Customer Reviews

Orrin Porter Rockwell: Man of God, son of thunder

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Harold Schindler's biography on Mormon bad-boy Orrin Porter Rockwell is still the best biography of Rockwell out there. Moreover, it may be one of the best biographies of any early Mormon written. This book is not even so much about the quiet, enigmatic Rockwell as it is the genesis of an American religious movement.

Rockwell is a hard historical figure. He is a legendary figure whom the LDS church has tended to whitewash. Non-Mormon historians have had a tendency to villify him, making him a murderer and a theif. Somewhere, undoubtedly in the middle, lies the truth. Instead of writing an indictment or an apology for his life, Schindler writes a well-balanced account of Rockwell's life. He doesn't necessarily try to provide answers or justifications, only gives the facts and lets the reader decide. No doubt Schindler's objectivity and meticulous research has made this volume stand the test of time to become a classic in Mormon history.

I don't think I have ever said this about a book before: Probably just as engaging and interesting as the book itself are the footnotes which sometimes take up more of the page than the text. This is an awesome bibliographic reference as well. Not only does Schindler tell you about the life and times of Rockwell, he also tells many fascinating historical asides. If you don't believe or are suspcious about his research, then one may look at the documents he was viewing. Schindler does an excellent job of backing up most everything that he says.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Traditional LDS history paints a picture of Nauvoo and Salt Lake City as though they were the very seats of culture and industry. The reality was, they were both on the edge of the frontier, and consequently, they tended to be rough places. No one figured more prominantly in the "Wild West" of the Mormon kingdom than Orrin Porter Rockwell.

One of Schindler's significant contributions to the landscape of Mormon history is the perspective of the "regular folks" who were cowboys, farmers, and hunters who lived close to the land, mixed with Shoshones, Utes, Gosiutes, Paiutes and others, and who were engaged in a daily fight for survival. Rockwell's life, while steeped in Mormon theology, doctrine and experience, was also one of gunfighting, saloons, Indian fighting, stagecoaches, the California Gold Rush, and everything that is so quintessentially "western." I've read a lot of Church history, and this is the first time I really got a flavor for that element.

The difficulty with this book is that it still leaves you wondering whether Rockwell was a saint, or a ruthless killer. Unfortunately for history and historians, Rockwell was himself illiterate, and so there is no personal record of his life and dealings. On the other hand, because of his reputation, there is much that was written that portrayed him as a zealous destroyer, the mercinary of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young. To Schindler's credit, he doesn't draw any conclusions on the life of Rockwell...he leaves that difficult challenge up to you!

Regardless of who Rockwell was or wasn't, this is an engaging book that addresses most of the notorious "stories" that veil Rockwell in the mists of intrigue, mystery and wonder. You'll gain a fresh perspective on the rough-hewn life of pioneer times, the Wild Side of Mormondom!

I enjoy American History and especially biographies, usually first-hand pioneer autobiographies are best. This book by Harold Schindler, however, I especially appreciate for it's earthy and realistic portrayal of a time, people and one, mostly unknown but equally notorious character, namely O.P. Rockwell. This book is a must read and has been painstakenly documented/researched by the Author to reflect as accurate a reflection of what the written documents, eye-witnesses' accounts and governmental records can believably reveal.

The only portion of this work that I find to be somewhat incredible is that if Porter Rockwell is responsible for only half of the events, murders and heinous acts that are mentioned in this book, it seems impossible that he has avoided the notoriety that should place him in a league with the most infamous personages of the "Wild West". His cold-blooded conduct ranks him with the Daltons, Youngers or James'. His loyalty, sense of duty and shootist skills place him on a par with Bill Hickcock or Wyatt Earp. His plainsman knowledge, scouting and hunter skills liken him to William Cody. Not bad company for a figure whom doesn't have a greater fame as one of the most infamous characters in Western History. This was a very pleasant and interesting read, especially for those in search of the more authentic stories with,"...raw hide leather, bumps and bruises".

My favorite book on LDS history, not only about the life of a modern day Samson, Porter Rockwell but the church as a whole. His love and devotion to the Prophet Joseph and for the church as a whole. Thirty years ago after returning from my LDS mission I found Man of God Son of Thunder refreshing and fun to read a book about the church that gave all sides and perspectives and was neither whitewashed by the church nor just another anti-mormon book. Many LDS folks seem afraid or ashamed of our history, reading this book helped me understand how things were during the early days of the church and though some things would certainly be controvercial by today's standards they made sense during those rough and troubled times and we have nothing in our past we need to hide or be ashamed of. This is a great book to read about LDS history and an entertaining story of one of the most under recognized but important pioneers of the church and the Mormon migration. A body guard to two prophets an important scout, mediator with native americans of the Utah territory, rancher, pony express rider, US marshall, actor and devout Mormon High Priest to the end. I love this book.

This is a historical overview of an amazing era for the Mormon church, bringing to life one of it's most colorful characters in a non-biased manor. If only all historians Mormons and Non Mormons alike could do this type of work.

I became interested in reading about Orrin Porter Rockwell while reading about him in the History of the Church by Joseph Smith; I wanted to know who this person was and what became of him after volume seven. A few months ago I watched that b&w Hollywood Brigham Young movie and there was Orrin P Rockwell leading the Saints into the Zion of the hour. This book told me just about everything available about this strange figure in history, in a reasonably good, if decidedly Pro-Rockwell narrative. Schindler presents Rockwell as a Saint rather than a drunken fanatical assassin at every oppotunity when the historical records seem a bit cloudy; fortunately, however, the author has put in some wonderful footnotes which often contradict or illuminate Schindler's assessments. The reader is indeed given all the evidence and can either side with Schindler or form his own judgement about all those apocryphal murders and the secret combinations of the Danites.

This is an amazing book about the life of Porter Rockwell and the movement of the LDS church. I love reading stories about one of the most interesting Saint's ever.

Ty Wilde
"Everything I Touch Turns to Sold (Advice on How to Become a Top Sales Professional From a Top Producer)"

This book was recommend to me by a friend. I am so pleased that I purchased it. The author took a great deal of material that he had investigated and placed this information in the contents of this book in an entertaining and informative manner. I found it very interesting and I recommend it for all.

I bought this book for a reenactment study. Very valuable. Gave me a lot of insight, not only into the life of Rockwell but also into the mindset of the Mormon Church at that stage of its evolution. The book has great merit.

I found this book very enlightening on the history of my Great-great Grandfather. Since there were no journals written by him, the author did a good job researching his history through other means.