Customer Reviews

No Man Knows My History. The Life of Joseph Smith

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I've consummed a library of books on Mormon studies, and had held off on reading "No Man Knows My History" because I had already read a considerable quantity of biographical material on Joseph Smith. I capitulated at last only because it is among the most well known books on early Mormon history. I am so glad I did. No book could have pulled it all together and made sense of it all as well as Fawn Brodie's book. It is as valuable today as it was when it was first written over half a century ago. None of the objective scholarship of recent years contradicts her conclusions, but rather validates her, page after page after page. Her insight is piercing, her style is almost poetic, and her message is powerful.

It is not any easy book for a Mormon to read, as is evidenced by some of the reactionary attacks Brodie receives in some of the reviews already written. The faithful do not want to hear that Joseph Smith was an "evolutionary revolutionary," his doctrine growing with his ego and sense of personal magnificence. But this is no mean swipe at the character of Joseph Smith...if anything, you come away with a sense of awe at the creative genius, the charismatic giant that he must have been. If he brought scorn and violence upon himself and his people, it was a measure of the power he produced and the fear that he struck in lesser men with whom he shared his time and space. Nevertheless, Brodie's exploration of the world of Joseph Smith and the context within which his doctrine evolved is brilliant. She is adept at recognizing the role that projection has played throughout his career, beginning with the Book of Mormon, and continuing on through all of his other writings, including the History of the Church. Ms. Brodie says it best herself in the opening lines of Chapter 19: "A man's memory is bound to be a distortion of his past in accordance with his present interests, and the most faithful autobiography is likely to mirror less what a man was than what he has become." Or as is so often the case, "less what a man was than what he wished he had become." To one who has studied the role of paradigms in shaping the way we interpret our world, Brodie's book makes the most beautiful sense. To one who's faith is at stake, however, her book may serve to threaten the idylic, heroic legend of Joseph Smith that has been carefully nurtured since his murder in 1844.

This is among the finest pieces of historical literature I have had the priveledge of reading. Her scholarship and writing and fearless approach to tackle controversial issues with objectivity and sensitivity is matched only by Juanita Brooks in the realm of Mormon studies. This is a book not just to read, but to consume.

After hearing about the "controversial" nature of this book amongst my peers and how "horribly" written it was I decided I would read it for myself.

Needless to say I was enthralled from the very beginning of the book. I found the book and the subject matter fascinating. I had expected the book to have a clear bias, but I felt Brodie presented the information very fairly and in a suprisingly unbiased way... oftentimes giving both perspectives and the information where both sides claims come from (i.e. she'll present people's claims that Joseph Smith was a moneydigger and occultist, and than show the court documents where he was on trial for doing so, and than she would show the other side's argument.).

In fact the only part of the book that I felt had a truly negative biased tone was the "afterword" that was added several years after the author's excommunication.

In the end though, I would have to say that the part I enjoyed most about the book was that it not only gave a detailed account of Joseph Smith, but of other church history figures such as Sidney Rigdon, Brigham Young, John D. Lee, etc. I felt like a picture of what life was like back then was painted.

Granted true blue Mormons will be offended when reading this book because they haven't heard anything but the filtered down version, AND they will gnash their teeth and bash on Fawn Brodie... BUT give her a break! It was the first biography of its kind and it was written in the 40's for heaven sakes. All the teeth gnashing looks ridiculous as if you're trying too hard to prove your obedience and faith.

A good product will sell itself, and this book has sold suprisingly well despite being restricted to a small fraction of the world who actually knows what a "mormon" or who "Joseph Smith" was. I enjoyed the book very much, thank you Fawn Brodie.

I will spare the reader of this review another exhaustive summary of the book contents, since the contents are well-documented and reviewed by innumerable other reviewers (the book was initially published in 1945). At any rate, I found the book well-written, the material neatly couched & contextualized into the era it occurred, and a conscientous effort given to both 'official' mormon history and 'unofficial' mormon history. In spite of one's religious beliefs, this book ought to be required reading for both the scholar of mormon history and the devout mormon churchgoer. Ultimately, this book should serve as a springboard for further investigation and research by BOTH earnest mormon scholars and pious mormons alike.

As a Mormon, I expected to find myself offended by this book, but it simply wasn't the case. Granted, Brodie approaches Smith with the assumption that he was not a real prophet...but once you understand that, her true facination and, yes, admiration for the man comes through.

On the downside, she does try to psychoanalyze Smith using 20th century standards, and loses much of her credibility in the process. On the other hand, though, I've never read a more riveting account of the Missouri period. This book gives a flavor for what a truly remarkable man Smith was...whether one believed his claims or not.

My advice to Mormons is: Read this book if you truly have an open mind and can appreciate a non-believer's point of view. To non-Mormomns I'd say: Remember, this book doesn't tell the whole story.

All authors on Mormon history approach the subject matter from preconceived notions of belief or unelief, and that orientation clouds whatever comes after. Contrary to other reviewers, my feeling is that a book of this kind will never help someone to understand whether a religion is genuine or not. Those decisions come from other places in one's mind...and heart.

Whether you believe Joseph Smith is a true prophet of God, a complete charlatan, or some mixture of the two does not change the fact that he is one of the most fascinating and underrated figures in American history. His life and the religion he founded say a lot about this country.

This is the most famous (or infamous) biography of Joseph Smith. At the time of its publication it was a watershed event. No one with an 'outside' perspective had been given quite the access that Historian Fawn Brodie had.

So after hearing all of the praise and condemnation heaped upon this book, what do I think? Pretty good, for the most part. Mrs. Brodie is a compelling storyteller. As a narrative, it has great flow and keeps your interest. From my perspective, the book's greatest strength is placing Joseph Smith's life within the context of the world views and cosmological theories prevalent in the United States in the early 19th Century. Some of Mrs. Brodie's sources ('Mormonism Unveiled' for example) have been largely discredited, so a careful reading is required, especially when considering the quotes of the some of the more vociferous opponents of Smith.

Is Joseph Smith a true religious prophet or not? You definitely get the feeling that Mrs. Brodie does not think so, but even she is amazed at Joseph Smith's life and transformations.

Historical books about religious figures are bound to be controversial. My advice would be read this book, as well as other about the life of Joseph Smith. But this book, although imperfect, is still an valuable and compelling part of the history of the history of Joseph Smith.

Like Ben Franklin, Kit Carson, Thomas Edison and Henry Ford, Joseph Smith was incandescent in a uniquely American way. The church he founded is America's most successful home grown religion. A century and a half after Smith's murder by an Illinois mob, the Mormon Church flourishes, with over 12 million members worldwide. You don't have to believe he was divinely inspired - and Fawn Brodie clearly doesn't - to be impressed by his vision, energy, resilience, entrepreneurial skill and improvisational brilliance. Smith was undoubtedly a religious "genius" - William James' term for charismatic founders of new religious movements. This superb biography gives us the life in all its tumult and glory while skillfully refuting the larger than life myths it spawned.

As Brodie shows, even as a semi-literate farm boy in upstate New York, Smith was a magnet for the social and theological currents whirling through 1820s America. His Book of Mormon, a mythic tale of warring tribes in the primordial American wilderness, drew upon magic, folklore, superstition, Masonic ritual, the old and new testaments of the Christian bible, racial prejudice against blacks and Indians, and the crude anthropology of his day. He grounded its authenticity in the Angel Moroni, who allegedly led him to the golden plates on which the book was inscribed in ancient hieroglyphics. He, Joseph, claimed only to be the messenger.

Brodie has less interest in the mysteries of divine revelation than she does in the mysteries of human charisma. Smith's powerful voice, penetrating gaze and bluff, good-natured personality drew men and women from all walks of life into his orbit. His followers loved the man, according to Brodie, and saw in him the physical embodiment of their church. He was also shrewd enough to custom fit his religion to the character of his time, making Mormonism an ingenious meld of the secular and the spiritual. To a people eager for miracles, he proclaimed several. He gave Mormonism a patina of democracy, creating governing councils and making each member accountable for the overall health of the church. He also played on the willingness of Americans to see evidence of God's favor in the size of their bank balances. In Smith's religion, there was little friction between the good life on earth and the one that comes after.

As the Mormons migrated west through Ohio, Missouri and Illinois, Smith updated his theology through periodic revelations from the Almighty. His most controversial revelation had to do with the taking of multiple wives. Interestingly, it wasn't the practice of polygamy that led to Mormon persecution during Smith's lifetime. Polygamy was too explosive for even Smith to sell to his followers, so he kept this revelation a secret outside his inner circle. The persecution the sect endured in Missouri and Illinois had to do with local fears that Smith's religious army would tip the balance of political power. That the prophet and his followers were cruelly persecuted, particularly in Missouri, is beyond dispute. By being tone deaf to their neighbors' concerns and by proclaiming themselves above secular authority, they created a decent portion of the resistance they encountered.

At the time of his death in 1844, Smith was in the middle of a run for President of the United States. He was presiding over his church, the town of Nauvoo, a private military army, a vast financial and real estate empire, and a secret squadron of "fifty of so" wives. As he said in a sermon to his followers, "I don't blame anyone for not believing in my history. If I had not experienced what I have, I could not have believed it myself."

His was one of the most thrilling high wire acts ever seen in America. Brodie tells the life clearly, does an outstanding job of documenting her assertions, and gives credit where it's due. While not overlooking his tendency to claim divine justification for all too human urges, she has sympathy for the struggle he waged between "what he really was and what he most desperately wanted to be." If you believe Smith had an actual pipeline to God, you'll probably see this book as a hatchet job. If you see him as a brilliant but flawed human being, you'll appreciate this balanced, clear-eyed biography.

I grew up 20 miles from Palmyra NY and thought I knew about the Mormon Church, having written reports on it. Then in the '50's I lived 5 years in Salt Lake and knew Mrs Brodie's sister and brother-in-law. These girls were neices of David O MacKay, President of the Mormon Church, and after they served their "missions" in Switzerland, Fawn and Louise each married and Fawn attended the University of Chicage. We were told that Fawn had written the book as a disertation for the University of Chicago and her uncle had allowed her to use the church records for research. (Records not on display for the public.) As a result of her research, she lost her faith in the church and she and her sister and their husbands were what I would call excommunicated. I finally found the book to read in Rochester NY in 1960 by special order because it was not available in Utah and was out of print in other places. I'm happy it has been reprinted but I'll bet it isn't on bookstore shelves in Salt Lake City!!!!! Fawn Brodie has since died. She was a thourough researcher. Her Jefferson biography was well received and reviewed.

Fawn Brodie, former history professor at UCLA and former Latter Day Saint, in her above-titled book gives a fair and honest history of the founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Joseph Smith. From his early days using folk magic as a "treasure hunter" to his first vision and beyond, Dr. Brodie tries to present all sides of the enigmatic founder of Mormonism (which isn't always done in books about Joseph Smith). Court transcripts, afadavits of former neighbors, testimonies of faithful followers, witnesses to the golden plates, Joseph Smith's own version of events - Dr. Brodie allows all these voices to speak in this biography. Her writing is interesting, entertaining, informative, and she isn't afraid to draw conclusions based on the evidence at hand. Perhaps she reaches a bit too far in psychoanalysis of J.S., but that's part of what makes this book the page-turner that it is. One doesn't have to agree with all her conclusions to enjoy this book. Overall I would rate this book as "excellent."

A nice fluffy series of reviews, but it's time to honor Ms. Brodie's excellent work and call a spade a spade. Joseph Smith was certainly a remarkable human being, but as anyone with a clear objective mind can see, he was a charlatan of the highest order. He made up a religion from whole cloth, or rather, from a patchwork quilt of what he had at hand. His "scriptures" had a resonance in his day, but his writings and his church derive from brazen and bold lies and fantasies, plain and simple.

The Mormon church now consists of some millions who deeply believe that Joe Smith was a "prophet of God". They are convinced that the hilarious mish-mash of biblical, masonic, and early 19th century historical and world views that make up the sacred doctrines and rituals of their Church are a sufficient explanation for the wonder of life and human existence on this planet and in this universe.

Don't misunderstand me, Smith's Church is no worse than any organized religion. But in this case (not unlike Scientology), too much has been documented for a rational mind not to expose it. Moreover, the well documented beginning, expansion, and solidification of Smith's church into the Fortune 400 economic powerhouse that it is today (faithful member must pay 10% of their pre-tax income)is extremely illuminating as to how all "great" religions get established.

The best things about Brodie's work:

1)She is accurate. Even though it's been decades since this book has been out, it is still a widely-read text. She is a competent historian, which is a must if you want to learn about things as they reflect reality.

2)She is readable. You can actually -enjoy- reading this one! It makes things much easier when a historian can write well, and Brodie does.

3)She has a fascinating subject. Joseph Smith is one interesting fellow, as evidenced by the successful church that has sprung up in Utah. For some orthodox Mormons, reading this may even be quite adventuresome, as they learn about Smith from another perspective! I think everyone can read this and be intrigued by a complex person.

If I have any complaint, it's that Brodie tries to psychoanalyze Smith too much. Obviously every biography is going to involve some speculation - unless you can actually interview the person yourself - but I thought she went too far at times in assuming she knew "why" Smith did certain things.

Overall I highly recommend the book and I think it is still after all these years the best biography on Smith you can get your hands on.