The Other Martyr: Insights From the Life of Hyrum Smith

by Susan Easton Black

Though Hyrum Smith's name and legacy are revered by Latter-day Saints, the details of his life are often overshadowed by the tragedy of his death at Carthage. Gain new insights into the Prophet Joseph's older brother in The Other Insights from the Life of Hyrum Smith , an inspiring exploration of the history and character of a man described as "firm as the pillars of heaven." With facts gleaned from journals, church records, and firsthand accounts, renowned scholar Susan Easton Black presents an engaging narrative recounting Hyrum's childhood, his unwavering support of his brother, and the persecutions he faced as a result. Find strength and inspiration in witnessing the life of this pillar of the Restoration, and experience firsthand the fulfillment of the promise made to Hyrum in Section 124 of the Doctrine and that his "name [shall] be had in honorable remembrance from generation to generation, forever and ever."

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

Unknown Binding

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

[Scott Birk · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fine book about the life of Hyrum Smith, brother to The Prophet, Joseph Smith. Lots of stories about him that I had never heard before. It gave me a greater appreciation for his contribution to The Restoration.

[C · Rating 2 out of 5]

Super meh. It’s just basic church history stories that focus very loosely on some specific person or theme: in this case Hyrum Smith. No deep cuts, nothing unique or mind blowing. Nothing with historical rigor.

There was almost nothing here I hadn’t heard before or found particularly exciting or inspiring.

Honestly it matches the tone of much of the other works of the author that seems to just take an extremely light touch in telling basic church history stories that are already commonly know.

I was hoping for a much deeper and historical character study of the subject, but got nothing like it. I’d love to read such a book—a biography of Hyrum— but this ain’t it. I’ll hold hope for something better eventually being written.

No real reason to recommend or read this again (or to begin with).

[Marsha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was hard to rate. I started with 3 stars and changed to 4. I think I went in with the wrong expectation. I expected a much more in depth look at Hyrum but it was more about episodes in Church history where he was present. I have always loved Hyrum and thought there would be more specific stories about him. It was still an interesting book but not anything new.

[Charity Jacob · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book by Susan Easton Black. You always here about Joseph Smith and his part of the restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but in her book she tells of how Hyrum Smith also played a significant part of the restoration. I learned details of history that I have never known before.

I highly recommend this short, insightful read to all who love to learn about the church history, or to those who are curious to know more about Hyrum Smith, the other martyr.

[Kristie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Susan Easton Black is one of my favorite lecturers at BYU Education Week. I've been attending her classes since the 1990s. Her knowledge of Church history is unparalleled. I learned a lot from this book about persecution of the Saints and hardships of the Smith family, but there were times it seemed disjointed, thus the 3 star rating. There is no doubt, however, that Hyrum Smith was a loving and supportive brother to the Prophet Joseph. This book is a decent tribute, but he deserves more.

[Brandon Burrup · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was somewhat let down by this book although I do think it does a good job of communicating the spirit of the life of Hyrum Smith. The main complaints I had were that it was a very short book which I felt barely scratched the surface and was mainly sourced from Lucy Mack Smith's biography of Joseph, so I was already familiar with the majority of the content. In addition it was almost more of a quick summary of church history stories in which Hyrum was involved, which again meant that I was basically familiar with all of them already and didn't learn much new about Hyrum, which I had hoped to.

[Jeff Birk · Rating 4 out of 5]

My brother read this book and recommended it. Glad to have spent the time. Much of the history involved I had already known but it was nice to learn these things from the perspective of Joseph Smith's older brother. The author is very well-known for her many papers and gospel books so I had no concerns or disappointments with her work here. Integrity was one of the main characteristics of Hyrum Smith which I heard repeated many times. The various experiences he had and how he handled himself serve as good examples and reminders of how I hope to act when faced with trials and tribulation.

[Suzan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hyrum Smith is someone I love and admire very much. There are other more lengthy and detailed biographies about him, but this book does an excellent job of giving glimpses into his life, character, and his contributions to the Church that he sacrificed his life for.
“If ever there was an exemplary, honest, and virtuous man, the embodiment of all that is noble in the human form, Hyrum Smith was the representative.” ~ John Taylor

[Kim Dennis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this more than I did. When I first got it, I didn't realize that Black wasn't writing a full on biography -- I got that when I was listening to the introduction. Also, I found the headings really distracting while listening. Had I been reading, I could have skipped over them, but I'm not sure why they were necessary at all. The book was nice, but there just wasn't all that much about Hyrum in here that I didn't already know, which was what I was really looking for.

[Tyler · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short but interesting book with stories from the life of Hyrum Smith, including many quotations from primary source documents. I was already familiar with some of the stories in the book but there was some content that was new to me as well. I enjoyed reading it and learning about this good man who had such an important role in the early days of the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

[Celeste · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hyrum Smith is one of my favorite historical church figures, so I was excited to read this book. I felt like the first half of the book was random historical facts and read like a chronological statement of the Smith family. The second half was more enjoyable but overall it wasn’t as good as I had hoped. I am curious to find a good biography on Hyrum though.

[Edy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hiram Smith and his family have certainly influenced my life as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I knew very little about him other than he was the prophet’s brother and that he was martyred at the same time as Joseph Smith. Black does an excellent job describing the character of this remarkable individual.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love to hear Susan Easton Black tell stories of church history; reading them is almost as good. Unfortunately, it seems that not a lot is known about Hyrum’s life. This book, however, gives us an insight into his stellar character and unfailing loyalty to his brother Joseph.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved hearing the stories of Hyrum Smith. I’m one is his descendants. I loved learning of his loyalty to his brother and to the church. I’ve heard a lot of stories before but this was nice to interweave it through what was happening with the saints at the same time.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This quick read has a lot of stories from church history that I had never heard. It really made me appreciate what Hyrum Smith and his brother Joseph went through as they stood firm in their faith in Jesus Christ and his Gospel. I highly recommend it!

[Michele Hermansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

We read this book as a family. We enjoyed learning more about Hyrum Smith, one of Joseph Smith’s older brothers. He was a man known for his integrity, and died as a martyr with Joseph. I only wish the book were longer!

[Vicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is more a general Smith family history book until chapter nine. Chapters nine through eleven are more solely focused on Hyrum. At only 105 pages overall I would have enjoyed a more Hyrum focused approach from the beginning.

[Jessika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and sweet historical biography that I could totally handle reading, which I can’t say for every history book. That being said, I’m glad it wasn’t any longer. But I enjoyed it since I am a direct descendant of Hyrum Smith.

[Kimberly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was very disappointed with this book. I wanted more insights into one of my favorite people in church history. Instead it seemed a random collection of church history stories in which Hyrum was present. Very surface level and felt more like a history textbook.

[Toni · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was just the right length. It was a great overview of Hyrum Smith’s life. I learned quite a bit about what he and Joseph went through during their time on earth. So much persecution and hatred.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good historical account of the life of Hyrum Smith.

[Daryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book. It was nice to learn more about Hyrum Smith.

[Charity (Charity's Library) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Learned so much from this novel. Stuff I would expect myself to have known already but did not. A fantastic read, definitely recommend!

[Jeanne Thackeray · Rating 5 out of 5]

A humble man. Devoted to the end. Susan Easton-Black always filled with fun and interesting facts.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Black did not have enough history at her disposal to round out a great portrayal of Hyrum Smith. I would have loved to know more of this steady, supportive, dedicated brother. Good effort.

[Hailey May · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is fine if you are new to church history. For me it was a waste of time. I learned more about the life of Hyrum and his character from reading “Saints”.

[Ralph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy to listen to (or read) history of the brother of Joseph Smith. I learned a lot about Hyrum.

[Jamille Parks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm glad there is a book out there that talks about the life of Hyrum Smith. We tend to focus of Joseph, and rightly so, but it was nice to read about his faithful older brother.

[Trpusey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good but not a lot of new insights; a nice tribute to a remarkable man.

[Katra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Seems like a bit of a misnomer. I would say a definite emphasis on early LDS history with a bit of Hyrum Smith in there.