Customer Reviews

Latter Days: A Guided Tour Through Six Billion Years of Mormonism

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Coke Newell's "Latter Days" has all the makings of a good book: it is interesting, accurate, amazingly thorough for its length, and eminently readable. The book flows quickly (he does not get off on tangents--has no time to), and covers a lot of territory.

I notice one other review that takes the author to task for working in the PR department of the LDS Church. Well. Every author writes from their personal perspective. I'm at least impressed when an author is upfront and revealing regarding where they are coming from. There are things Mr. Newell can tell us from and with his background that are unique and interesting.

Mr. Newell notes at the outset that he hopes to provide an accurate and helpful "insider's view" but one which he intends to be insightful and reasonably objective to anyone (non-member or member alike) with an interest in understanding Mormons or Mormonism. He simply never comes across to me as being in any kind of proselytizing mode.

Mr. Newell is primarily factual in presenting Mormon doctrine and history, but he does occasionally provide some "spice" in the form of brief commentary as well as some personal feelings and anecdotes from his own experience. I welcome that, as it makes the book that much more interesting and readable.

In the end, I felt I came away from the book with a rather complete view of Newell's topic. Yes, it is from his perspective, but he's upfront regarding himself and his purposes which are explicitly to tell a story, not to convert. I think this is as it should be. Bottom line: I loved the book.

Coke Newell's "Latter Days" is a lively and wonderfully-written account, not just of the institutional Mormon Church, but of the entirety of the metaphysics of Mormonism. Newell presents, with no apology, the Mormon cosmology that sets Mormonism apart from the rest of Christianity. No attempt is made to harmonize Latter-day Saint theology with larger evangelical thought, and this, I believe, is right. Mormonism either stands or falls on its own, finding its foundations in continuing revelation, sometimes independent of known written sources. This is a very good book. St. Martin's Press is to be commended for bringing this book to the market. And Mr. Newell is to be congratulated for doing such a fine job.

Review by Jeffrey Needle, Association for Mormon Letters jeff.needle@general.com

For the layman, and for those itching to take a glance at Mormonism, this book far more than any other present offer is the one to read. And for those only begining their studies into the religion of the Latter-Day Saint Church, this is where you want to begin (possibly excepting the Book of Mormon itself).

Coke Newell brilliantly and swiftly traverses through the wonderful history surrounding this religion. From the humble beginings in Palmyra to their vast empire in Salt Lake City. Every major event in the history of the Mormon people is covered. Not objectively, of course, since the author is a member of and works for the church. Thus, the embarassments of history, as are evident in all peoples, are left out and ignored. Nevertheless, Newell's brief outline of how the Mormons came to be where they are is engaging. Written with those not of the Mormon faith in mind, the work is a captivating introduction into a history which is often overlooked and ignored (perhaps considered an embarassment of America for some).

Two things stand out about the work: the prologue and epilogue Newell includes with his history. Other books have been written before, with Latter-Day Saint or 'Gentile' in mind, that do just as worthy a job as this one. This stands alone in the pack, to be noticed and admired, for its treatment of Mormonism as not simply a new creation brought up out of the creative mind of Joseph Smith, but as other religions view their ideology: an eternal, everlasting truth. With this attitude, Newell discusses what Mormons believe happened in the before-life and in the after-life. And it is this attribute which adds to the unique flavor this book presents and gives it the quality to be a worthwhile read (it gets a 5star because of this, too).

I'm a mormon. I grew up learning the doctrines and stories related in this book and yet I enjoyed it very much. In fact the engaging writing style and clever structure (identifying "mormonism" as something that started not with Joseph Smith's first vision but in the premortal existence and down through the ages) made it a very difficult book to put down. I believe both mormons and non-mormons will enjoy it. It will probably be faith promoting for members of the church and answer in an honest and forthright way many questions of non-members. I believe the tone is just right: neither apologetic nor defensive. Mr. Newell simply recounts events and explains doctrine as he understands them. It is a very readable, interesting book, one that I'll recommend to others.

A number of months ago, I was having a conversation with a close friend who is a Catholic. We were talking about religion, as we often do, when she mentioned jokingly that her church has "been around longer" than mine. The thought occurred to me that she was mistaken, but I was at a loss as to how I might explain why this was the case. I hadn't read Latter Days at the time; it hadn't even been published.

Having now read it, and thinking back on that conversation, it strikes me how marvelously Coke Newell has expressed what I wanted to say that day. Mormonism, to most people, came into existence just over 170 years ago. But to those of us who accept its doctrines, "the Church" has been around for some 6 billion years or so (as the subtitle of the book implies). I have always been impressed by the concept that, regardless of the name by which God's great plan is known, truth is still truth. And if, by chance, we Latter-day Saints have "got it right," the rest of the world should be no less willing to accept "Mormon" doctrines than if they were known by another name.

This book offers some exceptional insights into LDS unique doctrines (such as the pre-mortal existence of spirits, vicarious work for the dead, and a heaven comprised of three "degrees of glory"). As Newell explains in the preface to his book, "books written by the faithful are, almost without exception, written to the faithful, using language that only the faithful understand..." Latter Days is one of the very few exceptions. And a big plus, in my opinion as a fellow-believer, is that never in the book does he proselytize. Actually, close to half of the book (the middle section) deals with Mormon history from 1830 (when the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was formally organized) to the present. You'll read the real story behind the "infamous" Danites, Joseph Smith's trial for treason, and other fascinating events in our past. The first quarter of the book concerns the period of "Church" history dating back to the "real" beginning, billions of years ago. The final quarter addresses what the future holds, specifically in terms of the Latter-day Saint concept of Heaven and Hell, etc.

Latter Days is extremely well-documented, with footnotes on virtually every page. And Coke Newell is a very talented writer! Although I seldom read histories and couldn't manage to get through even the first book of The Work and the Glory series (English-speaking Latter-day Saints will recognize the title), I had a hard time putting this book down. If you're interested in taking an objective look at Mormon history, I can assure you that you'll find Latter Days to be well worth your time.

It will make you laugh. It will make you cry. It will make you think and ponder. You will want to know more about a faith that would lead the Mormon people to endure the persecutions that were aimed at them in the early days of their existence.

Coke Newell describes the early days of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in an objective, realistic way. In a very sensitive way, he helps you capture the feeling of "being there" yourself.

No other writer covers the history of the Latter-day Saints like Coke Newell. Even if you do not want to learn any more about the doctrine of the LDS people, you will not want to miss this fascinating historical drama.

This book is concise, very readable, and thorougly entertaining. I particularly like the way that Newell, a self-described "Colorado Tree-Hugger," is careful to distinguish between Mormon doctrine (which I personally have full faith in) and Utah culture and politics (which, as a Utah native, I sometimes find a bit embarrassing). His descriptions of the Church's views on topics like evolution and the environment, for example, fall much further to the left than most Utah mormons might expect, and clarify doctrines that members themselves often misconstrue.

Coke Newell's sojourn through the Plan of Salvation brings eloquency and intelligence to a subject normally consigned to dogma and hyperbole.

Up until now there have been few books which one would happily share with one's friends. I shall continue to order this book for all of my friends who are interested in knowing more about Mormonism.

Mr Newell says what many thinking LDS Members have thought for a long time, and we now discover that many of the unspoken explanations for our particles of faith come to life in these pages.

A good read for Mormons and Non-Mormons alike.

Thank you Coke.

As a convert and a media spokesman for the Church, Coke Newell has both a unique perspective and a talent for expressing it. In this book he explains the beliefs of the Church accurately and in terms easily understood by those not of the faith. Highly recommended.

This book is clearly a response to Mormon America: The Power and the Promise, by Richard and Joan Ostling. Now I will readily admit that this is a serious accusation, and that I will never be able to ever prove a thing, yet it has the "fingerprints" of the LDS Church public relations department all over the book. Consider the following,

* The author admits both on the dust jacket and in the preface that he works presently (as he has for nearly a decade) for the LDS Church as an "international public relations officer at world headquarters in Salt Lake City."

* The author in the acknowledgments thanks (and I quote) "At the headquarters offices of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint: Brian D. Garner of the Church Educational System, and Ronald O. ("Omivorous") Barney of the Historical department for their close reading of the manuscript, sought for both to keep me accurate and to keep me employed...". This is clearly an admission that continued employment by the LDS Church requires that he not write anything that would displease his employers.

* At the end of the book is a "Selected Bibliography"; more likely it should be called a "Selective Bibliography". Only two out of the 18 bibliographic references given were to non-Mormon publishers. AND, even at that, one of the two non-Mormon references was to The Encyclopedia of Mormonism published by Macmillan, but produced under the independent editorial control of Mormon apologist Daniel H. Ludlow (i.e. Macmillan gave Ludlow final say on what went to press). While BYU Studies was mentioned, Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, Journal of Mormon History and Sunstone were omitted from bibliography. What makes the omission of Dialogue and Suntone odd is that the are mentioned in what passes for footnotes in 3-4 spots in the text (for example, Dialogue is cited on page 145n299, and then again on page 160n330; Sunstone is cited on page 165n339).

Yet what most clearly seems to identify this book as a reply to Mormon America is this remark on page xiv. "Those books written by outsiders to the Latter-day Saints' faith and employing a reasonable range of objectivity vary widely in their ability to get it right, to really comprehend LDS thought and doctrine...Those texts written by dissidents, or even by objective outsiders who surrender to some odd compulsion to get their "research" from the mouths of such dissidents, continually end up with the same dirty water, contaminated and dangerously unreliable. (Would you study Catholicism at the knee of a rabbi?)"

Admittedly, the endnotes in Mormon America that go on for 30 pages, the Ostlings' include "controversial facts and opinion" about LDS Church history and doctrine (included in their "For Further Reading" section, the Ostlings' include many titles about the same by faithful Latter-day Saints; nearly 6 full pages in all). Unlike the author of Latter Days however, the Ostlings' have more faith and trust in the intelligence of their readers.

Additionally, the treatment of two well-known figures from early Mormonism in Latter Days tipped me off to the author's inclination to distort historical fact for partisan religious advantage (and might I add, to the disadvantage of those that can no longer speak for themselves). The first figure is none other than Emma Hale Smith, the wife of Mormon Prophet and Founder, Joseph Smith. Beginning on page 130, the author writes, quoting an early LDS Church leader, "Many people have turned away from the truth because things did not come exactly to suit them...Emma Smith, for example." This is an unalloyed a slur against a woman who, like Hillary Clinton, stood by her man. And Emma was not merely "discomforted" (the adjective the author uses) with the principle of polygamy, she was diametrically opposed to the practice. Indeed, the women's organization (the Relief Society) was disbanded in part because it was being utilized to rally opposition against polygamy. The first president of the Relief Society? Emma Smith. And finally, in one final attempt (and a rather ghoulish one at that) to discredit Emma Smith, the author alleges that in her attempt to make a break from the LDS Church, she attempted to literally take her dead husband with her. And while Mary Fielding Smith, the widow of Hyrum Smith, Josephs' brother that was killed along with him at the same time, was not invited to a private reburial of the their bodies, she did know for a fact of the whereabouts. The primary consideration of Emma here was that the bodies of Joseph and Hyrum not be dug up and desecrated by their enemies.

The other individual that comes in for rough treatment is Oliver Cowdery, the scribe for Smith during the "translation" of the Book of Mormon, the Second Elder and Assistant President of the LDS Church. Starting on page 86, the author writes that "by midsummer, the threats to the church were not only external but internal. Four church officers, including...Oliver Cowdery were found profiting from funds designated for helping the poor incoming settlers, and excommunicated. In his own way, each began to retaliate." Since the author does not state who the other three church officers were, nor does he even so much as leave a citation to this unsubstantiated allegation, we the readers are left to wonder. Nor is the author any more specific about how "each began to retaliate."

Please, if you want to learn more about LDS Church history and doctrine, there are many titles available to choose from, even some by faithful, believing and observant members of the Church. One such book, The Mormon Experience: A History of Latter-Day Saints, by Leonard Arrington (now deceased) and Davis Bitton (and published by the more discriminating University of Illinois Press) available from Amazon, not only cost less (so you can do like I do and buy more books from Amazon), but is a more balanced account of LDS Church history and doctrine. END