"Parley P. Pratt: The Apostle Paul of Mormonism"

At the monthly meeting last night in North Salt Lake City of our reading group, the Gadianton Polysophical Marching and Chowder Society, Tom Rogers led a discussion of Terryl L. Givens and Matthew J. Grow, Parley P. Pratt: The Apostle Paul of Mormonism (New York: Oxford University Press, 2011):

http://www.amazon.com/Parley-P-Pratt-Apostle-Mormonism/dp/0195375734

I'm afraid that neither my wife nor I had read much of the book yet.  We've been on the road, and very busy.  And it's hardback and heavy.

But what I've read has been quite good, and the group liked it a lot.

There is a very great deal of good Mormon history being done, and there has been for decades now.  I've noticed that many of those who claim that the Church suppresses its history have read little or nothing of what has been published.  When I ask, they typically haven't heard of Mormon Historical Studies, don't subscribe to the Journal of Mormon History or BYU Studies or the Utah Historical Quarterly, haven't read anything by Davis Bitton or Thomas Alexander or James Allen or Leonard Arrington or Mark Ashurst-McGee or Reid Neilson or Grant Underwood or Steven Harper or Richard Lloyd Anderson.  In fact, in a fair number of cases in my personal experience, they haven't even read articles relevant to their specific concerns that have appeared in the Church's official magazines.

But they've found a website.

It's sometimes quite frustrating.