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The Autobiography of B. H. Roberts
In this exciting and readable autobiography, one of the most colorful figures of the American frontier recounts his poverty-stricken childhood, his rowdy adolescence in Rocky Mountain mining camps, his unsuccessful bid for the U.S. Congress, and his stormy career in one of the leading councils of the Mormon church. Polygamy, women’s suffrage, prohibition, and separation of church and state occupy center stage in the unfolding drama of Brigham Henry Roberts’s controversial life.The story-book adventures of Roberts’s life made him a household name during his lifetime. His impassioned speeches incited riots, his reasoned writings defined and codified religious beliefs, and his candid disclosures of Utah history brought him both respect and censure. He is best remembered today as a largely self-educated intellectual. Several of his landmark published works are still in print more than fifty years after his death. His life story, told here in his own words and published for the first time, may well stand as his greatest, most enduring achievement.
For many today, B. H. Roberts is the quintessential Mormon intellectual of the twentieth century. But his theological writings came late in life and his historical views were more subjective than definitive. His autobiography, on the other hand, is a forthright account of the events and acquaintances that contributed to his unique faith and intellectual independence. Troubled by the memory of being abandoned as a child, and of the abusive care of quarrelling and intemperate foster-parents, he survived a stormy youth of poverty and neglect. He describes his nearly ten years as a missionary to the southern United States, his subsequent tenure as an outspoken member of the First Quorum of Seventy, his public opposition to women’s suffrage, and his controversial bid for the U.S. House of Representatives as a Mormon polygamist.
For many today, B. H. Roberts is the quintessential Mormon intellectual of the twentieth century. But his theological writings came late in life and his historical views were more subjective than definitive. His autobiography, on the other hand, is a forthright account of the events and acquaintances that contributed to his unique faith and intellectual independence. Troubled by the memory of being abandoned as a child, and of the abusive care of quarrelling and intemperate foster-parents, he survived a stormy youth of poverty and neglect. He describes his nearly ten years as a missionary to the southern United States, his subsequent tenure as an outspoken member of the First Quorum of Seventy, his public opposition to women’s suffrage, and his controversial bid for the U.S. House of Representatives as a Mormon polygamist.
284 pages, Paperback
First published December 4, 1990
42 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 6, 2014
Love, love loved this. So good. He was an amazing person. I loved reading his life's story by his own gifted writing hand.
June 8, 2022
I never finished this, so my 3-star rating is probably unfair. Was too slow for me.
October 5, 2025
BOOK REVIEW - The Autobiography of B. H. Roberts, edited by Gary J. Bergera (1992)
I met the author while he was working on this book. Gary Bergera has performed a valuable service to scholars and thoughtful readers by editing The Autobiography of B. H. Roberts, bringing to light the remarkable and often candid self-reflections of one of Mormonism’s most intellectually formidable and complex leaders. B. H. Roberts (1857–1933) combined spiritual conviction with a fierce intellect and a restless curiosity. A self-taught yet widely read man, Roberts rose from poverty and an immigrant’s childhood to become one of the Latter-day Saint tradition’s most learned thinkers, producing enduring theological works such as The Seventy’s Course in Theology and The Comprehensive History of the Church. His wide-ranging reading—philosophy, history, political theory—shaped a mind at once loyal to his faith and unafraid of rigorous inquiry. Bergera’s keeps Roberts’s own voice central while providing just enough scholarly framing to situate the text historically and thematically.
What makes this autobiography especially valuable is its honesty about Roberts’s life beyond theology. The book gives insight into his restless political engagement: Roberts was passionately committed to civic life in Utah and beyond, championing Democratic causes and serving as a delegate to Congress after Utah achieved statehood. His willingness to take strong political stances—particularly his opposition to prohibition and his defense of minority rights—sometimes created friction with Church leaders who preferred political caution. That tension, presented here in Roberts’s own words, helps readers see both his courage and the institutional sensitivities of the period. Far from diminishing his faith, these conflicts seem to have deepened his sense of moral independence and intellectual honesty.
Bergera’s edition allows Roberts to emerge as a man both deeply believing and intellectually ambitious, someone who refused to let either faith or scholarship become superficial. The resulting work is inspiring: it models a life of devotion informed by fearless engagement with the world’s ideas, and it invites readers to consider how moral conviction and critical inquiry can coexist.
Bergera also does not shy away from showing Roberts’s sometimes stormy relationships with his fellow church leaders. Roberts respected the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve but at times found their approach too cautious or politically entangled. His outspokenness on matters like the Church’s stance toward scientific discovery and his disappointment with what he saw as intellectual complacency occasionally isolated him. Yet the autobiography shows he never lost his core loyalty to the Church or its divine mission, even when he disagreed with its human stewards. This interplay between deep faith and frank critique gives the work unusual depth and relevance for modern readers navigating faith and inquiry.
Quotes:
“It has been my habit to read widely and to think freely, even when the conclusions reached have not always pleased the brethren. I have thought it better to seek truth and follow it wherever it may lead than to shut my eyes for the sake of easy conformity.”
“I loved my people and my faith, yet I could not consent to be less than a free man in matters of reason and conscience. To me, the gospel itself invites the fullest exercise of the mind; to deny that liberty is to impoverish the very truth we profess to cherish.”
I met the author while he was working on this book. Gary Bergera has performed a valuable service to scholars and thoughtful readers by editing The Autobiography of B. H. Roberts, bringing to light the remarkable and often candid self-reflections of one of Mormonism’s most intellectually formidable and complex leaders. B. H. Roberts (1857–1933) combined spiritual conviction with a fierce intellect and a restless curiosity. A self-taught yet widely read man, Roberts rose from poverty and an immigrant’s childhood to become one of the Latter-day Saint tradition’s most learned thinkers, producing enduring theological works such as The Seventy’s Course in Theology and The Comprehensive History of the Church. His wide-ranging reading—philosophy, history, political theory—shaped a mind at once loyal to his faith and unafraid of rigorous inquiry. Bergera’s keeps Roberts’s own voice central while providing just enough scholarly framing to situate the text historically and thematically.
What makes this autobiography especially valuable is its honesty about Roberts’s life beyond theology. The book gives insight into his restless political engagement: Roberts was passionately committed to civic life in Utah and beyond, championing Democratic causes and serving as a delegate to Congress after Utah achieved statehood. His willingness to take strong political stances—particularly his opposition to prohibition and his defense of minority rights—sometimes created friction with Church leaders who preferred political caution. That tension, presented here in Roberts’s own words, helps readers see both his courage and the institutional sensitivities of the period. Far from diminishing his faith, these conflicts seem to have deepened his sense of moral independence and intellectual honesty.
Bergera’s edition allows Roberts to emerge as a man both deeply believing and intellectually ambitious, someone who refused to let either faith or scholarship become superficial. The resulting work is inspiring: it models a life of devotion informed by fearless engagement with the world’s ideas, and it invites readers to consider how moral conviction and critical inquiry can coexist.
Bergera also does not shy away from showing Roberts’s sometimes stormy relationships with his fellow church leaders. Roberts respected the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve but at times found their approach too cautious or politically entangled. His outspokenness on matters like the Church’s stance toward scientific discovery and his disappointment with what he saw as intellectual complacency occasionally isolated him. Yet the autobiography shows he never lost his core loyalty to the Church or its divine mission, even when he disagreed with its human stewards. This interplay between deep faith and frank critique gives the work unusual depth and relevance for modern readers navigating faith and inquiry.
Quotes:
“It has been my habit to read widely and to think freely, even when the conclusions reached have not always pleased the brethren. I have thought it better to seek truth and follow it wherever it may lead than to shut my eyes for the sake of easy conformity.”
“I loved my people and my faith, yet I could not consent to be less than a free man in matters of reason and conscience. To me, the gospel itself invites the fullest exercise of the mind; to deny that liberty is to impoverish the very truth we profess to cherish.”
March 27, 2009
This account of the remarkable life of a self educated man, who came to Utah as a penniless orphan boy. He gained tremendous stature as an author, scholor and leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of latter Day Saints.
December 25, 2025
Entertaining.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews