Brigham Young and the Expansion of the Mormon Faith

The Oklahoma Western Biographies

By: Thomas G. Alexander

Narrated by: Charles Henderson Norman

Length: 12 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

As president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and Utah’s first territorial governor, Brigham Young (1801-77) shaped a religion, a migration, and the American West. He led the Saints to Utah, guided the establishment of 350 settlements, and inspired the Mormons as they weathered unimaginable trials and hardships. In this new biography, historian Thomas G. Alexander draws on a lifetime of research to provide an evenhanded view of Young and his leadership.

Following the murder in 1844 of church founder Joseph Smith, Young bore a heavy responsibility: ensuring the survival and expansion of the church and its people. Alexander focuses on Young’s leadership, his financial dealings, his relations with non-Mormons, his families, and his own deep religious conviction. Brigham Young and the Expansion of the Mormon Faith addresses such controversial issues as the practice of polygamy (Young himself had 55 wives), relations and conflicts between Mormons and Indians, and the circumstances and aftermath of the horrific events of Mountain Meadows in 1857. Young relied on the counsel of his associates, and at times, the Mormon people pushed back to prevent him from implementing changes. In some cases, such as polygamy and the doctrine of blood atonement, the church leadership eventually rejected his views. Yet on the whole, Brigham Young emerges as a multifaceted human figure, and as a prophet revered by millions of LDS members, an inspired leader who successfully led his people to a distant land where their community expanded and flourished.

The book is published by University of Oklahoma Press. The audiobook is published by University Press Audiobooks.

©2019 University of Oklahoma Press (P)2019 Redwood Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"An eloquent and judicious portrait of one of nineteenth-century America’s most controversial religious and political figures." (John Turner, author of Brigham Young: Pioneer Prophet)

A Good Biography of Brigham Young

This book is very comprehensive. His early years were extremely interesting to me. What made the Man, and brought about his decisions. The trip across the Country and the development of their Settlement in Utah. Thank You!

I am LDS and enjoyed the book

As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I am always trying to have a better perspective of my church history and I found this book very compelling and balanced. The author did a great job sharing facts about Brigham Young and describing a more realistic character from what we read in other books. The quality of the research and the performance of the narrator is great too.
I received a free copy of this audio book at my own request and voluntarily leave this honest review.

An interesting view point

Brigham Young and the Expansion of the Mormon Faith. ...
This is a history of the early Mormon church - Well researched and laid out chronologically it is very interesting and informative about the man.
Sympathetic to Brigham Young but not sycophantic about him. A really good well balanced book, that is an excellent source of facts.
Narration is clear and concise and the quality is excellent.
I received a free copy of this audio book at my own request and voluntarily leave this honest review.

A truthful history!

Thomas G. Alexander really did his homework. The extensive research that went into writing these biographies makes you feel you are right in the midst of these events.

Charles Henderson Norman narrated this audiobook well.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Great Book!

I really enjoyed this book! Overall it was very easy to follow and contained no shortage of detail. There were a few times when the content was repeated, which at first seemed redundant. However, after finishing the book I realized that this was very helpful for me in retaining the information! I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Brigham Young or early LDS history.

Interesting!

I was given a complimentary copy of this book for an honest review.
This book was full of interest facts about Brigham Young and the beginnings and foundation of the Mormon faith.
It seems to be well researched.
The text was presented in a well organized chronological way.
If you are interested in history or the foundation of the Mormon church, this book would be very valuable.

Great book

I took a couple of classes from Prof. Alexander and he was outstanding. This book is every bit as good. I bought a hardback too.

Good, but pales in comparison to Turner's book

this book is loaded with some great info, and had I read it first I'd probably rate it highly. however, John g Turner's book on Brigham Young was just so good that I found myself really disappointed in this one. Turner goes very chronologically and really tells a great story of a real man. the reader is able to learn and grow along with Brigham to see how and why he does many of the things he did. this book on the other hand, while being mostly chronological, it skips around with into quite a bit. but mostly it just doesn't tell the great story. it doesn't feel like a novel, more like a history textbook.

to sum it up, I'd say this book feels more like a history class with dates and names thrown at you without telling the real story behind it. Turner's book is more like an exciting novel (though loaded with footnotes. I bought a hard copy also).

I do actually recommend reading this if you're really into Brigham Young. you'll get some new and good info about him, albeit from a believer's perspective that nearly always gives Brigham the benefit of the doubt. I would do Turner's book first though so you have the background and context for this one.