reason alone suffices, it’s not a religious approach. Faith or revelation alone might seem like the religious ideal, but faith or revelation always, at the very least, needs reason to make the system of doctrines hang together with a minimum of contradiction and to interpret the written texts. So what is the Mormon approach?

Reason and revelation in Mormonism
By Dave Banack
Mormon Inquiry on Beliefnet, July 17, 2009.
http://blog.beliefnet.com/mormoninquiry/2009/07/reason-and-revelation-in-mormo.html

[Ashby's] speedy rise and spectacular swan dive from Tinseltown’s high board is an old story, but a fascinating read as relayed by Nick Dawson in his scrupulously researched “Being Hal Ashby: Life of a Hollywood Rebel.” Ashby came reeling into the movie business from a dysfunctional Mormon (!) upbringing, his father’s suicide and the first of five marriages. Editing brought order to his chaos and an Oscar (for “In the Heat of the Night”) and a shot at directing. He directed — to Oscars — Lee Grant (”Shampoo”), Melvyn Douglas (”Being There”), Jon Voight and Jane Fonda (”Coming Home”). He also directed “Bound for Glory,” the cultish “Harold and Maude” and “The Last Detail” — edgy, eclectic, eccentric, like the man who made ‘em.

Author looks at courage of those willing to stand against the Third Reich:
Being Hal Ashby: Life of a Hollywood Rebel
By Star-Ledger Book Contributors
Newark NJ Star-Ledger, July 17, 2009.
http://www.nj.com/entertainment/arts/index.ssf/2009/07/author_looks_at_courage_of_tho.html

Jason Williams gives a detailed account of his life in the Mormon fundamentalist community. … Read the touching love story of two young lovers caught in the middle of the power and manipulation of one of the FBI’s ten most wanted, Warren Jeffs.

Warren Jeffs’ Victim and Ex-FLDS Citizen Finally Speaks Out.
Zero Chance Press Release
via WEBWIRE, July 08, 2009.
http://www.webwire.com/ViewPressRel.asp?aId=98760

Lance Allred is a bit of a sentimental favorite around these parts. Not only did he get his first break in the NBA with the Cavaliers two seasons ago, but he’s written a fantastic autobiography covering his youth growing up in a fundamental polygamous Mormon compound, to his deafness, to his struggles at Utah under Rick Majerus, to overcoming everything that had been placed in front of him and realizing his dream of making the NBA.

Keeping Up With Lance Allred.
By Vince Grzegorek.
Cleveland Scene, Jul 7, 2009.
http://www.clevescene.com/64-and-counting/archives/2009/07/07/keeping-up-with-lance-allred

In Under the Banner of Heaven, Jon Krakauer interweaves this true-crime 1984 murder story with the fascinating history of the Church of Latter Day Saints, showing the undercurrent of violence and bloodshed prevalent in the religion since the early days, a legacy that endures in the Mormon fundamentalist sect which the Lafferty brothers wholeheartedly embraced.

Book Review: Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by Jon Krakauer
By Friend Mouse
Blogcritics Books, Jul 06, 2009.
http://blogcritics.org/books/article/book-review-under-the-banner-of1/

SOME Mormons have weird perceptions of New York City. In “The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance,” out in October, comic Elna Baker recalls her mother’s horror when Elna chose NYU over Brigham Young, telling her, “The first thing that will happen when you move to New York is you might start to swear, and swearing will lead to drinking, and drinking will lead to doing drugs. And, Elna, what would you do if a lesbian tried to make out with you?” Labeling Manhattan “Babylon,” her mom also begged her not to become an exotic dancer. Writes Baker: “I left thinking, ‘Great, my mom thinks I’m moving to the big city to become a lesbian stripper.’ “

BIG-CITY HORROR
By Richard Johnson
New York Post, Page Six, July 5, 2009.
http://www.nypost.com/seven/07052009/gossip/pagesix/big_city_horror_177731.htm