I am glad Leonard Arrington shared his life with us in this very informative book. It helped me understand the reality behind many of the rumors that have grown up around books like "The Story of the Latter-day Saints", "The Mormon Experience", and "Brigham Young: American Moses". I am also glad to know about the other wonderful books and articles he and his team put together over the years.
He had a difficult assignment in being directly affiliated with the Church and yet being tasked with producing professional history. For the Church, the hand of God is a reality in all things. But that kind of explanation doesn't hold any water in the halls of academe. This required a special person to be able to walk that very thin line (since it was indeed the Church Leaders who gave him this almost self-contradictory assignment).
It was inevitable that there would be some who would take exception to this or that and at times there was more than exception taken. Arrington put it well on page 144 "... trying to do a job under conflicting instructions or pressures, was like a mouse crossing the floor where elephants are dancing." I love this image and understand exactly what he means.
And there is a glorious chapter giving the background on the 1978 revelation on the priesthood. Just terrific insights and enriching information.
I do wish, however, he had taken a few pages showing examples of historical writing that did go beyond fair professionalism and into being against the Church. Clearly this writing does exist and probably did at least as much to undermine the purposes for which his office was originally set up as the complaints of the literalists.
This was a very enjoyable read and the background it provides makes it very worthwhile.