Glorious in Persecution: Joseph Smith, American Prophet, 1839-1844

by Martha Bradley-Evans

Escaping imprisonment in Missouri in 1839, the Mormon prophet Joseph Smith quickly settled with family and followers on the Illinois banks of the Mississippi River. Under Smith’s direction, the small village of Commerce soon mushroomed into the boomtown of Nauvoo, home to 12,000 and more members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. For Smith, Nauvoo was the new epicenter of the Mormon the gathering place for Latter-day Saints worldwide; the location of a modern-day Zion; the stage upon which his esoteric teachings, including plural marriage and secret temple ceremonies, played out; and the locus of a theocracy whose legal underpinnings would be condemned by outsiders as an attack on American pluralism. In Nauvoo, Smith created a proto-utopian society built upon continuing revelation; established a civil government that blurred the lines among executive, legislative, and legal branches; introduced doctrines that promised glimpses of heaven on earth; centralized secular and spiritual authority in fiercely loyal groups of men and women; insulated himself against legal harassment through creative interpretations of Nauvoo’s founding charter; embarked upon a daring run at the U.S. presidency; and pursued a vendetta against dissidents that lead eventually to his violent death in 1844. The common thread running through the final years of Smith’s tumultuous life, according to prize-winning historian and biographer, Martha Bradley-Evans, is his story of prophethood and persecution. Smith’s repeated battles with the forces of evil–past controversies transformed into mythic narratives of triumphant as well as present skirmishes with courts, politicians, and apostates–informed Smith’s construction of self and chronicle of innocent suffering. “Joseph found religious and apocalyptic significance in every offense and persecution–actual or imagined,” writes Bradley-Evans, “and wove these slights into his prophet-narrative. Insults became badges of honor, confirmation that his life was playing out on a mythic stage of opposition. By the time Joseph led his people to Illinois, he had lived with the adulation of followers and the vilification of enemies for more than a decade. Joseph’s worst challenges often proved to be his greatest triumphs. He forged devotion through disaster, faith through depression. Joseph interpreted each new event as God’s will set against manifestations of evil opposed to the restoration of all things.” Bradley-Evan’s ground-breaking portrait of Smith goes farther than any previous biography in explaining the Mormon prophet and the mystery of his appeal.

700 pages, Hardcover

Published May 15, 2016

Reviews

[J · Rating 2 out of 5]

You know, I just expected so much more here. This book is the first biography of Joseph Smith by a female author since the OG by Brodie. Bradley-Evans has an impressive career as an academic historian and was commissioned to write this book as part of a Smith-Petite Foundation project. And yet, she capitalizes on none of those advantages. Instead, she rails along well-worn paths, typical narratives, and offers some shockingly bad takes on polygamy. And the numerous typos just annoyed the hell out of me.

It was clear from early on that the art of storytelling and narrative escaped the author. And so instead, I hoped that the 700-page book would serve as a solid reference book for the Nauvoo period. Yet, as noted in the Mormon history blog, The Juvenile Instructor, the book is "certainly based on some terribly troubling source material." It relies on a lot of secondary material, which, in these days, with the tremendous work of the Joseph Smith papers project and the enlightenment in recent Mormon studies, is inexcusable. It can't serve as a reference book when the references are untrustworthy.

There is very little 19th century context provided to the reader. It's as if Joseph Smith existed in a vacuum. She peppers the book with social theory quotes. Social theory context is effective when a social theory is explained, examples are given, comparisons and contrasts made, and then it is reinforced throughout the book. Instead, she played the Terrell Given's game of citing as many prominent theorists as possible without engaging any of them seriously. I think academic professors are so desperate for citations these days that their books turn into very boring Bingo games.

Some have noted that she excels in describing Joseph's use of victimization for distracting from his errors/crimes/excesses. In so many instances, she highlights how Joseph Smith starts fires and then complains about the smoke.

Others say she excels when describing polygamy. I thought this was her weakness. The polygamy interludes are a series of long quotes, the "greatest hits" we have all heard. She gives some truly insane asides about polygamy, seemingly unsympathetic throughout that Emma was not supportive enough of Joseph's "plurality" teachings. "The stories that developed around Joseph's enmeshment in plurality made Emma's struggle emblematic of the more generalized struggle to understand the teachings of a prophet of God." Like, what?! Circling back to the real world, I don't think that sentence fairly encapsulates how Emma Smith felt when her legal husband had married 6 of their teenage maids and married yet another teenager, giving her a gold watch, while in debt to their eyeballs (all behind her back btw, although later some "sealings" were re-enacted with Emma present as if they were happening for the first time). And I don't think it's sufficient to compare it to 'any old teaching' made by a prophet. It's like Brian Hales has blackmailed Bradley-Evans to say even crazier things about polygamy than he says.

There are much better books on the Nauvoo period. Especially two recent books: Kingdom of Nauvoo by Parks (I was disappointed by it, yet still recommend it to newbies), and Nauvoo Polygamy by George D. Smith.

[Brent Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joseph Sith's story is flat-out depressing - a promising start followed by a gradually desperate, and crash-and-burn ending. My impressions from this book: The John C. Bennet betrayal, coinciding with the high-risk adventures in polygamy, led Joseph to erratic ups and downs in his leadership style and relations with neighbors. He relied too much on the rumor mill and reports of further betrayals, even when they weren't there (e.g. Sidney Rigdon). He couldn't get over his victim narrative arising from Missouri, and grew to think of everyone as a potential enemy. He spiraled into a negative cycle that became dangerous and unhealthy and unsustainable.

Another generation of authors will draw on updated resources (the Joseph Smith Papers). Bradley-Evans' reading of Joseph's lie is generous and sympathetic. I thank her for devoting so much of her life to this project!