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MormonTimes.com: Massacre book 'a big bestseller'

I just finished this book last week. It was a very enlightening read. For the most part, I feel that it was an accurate depiction of what really occurred.

Is this the book that was written by some BYU history teachers or faculty? I heard it was supposed to be very unbiased and you could trust in it not being overly critical because of who wrote it. That's this book, right?

WHERE CAN I BUY THIS BOOK?

I LIVE IN FLORIDA

This book stands beside Richard Bushman's bio of Joseph Smith as better than average "Faithful History." Faithful LDS will find things they didn't know that are slightly disturbing but any actions of General Authorities, like the reformation or the oath to avenge the death of the prophets, are significantly downplayed or ignored and in the end, the authors predictably pin it all on "just a few" misguided local leaders in S. Utah. Brigham Young, Jeddy Grant, and George A. Smith all come out clean, of course.

The volume ends with the massacre. How the authors will downplay BY's coverup in the next volume, which I'm told is years away from publication, will be a wonder to behold.

Go read Juanita Brooks. She got it right more than 50 years ago.

I'm happy someone is making money over this horrible event. I know some of the descendants who are my friends who are Mormons. They are truly sad people about the massacre.

Why would anyone (except brainwashed Mormons) trust any book on this subject written by fellow LDSers?

I picked up a copy of the book two weeks ago. I would say it is about an 8 to 10 hour read. I passed it on to a fellow in my HP group whose great grand-father was Jacob Hamlin. I also told a fellow BYU alum about it whose surname is Leavitt about her relative's (Dudley Leavitt)involvement. He was at least a witness to the carnage (according to the book).

Contrasting the more incendiary book with "Under the Banner of Heaven" The authors in the current book glossed over the issue of whether there were dis-affected Saints in the party that they picked up in Provo/Springville. Other than saying they don't know all of those in the party. They glossed over wheter a sizeable portion of "The loot" from the train ended up in the Church Tithing office. They mentioned a particularly fine wagon or carriage that the Banner of Heaven author said ended up belonging to BY. It is my understanding BY was trustee-in-trust for Church assets. He may have felt as he was the Prophet and he had stewardship over church assets it would be no problem for him to use the wagon/carriage. To-all,-read-from-more-sources-to-get-a-feel-for-what-happened-and-what-did-not

Re: History Nut,

As a Relative of the Late Juanita Brooks, I feel it my duty to point out that she didn't pin the Massacre on General Authorities other than to say that their inflamatory orations didn't help the situation. She ALSO placed the blame squarely of Isaac Hale, and Other LOCAL church leaders, just as the new work does.

Why would anyone, except brain-washed anti-Mormons NOT accept this as anything but what it seems to be? An attempt to find out what really happened? Perhaps an objective investigation? I mean, what logical person would accuse the authors of obfuscating when they admit the atrocity happened, that it was committed by Church members, and that we still don't know all the facts?

Citing a book written 50 years ago, when all of the facts were not yet uncovered, by a person with an axe to grind seems a bit off the mark.

This is the most accurate and unbiased book ever written on the subject. The authors have impeccable credentials. They have not tried to gloss over or hide anything. The fact is, this was an act by a few extremely frightened and misguided people in southern Utah. That's it! Extremely tragic, but not the fault of Brigham Young or other general authorities.

I have read several books on the m. m. massacre and none of them say the same exact thing. The new book though does make "BRIGHAM YOUNG" look a tinny bit better. However, I still believe BRIGHAM YOUNG was DEEPLY involved in the M.M.M. Leaders have always had the upper hand, and a better chance to cover for themselves in all mistakes made by them, and It's been this way throughout time.

Re- CATS, You are dead WRONG! you do not know what the heck you are talking about. You are bias in what you wrote.

About the time i think this episode in history will be laid to rest--here it comes again. Can't you people give some of the thousands of descendants of the perpetrators a rest on this HORRIBLE tragedy? We are saddened and even sob over this history of our ancestors, even now in modern times. PLEASE GIVE US PEACE... We had nothing to do with the massacre, but our families still suffer over it today, nonetheless.

PLEASE GIVE US PEACE!

I was fortunate enough to attend a fireside type lecture by Ron Walker, and was able to talk to him and have him clarify some questions I had about the MMM.

I found the book to be extremely well written and thoroughly researched, including hundreds of files of documents in Church archives, not available to researchers in the past.

It was interesting to learn that it was the Church that requested this book to be researched and written, so as to put to rest the full story of the MMM.

I found the authors to be much more critical of the Mormons than I am. When I imagine myself in their place; having been slaughtered and burned out of their homes; enduring every known hardship moving out west; having the Army coming with unknown intentions; along with a wagon train of Arkansans, including some making very hostile threats to return from their destination (California)to exterminate the Mormons, it is very easy to appreciate their fear and panic.

Your mind can conjure up more fear than reality. It is called 'Moral Hysteria'. We have all experienced this to various degrees . It creates panic that prevents rational thinking.

It is humorous reading some of the comments and there critisism of LDS scholarship. Speaking of bias and such.

I'll bet you these same critics are turning a blind eye to the 'main stream media' and their out right liberal bias!

Perception is always the reality.

You are dead wrong and don't know what you are talking about. The records are clear on what happened with Brigham Young. He sent the message to steer clear as fast as it could be sent but the distance was too great. Only people with an ax to grind who hate the Church ignore the facts.

I am sorry this is so hard on you. I hope you can take a moment and reflect on the fact that the movie that recently came out about this subject was so inaccurate and full of hatred towards the Mormons, that no reasonable person should expect the Church not to want to set the facts straight. It is very important that people have the opportunity to read an unbiased account. (Of course anti-Mormons don't believe any Mormon is capable of being unbiased but I know better.)

It looks like the Mormons are still paranoid. I find nothing humorous about the comments on here or the M M M... Truly, it's unfortunate history. Although there has been much worse history in our world then this. People seem to enjoy poking at the ashes and making a mountain out of a molehill.

The lessons in this book are many, but the main one I found is that unchecked, fear, miscommunication and a feeling of retribution can have disastrous results. Bad things can be done in the name of seemingly noble reasons.

I see this attitude in our country today and it scares me to death.

When ever a book is written concerning Haun�s Mill or the extermination order we never hear one word from the anti-LDS bunch. And many of them call themselves unbiased. Perhaps one of them would care to recount the events leading up to Haun�s Mill where women and children were murdered in a country where we have freedom of religion?