The J. Golden Kimball Stories

by Eric A. Eliason

The sharp wit of a free-thinking Mormon folk hero In The J. Golden Kimball Stories, beloved and iconoclastic Mormon humorist J. Golden Kimball (1853-1938) speaks on death, marriage, love, hell, God, and everything in between. Compiled by Eric A. Eliason from previously unpublished archival resources, this collection of stories, anecdotes, and jokes captures the irreverent comedy and independent thinking that made Kimball so beloved both in and out of his Mormon community. Arranged thematically and framed by short contextual introductions, each chapter presents a colorful portrait of Kimball on topics including tricks, cussing, ministering, chastising, and repentance. A comprehensive introductory essay places Kimball in the context of Mormon history and folklore scholarship.

Genres: Nonfiction

186 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Eric Alden Eliason is a writer and professor in the English department at Brigham Young University, where he teaches courses on literature and folklore.

Reviews

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book! I love J Golden Kimball, his stories are amazing. But what I really thought made this book is the writing style of the author. I love the way she inserts her own personality and color into every sentence, paragraph and chapter. It made me love J Golden Kimball even more than I already did.

I loved the stories in this book! I love the way the author points out in the very beginning that we don't know how many of the stories are actually true, but that becomes part of the fun of J Golden Kimball. He's a little bit of a "Mormon Myth," even though he's a real person and did real things.

I love that there were tons of things that happened to J Golden Kimball that I had no idea about. There are bits about his life when he was a child, and what happened to his family when his dad died (Wow, I had no idea how poorly his family had been treated at this time!), and it even talked about how he died. I had no idea that he died in a car accident. What an amazing story, he lived a long time. He was born not long after the pioneers came into the valley in their wagons and lived long enough to see cars and other modern inventions.

What an amazing book! I loved it!

[Claudia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don't let the title fool you. This is not simply a collection of Uncle Golden's stories. Rather it is a scholarly dive into folklore and tradition by an English prof who wants to share everything, and I do mean everything, he can on the topic. The book is 186 pages...53 pages of that is the introduction and he prefaces THAT with another 10 pages of explanation as to what the book is and is not. I should have put it down right then and there. We also have 57 pages of notes, biblio, and indexing at the end which leaves less than one third of the book to J. Golden's supposed stories, narratives, and quotes; however, these too are interspersed with the author's editorializing and instructing. I found this book to be as dry as the Mohave. Someone test me and give me my college credits because this was Folklore 101, and though it was a slog, I completed the course.

[Lee Kimball · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5 stars) The author’s definition and explanation of folklore, while initially interesting, becomes a little tedious. However, once you get into the actual jokes and anecdotes, it was pretty fun to read. (Perhaps because of my familial connection to J Golden, I had already heard most of these stories, but there were a few new gems among the old classics.)

[CJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this! Some other reviewers weren't expecting the academic tone of the first part of the book, but I found it really interesting and this books' strength: the stories were great, but I have read a better story compilation. But the footnotes and academic rigor gave it a lot of context.

[Christopher Angulo · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a decent historical approach to J. Golden, but a wonderful introduction to the scholarly world of folklore. I've already purchased a few other books by folklore scholars to read next year.

[Brent Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun to read this collection of J. Golden Kimball stories. It's all in a context of folk history. The academic style is a little over the top, but I feel safe within that academic/footnotey style.

I got a feeling for the man. He knew he enjoyed a popularity as a regular-Joe just happened to be called to Church leadership. But he apparently never used that popularity to undermine the Church or colleagues - hence the trust people put in him, both leaders and lay members alike. We need more J. Golden today!

[Jesse Booth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great book for a quick laugh. His stories are so funny. He is one of the most distinct LDS church leaders; a high voice and a bad mouth. Nobody could quite tell stories like J.Golden Kimball.

[Peter Wolfley · Rating 4 out of 5]

The only book I've read so far that I've been personally aquatinted with the author and own a signed copy. Dr. E has put together a fantastic collection of uncle Golden stories which are absolutely delightful. The book gives you a real appreciation for the trickster of Mormon folklore.

[Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really fun. He's like mormonism absent any worry about public relations or offending people. I love his quote about Southern Utah, "If the devil owned St. George, he'd live in hell and rent out St. George."

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

My husband and I read this book out loud to each other. which was a great way to enjoy it. It's fun to laugh at it with someone else.

[Tanya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Worth lots of chuckles. It reminds you of what we've lost in Mormon culture with the advent of mass media...no general authority today would dare speak as he did.

[Robert · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kimball's life story is very interesting and some of the stories are hilarious. There are portions of the book that get a little dry as the author explores the history and definition of folklore.