Andrew Olsen shows that the stereotypical account of the Mormon handcart pioneers is but a crude facsimile of the incredible reality. Olsen digs deep into the journals to expose the lives of these pioneers: their faithfulness, their faults and folies, their lives in England, their conversion stories, and some cases their tragic deaths or disheartening loss of faith.
These pioneers are not charictatures of Mormons. Olsen reveals them to be familiar people. Once can imagine them today as friend, acquaintance, or family member. Their feelings, frustrations, and expressions of faith are almost typical of today's devout, despite the passage of time. That their lives are far from typical is what makes their story so compelling.
Olsen breaks new ground in his exposition of the fatal decision to embark the Martin and Willie companies far too late in the season, and the underlying hubris of Franklin Richards. Richards is the President of the Mission to Great Britain who accompanies his emigrants back to Zion. The Pioneers accept promises of divine protection and choose to proceed with their fateful journey. That the Pioneers are over-eager to proceed and completely trusting of their leaders places great importance on the actions of Richards and others.
Richards had chances to prevent the tragedy and was counseled by company leaders including Jesse Savage to hold the companies over for the season. Instead of listening to wise counsel he severely rebuked Savage and others and the result was tragedy. One would expect Savage to depart the ill-fated companies after such a rebuke, but he doesn't. In a remarkable demonstration of faith and humility he journeys with them, one of the most valuable pioneers, and saves numerous lives with his efforts. For the rest of his life, Savage is not known to bear ill-will or to engage in any "I told you so" gratuitous vindication.
The frost-bite, starvation, death, and other trials are painful to contemplate in this day, especially because we feel as though we know these people. They show resiliance and courage, even in death. For some survivors, their experience is a gateway to a life of divine joy in religious experience. The reader is left to marvel at the mirror-opposite themes strewn throughout the pages: humility and hubris, faith and despair, failure and triumph, even joy in the face of suffering and death.
More than a history, reading this book for me was a mind-expanding experience
