Latter Leaves in the Life of Lorenzo Snow

by Dennis Horne

Examine the life of a pivotal prophet through the eyes of those who knew him best. This one-of-a-kind biography of President Lorenzo Snow includes extensive text written by Orson F. Whitney in 1889, for a contemporary perspective you won't find anywhere else. Fascinating and informative, this well-researched volume is the definitive work on the prophet who brought our church into the twentieth century.

Genres: Lds

608 pages, Hardcover

First published November 13, 2012

Reviews

[Tyler · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first part of this book about the earlier years of Lorenzo Snow's life was something of an odd amalgamation/summary of previously written biographical sources written by Eliza R. Snow and Orson F. Whitney. That part of the book was strange and had some repetition. I thought the later chapters of the book were much better. The bulk of the book was focused on the later years of President Snow's life when he has president of the quorum of the twelve apostles and then as president of the church.

It was obvious the author had done a lot of historical research into primary sources such as journals of the apostles etc that gave some very interesting insights into what was going in some of their council meetings, discussions among members of the First Presidency, etc. That was really fascinating getting a glimpse into what was going on at church headquarters during these later years of the 19th century and dawn of the 20th. I learned a lot about President Lorenzo Snow and a lot of other church history going on at this eventful time. I enjoyed reading this book. There were also a lot of great quotations from President Snow's teachings about tithing, our potential to become like God, and some other subjects. I enjoyed learning more about that as well.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my new favorite books about any President of the Church. It is exactly the kind of book I've been looking for, and the kind of book I wish we had more of. As interesting as their lives are, it is what they do, or what the Lord does through them, when they are the only person on the earth who holds and is authorized to exercise all the keys of the priesthood that I think members of the Church should be far more interested in and could learn much more from. Having read many, many different biographies over the last decade or so, I can say that the lives of the Presidents of the Church are interesting and inspiring and instructive. However, to be completely blunt and honest, as President Packer (and many others) have said, there are many other members of the Church (and individuals who are not members of the Church for that matter) who are also good, remarkably talented, accomplished, etc., and who lives that are as interesting and as inspiring as the Presidents of the Church. That isn't to diminish the Presidents of the Church in any way; it is just to say that many disciples of Christ have lived exemplary lives and many other people have lived inspiring lives. What makes the Presidents of the Church absolutely unique is the time when they have served as the Lord's Prophet and mouthpiece on the earth. We would do well to study that period of their lives with greater interest and greater effort to learn from them during their time in that particular office. Studying this period of their lives has been a spiritually tutoring experience for me.
So despite some of the objections in other reviews, I'm glad that the author skipped fairly quickly through the early parts of President Snow's life and deliberately chose to focus on the last quarter of century of President Snow's amazing life--something which the author clearly said was his plan in the preface to the book, so other readers should not have been surprised by this. That is why it is called "Latter Leaves," after all. President Snow's time in the Utah State penitentiary, his transformative leadership as President of the Quorum of the Twelve, his openness to counsel from his apostolic colleagues and willingness to listen to the voice of the Lord are just phenomenal. I learned so much about the challenges and opportunities President Snow faced during his ministry as President of the Quorum of Twelve and as President of the Church. It was an absolutely fascinating study. I have been studying Church history for a long time and I learned about things I had never heard of before. The author did an excellent job of framing all of this in its complex context, and also in showing the faith explicit in facing and resolving them. I highly recommend this book!

[D Crook · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book about the fifth President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When the author explained, however, that most of the early chapters of the book were previously authored by Orson F. Whitney, I was expecting there to be discontinuity in the writing and style. Shockingly, there was very little. It was well written, well researched, well documented, and overall, I thought, a fantastic book.

This book effectively taught me about a prophet about whom I knew very little (other than what had been presented in an apparently apocryphal rendition of a St. George revelation presented in a BYU Film entitled "Windows of Heaven"). I now have a great appreciation for a great leader driven by three essential doctrinal emphases: (1) As man is, God once was; as God is, man may become; (2) unity is an essential element of Christlike life and leadership; and, (3) tithing. This man was a master diplomat who effectively reversed the financial condition of the LDS church within the three short years he was the prophet. More importantly, however, he effectively dealt with the strong personalities of other members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles during a time when much of the church leadership was in hiding as a result of the crusades of the federal appointees of the territory of Utah intent on destroying the LDS church. Through his understanding of the importance of counsel, he was able to bring together these men who had long been apart in various assignments and in hiding. He was forgiving, thoughtful, patient, and firm. I found the portions of the book related to his imprisonment for "cohabitation" very interesting.

While the volume is certainly devotional and intended for a Latter Day Saint audience, it is a masterfully well researched and presented historical book that would be appreciated by any person interested in history.

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a little discouraged with this book. In the 482 pages of regular reading (book is 588 pages), I didn't really learn as much about President Snow as I would have liked to. There was a lot of repetition. The book has a lot more to do with his church life than his personal life. It mentions his 9 wives once, but then only mentions Minnie, (the 9th), who was 42 years younger than he was.

I was hoping to get some good stories and info to help with my Sunday lessons, but sad to say, other than tithing, I didn't come up with much.

The 35 pages about Orson F. Whitney were interesting and I learned quite a bit about his life.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whew! I finally finished this book! I am really torn about giving a rating though. Parts of it were really, really good, informative, and inspiring yet other parts were sheer drudgery to get through. It tells the story of Lorenzo Snow briefly in his early life then focuses on the latter 15-20 years or so, including when he was a prophet from 1898-1901. It took me over 3 months to read (interspersed with other things) but I am glad that I did complete it. I think I would give this book 3.5 stars.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book took me almost 4 months to read, but I am glad that I did it. I learned a lot about Pres. Snow and about the time period he lived in. It was a big long and dry reading, but was full of detailed information.