The Book of Mormon Girl: A Memoir of an American Faith
Aug 2012 · Simon and Schuster
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About this ebook
From her days of feeling like “a root beer among the Cokes”—Coca-Cola being a forbidden fruit for Mormon girls like her—Joanna Brooks always understood that being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints set her apart from others. But, in her eyes, that made her special; the devout LDS home she grew up in was filled with love, spirituality, and an emphasis on service. With Marie Osmond as her celebrity role model and plenty of Sunday School teachers to fill in the rest of the details, Joanna felt warmly embraced by the community that was such an integral part of her family. But as she grew older, Joanna began to wrestle with some tenets of her religion, including the Church’s stance on women’s rights and homosexuality. In 1993, when the Church excommunicated a group of feminists for speaking out about an LDS controversy, Joanna found herself searching for a way to live by the leadings of her heart and the faith she loved.
The Book of Mormon Girl is a story about leaving behind the innocence of childhood belief and embracing the complications and heartbreaks that come to every adult life of faith. Joanna’s journey through her faith explores a side of the religion that is rarely put on display: its humanity, its tenderness, its humor, its internal struggles. In Joanna’s hands, the everyday experience of being a Mormon—without polygamy, without fundamentalism—unfolds in fascinating detail. With its revelations about a faith so often misunderstood and characterized by secrecy, The Book of Mormon Girl is a welcome advocate and necessary guide.
The Book of Mormon Girl is a story about leaving behind the innocence of childhood belief and embracing the complications and heartbreaks that come to every adult life of faith. Joanna’s journey through her faith explores a side of the religion that is rarely put on display: its humanity, its tenderness, its humor, its internal struggles. In Joanna’s hands, the everyday experience of being a Mormon—without polygamy, without fundamentalism—unfolds in fascinating detail. With its revelations about a faith so often misunderstood and characterized by secrecy, The Book of Mormon Girl is a welcome advocate and necessary guide.
Ratings and reviews
4.4
10 reviews
A Google user
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August 20, 2012
What I liked about this book: The prose, the chapter about Marie Osmond, the challenge Joanna extends to Mormons to be open to all (it was thought-provoking), Joanna's love of her strong, incredible pioneer heritage. What I didn't like: Joanna, for as much as she claims to love the LDS Church, shows a woeful lack of understanding that to be able to claim completely one's membership in any organization, one must conform to the norms of that organization. Agitating for policies and doctrines beyond those currently prescribed reveals a fundamental lack of faith. The LDS Church becomes a social club, which, understandably, is not a vision for the Church shared by the vast majority of Latter-day Saints. Nevertheless, no matter who you are, you'll enjoy Joanna's prose, her humor, and her humanity. You'll enjoy this book even if, like I do, you ultimately don't see eye to eye.
A Google user
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October 24, 2012
A great book, very personal, very honest. Very well written. Excellent for any Mormon woman - more so for any Mormon man, active, inactive, believing, non believing, convinced or confused. Leon in Boise
A Google user
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August 28, 2012
Inclusive. I am very thankful for this brave voice in story telling.
About the author
Joanna Brooks is a national voice on Mormon life and politics, an award-winning scholar of religion and American culture, and the author or editor of five books. She has been featured on American Public Media’s On Being; NPR’s All Things Considered and Talk of the Nation; BBC’s Americana, Interfaith Voices, and Radio West; and in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the CNN Belief Blog, and the Huffington Post. She is senior correspondent for the online magazine ReligionDispatches.org and offers answers to seekers of all stripes at her own site AskMormonGirl.com. Follow @askmormongirl on Twitter, or visit her at JoannaBrooks.org.
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