Brigham Young: American Moses

by Leonard J. Arrington

From the preface: "Brigham Young was the supreme American paradox, not because he contained elements foreign to American soil but because he united them--the business genius of a Rockefeller with the spiritual sensitivities of an Emerson, the lusty enjoyments of the pleasures of good living with the tenderness of a Florence Nightingale. He was not merely an entrepreneur with a shared vision of America as the Promised Land; he was a prophet with visions of his own and he built beyond himself."

Genres: Biography, History, Religion, Nonfiction, Lds, Mormonism, Church

560 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

The first professionally trained official LDS Church Historian.

Reviews

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book mostly because it does NOT deify Brother Brigham. I get pretty tired of books that try to make modern prophets seem like perfect people--they are not, and I'm happy to see a book that shows the weaknesses and the strengths of this remarkable man.

It runs a little long for me--it seems like there are some places where the book might have been condensed a little. But, that's me. I'll bet most people would really love the details presented here. If you're going to read a book about Brigham Young, it might as well be this one. Blemishes and all, you'll get the straight story about a man that was just right for his time.

[Kc · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have heard it said: “In the Catholic Church they say that the Pope is infallible, but no one believes it. In the Mormon Church they say that the prophet is fallible, but no one believes it.” I was reminded repeatedly of a prophet’s fallibility as I read Brigham Young: American Moses by Leonard J. Arrington. While detractors tend to exploit this fallibility and the faithful tend to excuse it, both will have to admit that Brigham Young was an exceptional and effective leader. After reading this book I am more convinced than ever that Young was the only person who could have lead his people away from the mobocrats in the midwest and created the Mormon empire in the desolate Great Basin. This is probably the most even handed biography of the second president of the LDS church out there.

[Felix · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is kind of a strange read. I think it has the opposite problem to Fawn Brodie's No Man Knows My History. It's not so much the subject matter (of course, it is strange, but it is what it is) - it's the fact that this book is so scrupulously sourced, with constant references to primary sources, and yet still presents an image of Brigham Young in which he appears benevolent and honest and good in just about all things. I just struggle to believe it.

What this book reminds me of - the only history book I can think to compare it to - is Boris Johnson's book on Winston Churchill. That was a very fun read (this one is less actually fun) but Johnson didn't really try to hide the fact that his biography was intended to glorify Churchill. It had no real pretence to presenting a well-rounded image of the man. And I really enjoyed it - of course, taking it all with a pinch of salt.

American Moses is similar in my eyes. Of course, this book does present itself as objective and detached, and it does use these primary sources in such a way that seems to promote that view, but I just find it hard to believe that any man could be so level-headed and so wise and so prescient in all things.

Of course, the natural place to point for reasons as to why this might be the case, is the fact that Leonard J. Arrington was once the official church historian for the LDS Church. I do wonder what anecdotes about Brigham Young might have made it into the account had the author not been working so closely with the church.

Anyway, I'm not going to say that Brigham Young really was this good, but I'm not going to say that he definitely wasn't either - at least not without consulting with original sources myself. It's just that if he really was so excellent, he must have been one of the greatest men who ever lived. I find it very hard to believe in men like that.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fine biography of a towering figure in American history. It's for good reason that Atlantic included the man in its much-publicized list of 100 Most Influential People in American History, and Arrington does an excellent job bringing to light Brigham's achievements and failings, without sensationalizing or apologizing for either.

To be honest, the book gave me far fewer stomach-churning moments than I had expected, and I found myself really liking the controversial Mormon leader on a personal level. While the image of the fire-breathing polygamous dictator doesn't come out of nowhere, Brigham Young is far more complicated a man than most the caricatures of him allow. From these pages emerges a fallible man and a prophet of God.

[Christy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciate Arrington's biography of Brigham Young; you can tell he had access to a lot of source material from which he quotes extensively, and it gives a nice chronological history of Brigham from his humble beginnings to his rule of the intermountain West. I think the approach historians use has changed in the thirty years since its publication, because I found it lacking much about women - I expected a lot more Eliza Snow and about his wives - and I wanted more synthesis and less direct quotation. I'm glad I read it, but man, there's a lot of Brigham Young there!

[Callie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Look, I gave up on this book a long time ago. It’s high time I admitted this to myself and shelved it.

I admire Leonard Arrington and I want to be the kind of person who reads serious biographies and history, but I guess I’m just not.

I get drawn away by fiction and there’s too much I haven’t yet read for me to try and slog joylessly through something just so I can add another notch to my belt.

[Mike Gower · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very in depth study of a complicated person.

[Shauni · Rating 4 out of 5]

From reading biographies of Joseph Smith (No Man Knows My History, Rough Stone Rolling) I learned quite a bit about the doctrine and foundations of the LDS Church. From this biography of Brigham Young, on the other hand, I learned much more about church culture and structure. That stems from the fact that Brigham Young was much more of a pragmatist than a theologian.

I was impressed with Arrington's objectivity in this book, especially considering that he served as the official historian for the LDS church. He painted a clear picture of Brigham Young, flaws, strengths, and all. Brigham was a strong and respected leader, that's for sure! He was single-handedly responsible for many unique aspects of Mormon culture that we often take for granted(strict movie/theater standards, modest dress, Word of Wisdom enforcement, etc.). I only wish Arrington had devoted more of the book to Brigham's polygamous relationships and the Mountain Meadows massacre, but I understand that each of those topics warrant a book of their own.

Coming from an LDS background, there wasn't much in the book that was terribly surprising or shocking. There were a few things, though. For example, this was my first exposure to the early Mormon's relations with the Native Americans in Utah. Also, I must say that I was somewhat disgusted at the history of ZCMI, and was outraged when I read about the excommunications of William Godbe and E.L.T Harrison, the editors of the Utah Magazine (which would later become the Salt Lake Tribune). Their defenses sounded so similar to Kate Kelly's and just hit a little too close to home. At the same time, after reading about the siege of Johnson's army and government censure for polygamy, I think I understand better now why the LDS church insists so strongly on unity and conformity among its members. We can thank Brigham Young for that!

This book was a little bit long and dry at times, but I still recommend it to anyone interested in Mormon and/or Utah history.

[Kevin Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoughtful, balanced, and encyclopedic. No historian is free from bias, but Arrington's approach here seems as close to "just the facts, ma'am" as any human is likely to get, especially when writing about a figure as pivotal and controversial as Brigham Young. If you want a quick read--a novel posing as history--this isn't for you, but despite this book's level of detail and careful footnoting, the text is clear, well-organized and straightforward. Moreover, the author includes frequent savory tidbits (from primary sources) that demonstrate Pres. Young's personality through memorable interactions with individuals.

Personally, I found the book surprisingly inspiring. (Of course I approached this book without neutrality, but that relates to the fact that I also came to it knowing a good bit about the topic.) In many ways, the belief that God does much of His work here on earth through necessarily flawed mortals is foundational to Latter-day Saint belief, and Brigham Young embodies the consequent paradoxes as well as anyone. Although in many ways a pragmatist, Pres. Young's sermons and actions were continually driven by idealism: witness for instance the United Order and the Deseret Alphabet--which could perhaps be called glorious failures--and his public works programs in service of employing the poor. I found his frequent focus on unity within the Church not only quite understandable, given the care Arrington takes to place it in context, but also remarkably timely given recent events in American Mormon culture.

I have read only a handful of biographies, but I really enjoyed this one. Recommended.

[Samuel · Rating 4 out of 5]

As far as biographies go, this one is well met. Although the author is indeed in favor of his subject, he does not go overboard in defending some of Brigham Young's language or statements using direct quotations with errors in spelling and all that demonstrates the crude education to which Brigham Young possessed. The passion, personality, and commitment of Brigham Young to his cause is well established and well presented. There are a few subjects unaddressed that could have made the biography more complete (i.e. Brigham Young's relations with Native Americans are addressed in full but relations with African Americans and Mexicans are brief and wanting). Overall, however, the biography covers a lot of ground and touches on most of the important accomplishments, failures, and events of Brigham Young's unique life.

[Shad · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an incredibly-well researched book. It is written from an academic perspective. Unfortunately, by that I mean it seemed it was written from an "objective" perspective from which the author appears to know better than the subject rather than deferring to him as a person, let alone as a prophet of God. It does provide a wealth of information and some helpful perspective and points to a treasure trove of other writings, though the scriptures are mentioned as one of many sources rather than keys to understanding who President Young is and what he did.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

I struggled with some aspects of this book. Not much discussion regarding plural marriage. Good points on his views of going to California and searching for gold. Some excellent quotes. IMO there is not a really good book on Brigham Young out there, so this one is one of the best, but we still need to do better.

[J Philpot]

After the Work and the Glory I have to find this book and learn more about Brigham young

[Derek · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very solid biography of a major figure in American history, or at least the history of the American frontier.

[Nathan Shumate · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good all-around biography of Brigham Young.

[Riley Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good bio on Brigham from the 1980’s. Written by a former churches historian, it is clearly a positive review of Brigham as a man, but does a good job of seeing him as a human, and does not resort to deification. One main beef is the book is chronological until the arrival in the Salt Lake Valley, then changes to cover major roles that Brigham performed in the valley. The lack of chronological timeline can make the second half of the biography disorienting. Also interesting that based on its publication date, modern readers may find the accounts around controversial issues, such as the mountain Meadows massacre, Utah war, and slavery as sanitized. I found them to be more interesting, because they included context instead of moralism. Overall, Brigham is a good man who did well for his people, but he was human. Good read.

[Bryce Pinder · Rating 3 out of 5]

(B-school) I enjoyed learning about the transition in church leadership from Joseph, a very spiritual and emotional leader, to Brigham, a very practical and driven leader. It's amazing what Brigham was able to accomplish amidst so much change and uncertainty.

The book itself was pretty boring - the pace was too slow at times and got into more detail in areas I wasn't interested. I wouldn't say the book is biased towards Brigham Young but it definitely isn't unbiased - even when presenting negative aspects of his life Arrington still goes to bat for Brigham and I felt there were many areas that were glossed over or left out.

Overall a lot to learn from Brigham as a practical, no nonsense, get it done kind of leader, but not my favorite book.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid overview of the life of BY. The book has a good discussion about his decision to move to Utah after the murder of Joseph Smith and his efforts to settle Utah - both key to understanding the LDS Church today. but missing from this book are deeper discussions about how his time as a missionary in England impacted him, any discussion about the influence of his wives, and any serious discussion about his knowledge of the 1857 Mountain Meadow massacre, the initial efforts to sweep the event under the rug, and then eventually to bring some sort of public accountability to a handful of participants.

[Edward Osborn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent biography. I came into it hoping for essentially a Rough Stone Rolling for Brigham Young, and the book didn't quite live up to that. After RSR I would say that I really knew Joseph Smith, after finishing this book I would say that I know a lot about Brigham Young. But it isn't quite the same. Still, I would highly recommend the book to anyone who wants a largely impartial look at the life of a powerful man in LDS and American history. I would say that my opinion of him became more nuanced, but still generally improved, from reading it.

[Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Given the thousands of discourses given and correspondences written by Brigham Young, this book does a commendable job of summarizing the life of one of the most intriguing figures in US history. Similar to Rough Stone Rolling, this book is a must-read for LDS members who want an unfiltered look at early church history. One thing is clear though, the LDS church does not survive if it wasn't for Brigham Young. He was the right leader at the right time, warts and all.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most fascinating books I've ever read. The writing is delightful, and complemented by Arrington's knack for choosing particularly striking pieces of primary material, which he interspersed liberally throughout. I can see why he originally wanted to write a series of books (and I would have loved to read them), but this single volume paints a detailed, nuanced look at one of the most divisive and influential characters in United States history.

[Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent and interesting biography about a remarkable man and prophet of God. The book is well written. It is fairly well balanced. It is neither hagiographical nor highly critical. It doesn't ignore some of the more controversial/sensational issues of Brigham Young's life and ministry, but neither does it belabor them. I learned a lot. I would recommend this book to anyone interesting in learning more about Brigham Young's life.

[Zach Alleman · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was fun to learn more about Brigham Young. My knowledge of church history seems to get a lot less detailed after the death of Joseph Smith, and so this was fun to learn more about the trek west and Brigham's impact on the church.

[Kyle Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

You don’t think about Brigham Young as an entrepreneur, but he literally built a large portion of the economy of the west, regardless of what you think of him. He was engaged in so many different business ventures and colonization efforts that it’s hard to say he was a “this” or a “that.”

[Carl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Arrington does a good job of portraying Brother Brigham in his rough and tumble, warts-and-all, yet still inspired, glory. I recommend this biography for members of the church over other biographies of the second president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

[MaryAnne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brigham Young was an intriguing man. I felt this biography showed his character and his limitations. I knew much of his history, but learned a lot about the early days of settling Utah. Fascinating read.

[Ray Palmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book on the subject.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reasonably objective history seen through a devoutly Mormon lens. The bibliography looks very useful.

[Bradyasmin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Long, pretty well organized.

[Nathan Sneddon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read for anyone interested in either the Mormon Pioneer history or Brigham Young himself. Easily one of the most influential Americans of the 19th century.