Samuel

This book is different from other books about the Latter-day Saints (LDS) in at least two ways. First, it focuses on details of LDS doctrine that are relatively unknown, even to church members. Second, because its purpose is to inform, not persuade, it presents these details in a neutral, unflinching, warts-and-all way. The listener can then decide for him or herself what to believe.

Founder of the largest indigenous Christian church in American history, Joseph Smith published the 584-page Book of Mormon when he was 23 and went on to organize a church, found cities, and attract thousands of followers before his violent death at age 38. Richard Bushman, an esteemed cultural historian and a practicing Mormon, moves beyond the popular stereotype of Smith as a colorful fraud to explore his personality, his relationships with others, and how he received revelations.