Against the Odds - The Life of George Albert Smith

by Mary Jane Woodger

Against the Odds - The Life of George Albert Smith

Genres: Biography, Religion, Nonfiction, Lds, History, Lds Non Fiction, Christian

244 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2011

About the author

Dr. Mary Jane Woodger is an Associate Professor of Church History and Doctrine at Brigham Young University. Born and raised in American Fork and Salt Lake City, Utah, Dr. Woodger has always had a great love for teaching. After obtaining a B.S. in Home Economics Education, Dr. Woodger taught Home Economics and American History in Salt Lake City where she received the Vocational Teacher of the Year Award from Jordan School District. In 1992, she completed her M.Ed. at Utah State University. In 1997, she received from Brigham Young University an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership, with a minor in Church History and Doctrine.

In 1998 Dr. Woodger was honored by Kappa Omicron Nu, with an Award of Excellence for her dissertation research, entitled "The Educational Ideals of David O. McKay." Since then she has had three books published about the life and teachings of David O. McKay. She has also authored numerous articles on doctrinal, historical, and educational subjects. These articles have appeared in various academic journals, as well as venues for the LDS audience including the Journal of Book of Mormon Studies, Deseret News Church News, and The Religious Educator. She was recently honored with the best article of the year award from the Utah Historical Society. Her current research interests include twentieth century Church history, Latter-day Saint women's history, and Church education.

(from https://religion.byu.edu/mary-jane_wo...)

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

The biography of George Albert Smith, the eight president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, who served in that capacity from 1945 until his death in 1951, this book had some great insights into a great man, but there were two primary themes to his life (and, as a result, the book).

The first of these is that the unrighteousness of society eventually leads to war, because the wickedness will ultimately cause there to be contention and conflict, and those escalate to fighting and war.

The other primary theme is that men are able to change and receive forgiveness, and he frankly forgave (and was forgiven) during the course of his life, and his experiences are an example from which the reader can learn.

[MykeWeber · Rating 5 out of 5]

George Albert Smith was the first Prophet of my life-time. Of course I never knew that at the time. He died when I was less than a full year old. I had heard a hint that in the early years of his Apostleship that he been incapacitated by depression and other health problems. I wanted to read about that because being incapacitated has hit home for me quite a bit this past few years. There were times that I thought I should be released from the Church callings because I couldn’t adequately fill them and wanted to stop plugging up the hole through which someone else might actually serve. So, to consider that George Albert Smith was incapacitated for years while occupying a calling one is not ever released from, might give me some insight and strength. Did it ever! Part of any calling from God is the need for further education. It seems clear that George’s education in frailty was crucial to the compassion the showed, delivered and taught right after WWII came to a close. He didn’t serve very long, but the impact of his love, kindness and deep compassion for others set the tone for all the blessings of my subsequent life! I am profoundly grateful to have had this chance to become acquainted with this holy, humble and approachable man. His paper boy considered George to be his best friend at the time of his passing and his family invited him to be a pall bearer at George’s funeral. That about says it all!

Mary Jane Woodger is a superb biographer! The story was so readable, thorough and an utter delight!

[Janiece · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are many things to love about this book and to learn, as discussed in some of the other reviews. The highlight for me was learning at the feet of someone who suffered a chronic illness nearly his entire life, eye problems and bouts with nervous exhaustion and depression while also serving and an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. I was inspired by his example. This is a great read for anyone that may suffer in similar ways and wonder if they could still be an instrument in the Lord's hands. It is also a great read for anyone who believes that anxiety, depression or chronic illness are manifestations of a weak character, a weak testimony or lack of faith. That would hardly describe this incredible man. I have a new respect for him and cannot wait to meet him some day on the other side of the veil. Thank you Mary Jane Woodger for sharing these insights into his life and struggles and triumphs. I want to own this book.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

"...through his example of unselfishness, his exemplary teachings, and his never-failing care for individuals everywhere the name of George Albert Smith has become synonymous with love." (page 244)

I love a good biography on anyone, specifically religious people and this one did not disappoint. The author was one of my professors at BYU for a religion class. Her class was good and that was my first exposure to her work, then I read an academic paper she wrote about George Albert Smith and his health problems. It was very well-written and researched, with great details, I loved the paper and loved learning about the how President Smith dealt with his health issues. The paper was so good that I went looking for a biography on George Albert Smith and found that Mary Jane Woodger has also written a book about him and immediately bought it.

I loved hearing about George's childhood and how he was a bit of a terror, that probably gives hope to many mothers. I loved hearing about his long and sometimes difficult courtship with his later wife, Lucy. And I again appreciated the details of his trial of poor health and how he still found a way to serve the Lord in very demanding callings. He's truly a inspiration to me. I also loved hearing about how loving and kind he was.

I loved this book so much, I plan to read it again.

[D Crook · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book---a biography of George Albert Smith, the eight president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints---surprised me. While much shorter than many biographies of other prophets, it is filled with details. The writing is very good---so good that I could not put it down until I had completed it. While it is very well done, it lacks some completeness and thoroughness of other first-rate biographical works that I have read, which is the only reason it did not get five stars.

President George Albert Smith was a loving, charitable man who suffered with lupus, which remained undiagnosed until approximately two weeks before his death, and near blindness caused by working with his eyes unprotected in Utah's west desert. This quote from the book sums him up his personality nicely:

"George once said to a friend 'that he [George] lacked the prowess to be an athlete, that he was too homely to win popular favor, and his weak eyes prevented him from becoming a scholar, but he could excel in human kindness. So, he made kindness his specialty.'"

I really enjoyed this book

[Kim Dennis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked learning about George Albert Smith. That would have gotten a five. However, there were some things in the way she wrote the book that felt lacking to me. She would introduce something and hint at it, and then never really follow through and complete the story. I just wanted a little more.

[Michelle Nielson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not care for the authors writing style and the first 2/3 of the book was very hard to slog through. I'm glad I did though as the last few chapters held a lot of great wisdom and insight from the Prophet. I wish more of the book had focused on that than the "courtship" of he and his wife.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well researched and written, and just the right length. I believe this is the only currently in print biography of George Albert Smith out there. What a wonderful and loving man he was.

[Melanie Stroud · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was so refreshing to read about a leader of the church with mental illness. So grateful they added his anxiety and breakdowns. So important. And it was an easy, good read.

[Bryan Summers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cried at the end.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's always a fascinating thing to read about a time in the church when things were DIFFERENT. Polygamy hadn't been long ago outlawed, people ran around with, like, 25 siblings, and husbands went on missions long away from their families. It's WEIRD, because the Church is so much different and yet in some ways the EXACT SAME. Anyway, GA Smith was an amazing man, and I'm so glad I found out more about his life. His kindness, his love, are well known and renowned and many times through this book I was touched by his example. The writing was... meh. Every time I wanted to know the details, they were simply lacking. Of course the author stated she didn't mean for it to be that kind of biography, and of course it would be impossible to go into any kind of depth with a man such as this. But it felt a bit superficial, like an extension of the teaching manual. Which I love the manual, don't get me wrong. Anyway. That's the end of my review.

[Adrienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Woodger details the life of George Albert Smith, from the time that he was the terror of his neighborhood to his time as president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, showing the deep love that Smith had for people and his dedication to his beliefs.

This book had more drama than I anticipated. For example, President Smith's future wife, Lucy, was torn between him and another man vacillated between the two so much that even though I knew who she married, I couldn't help but be worried! I was also surprised by President Smith's sense of humor and couldn't help but laugh out loud at some points, such as when a man wrote to inquire about President Smith's feelings about cocoa and cremation, and President Smith quipped, "They're both hot." I got a little bogged down with all of the dates, but overall, this book was a surprising amount of fun, while still being very insightful.

[Camille · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was very excited to read this book after attending a fireside in my ward where the author spoke. I was so taken that I almost just bought the book but checked it out from the library at BYU first. I'm glad I did. The book is great but the author, who is also a professor, not so great. Her stories she told during the fireside painted a completely different picture of our beloved prophet than the one in her book. Her book seems as though it was well researched and seems accurate. But her stories during the fireside where way different from the ones in her book. I'm not willing to recommend this book or her class for that matter considering she can't correctly remember what she published.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book just fine; the reason I gave it only 3 stars was that....well, it was almost depressing. I felt that the author focused too much on the health problems of the prophet and his wife. Not that that's not important, it was just redundant.
On the other hand, I can't believe the health problems they went through! It sounds like his wife had some major depression on top of all of that. Anybody that has every dealt with health problems would benefit from this book.
Don't get me wrong, there is more to learn about George Albert Smith in this book then just his health problems. ;)

[Kathleen Milliner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so impressed with his life. Shortly after being called as an apostle he became very ill. This illness left him debilitated and bedridden for three years. At the end of the three years he prayed to be allowed to die. He also struggled with depression and anxiety. They called it nerves then. He slowly recovered after the three year period but he would struggle with illness, depression and anxiety the rest of his life. A few days before his death he was finally diagnosed with Lupus. I highly recommend this book.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was interested in learning more about George Albert Smith since his teachings are what we are studying this year. I felt that I learned alot about him since I knew nothing. He seemed very human and down to earth. He was an amazing man that handled alot with dealing with lupus his whole life. I enjoyed this book alot and read it quickly but did notice a couple of grammatical errors and typos in the book which kind of bugged me.

[Carol Guthrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was tough to get through. I can't put my finger on the reason it was not an easy read. It wasn't due to the life of the prophet. Maybe how the facts were presented? In fact, when his wife dies I find myself wondering how she was so well loved by many. The author tends to spend so much time on her negative traits that I must have missed all of the positive ones except that she was deeply in love with her husband. I think I would like to try another author's version.

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

George Albert Smith was one of the Prophets of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The author tells and relates correspondence and journals about President Smith. He suffered with poor health much of his life. Still, he persevered and lived by his creed to help others and serve the Lord. I loved reading about him and his gentle soul.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned a lot about a man I knew very little about. What a wonderful man he was, always struggling with health problems he stayed true to everything that was asked of him. He was a great example of a disciple of Christ. You can't go wrong with a book about a prophet to help you try to be a better person.

[Kristine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy biographies of prophets of my Church. They are good men and lead interesting lives. I think what impressed me most about President George Albert Smith was how hard he struggled with poor health and what he was able to do in spite of it. I am also so impressed with his example of kindness. I hope a little has rubbed off on me!

[Colette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listening to the unabridged audio book.

I loved listening to this book. In the introduction, Woodger explains that she did not set out to write a biography, but to give us an idea of who this man was, and to share special moments of his life. That is exactly what she did. I felt very uplifted.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good introduction to George Albert Smith. I feel like I learned a lot about a person and time that I didn't know much about. I like how the book didn't shy away from his struggles and even though he suffered from serious depression, anxiety, and physical illnesses he didn't give up.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting biography about a prophet that I knew little about. It was an inspiring story about someone who tried to do what was right even when life dealt him a rotten hand, especially physically. When those around him faltered, he stayed strong.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this and getting to know George Albert Smith. The Author a great job helping you to get to know him and his accomplishments. He is now one of my favorite people.

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved learning about George Albert Smith--an amazing person, but the writing left me cold. I thought it was "dumbed down" and sometimes quite immature.

[Carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has some great stories and I really enjoyed learning more about President Smith but the writing style did not appeal to me.

[Rae · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable biography of George Albert Smith. I liked learning more about the man and getting more of a "behind the scene" look at the stories in the 2012 LDS RS/Priesthood manual.

[Skylar Hatfield · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book tells a small story of a great man. George Albert Smith was so loving and humble. He really inspires me.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book about a great prophet of God. It added great insights into his personal life and I learned things about him that were fun. It is a short and easy read and I enjoyed it.

[Brett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though shorter it is a better biography than Gibbons