In Their Own Words: Inspiring Autobiographical Stories from the Lives of the Prophets

by Susan Easton Black, Mary Jane Woodger

In Their Own Words is a one-of-a kind collection of personal glimpses into the lives of each latter-day prophet taken directly from their own accounts. Filled with inspirational, humorous, and heart-wrenching stories, these memorable autobiographical histories will help you come to know the Presidents of the Church on a deeper level than you ever have before. You’ll enjoy stories like these:

The Prophet Joseph’s heart-felt letter to his wife Emma from Liberty Jail< li>Wilford Woodruff’s account of nearly being killed by a raging bull Joseph F. Smith’s story of seeing the miraculous answer to his mother’s faith-filled prayer for lost oxen Harold B. Lee’s account of having his life preserved while on an airplane Gordon B. Hinckley’s memorable lesson from his father to “forget yourself and go to work” Pres. Thomas S. Monson’s touching story of sharing two sticks of gum in East Germany that helped a young girl know that God answers prayers

In Their Own Words is a treasured resource that is sure to strengthen your testimony of these latter-day prophets of God.

Genres: Nonfiction, Religion, Lds

295 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2016

About the author

Susan Easton Black is a retired professor of Church History and Doctrine at Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah. She is also an author of several books related to Joseph Smith, Jr. and the early history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[James Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

★★★★★ Great book! Can’t wait to read it again (and I will).
★★★★☆ Good book. I am glad I read this.
★★★☆☆ OK book. Nothing special but not bad.
★★☆☆☆ Not good. Why did I waste my time?
★☆☆☆☆ Lousy. I didn’t finish.

If for whatever reason, I go back and reread a good book, I will change the rating to five-star because I read it again.

[James Biser · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book contains scores of excellent stories about (and in the words of) all of the Presidents of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. These stories are remarkable because that are taken from records saved by the Prophets.

[Amanda Jeffs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Each prophet was introduced with a brief life sketch, which was helpful. Some of the autobiographical selections seemed a little random. Would have been nice to have a little extra commentary.

[Natasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was probably familiar with at least half of the quotes, but it was nice to hear them accurately.

Incredible people and stories.

Lower stars just because it wasn’t very creative.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sweet little collection of stories of the lives of our prophets.

[Edy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author gives a short biography of each church president then uses quotes to illustrated teachings, ideas, etc. of the individual.

[Dail Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enjoyable! Personal accounts from the lives of the prophets.

[Kayla Bogle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice historical overview of the prophets’ life stories. I loved all the faith filled moments that remind me of moments in my life.

[Krystine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book on the prophets! New, to me, stories and great informations.
The lives of the prophets are so fascinating, seeing how the Lord guided and taught them, it’s really amazing!
There were so many accounts that are not super well known, I’m so glad I found and read this book I really loved it!
I loved this book and plan to reference it often!

[Tenille · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great collection of the Prophets of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. There is a brief bio of each Prophet in order, and then different things they had said about their lives, or that others close to them had said. It was a great glimpse into lives of these real and true men.

[Brett Hinton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had heard many of the stories but there were some I hadn't and it is a quick but insightful read about these remarkable men that God has called as prophets today.

[Christine]

This shares life experiences and quotes from the presidents of the LDS Church. It’s an interesting compilation that has well-known and little-known stories from each president’s life that show challenges in life and through relying on the Lord, their testimonies and leadership capacity grew.

Here's a link to the feature I did for the Mormon Times section of the Deseret News.