I have (non-mo) friends who recently bought a house on several acres in southern Utah, near Cedar City. They are both from the east coast and have never been around Mormons.

She wants me to recommend three books for her and husband to read.

I want to be careful in my picks because as non-members they need to be explained the basics, and build from there.
One of my picks is Jon Krakauer's "Under the Banner of Heaven"--I'm having a hard time choosing the next two...

What other books would be good for them to understand the Mormon mentality they'll be dealing with?

Thanks guys!

I really can't help you, I hope others can.

I don't know if these books have been written yet, but if they have, consider:

"OMG, these people are crazy"

and

"I just met someone who makes me feel dirty"

might help.

Best of luck

M.A

Here are my three top picks:

"Quest for the Gold Plates" by Stan Larson
"Losing a Lost Tribe" by Simon Southerton
"By His Own Hand Upon Papyrus" by Charles Larson

And, if they're at all scientific-minded:

"Farewell to Eden" by Duwayne Anderson

I loved Under the Banner of Heaven. My three picks:
An Insiders view of Mormon origins,
Losing a lost tribe
No man knows my history

I also loved Under the Banner of Heaven, but it's the only one I've read here. This post is like a gold mine to me- I have recorded every book listed here and will start adding to my library as I can. Thanks to everyone!

Reading Under the Banner of Heaven was a real eye-opener for me, and is probably what ultimately led me to this site. Coming from an inactive mormon family, I was never a TBM, but it was the only church I was ever exposed to. I've thought it was icky and a scam for many, many years now after my childhood exposure, but never really knew that much about the history or even the teachings. Picked up the book in SLC airport (some irony there!) once after visiting relatives in UT. I have since realized that since my heritage is mormon, I really need to learn more about what the past five generations were all about. This has turned into a fascinating journey for me and I can't stay away now from RfM- I'm learning new stuff all the time. Thanks to everyone who posts here.

Definately "No man knows my history" and another great one is "Mormon Hierarchy" by D.Michael Quinn. And "The Kingdom of the Cults" by Walter Martin.

An Atlas, with interstate 80 going THROUGH Utah to Cheyenne, then I-25 to Colorado!

The Stepford Wives would be a good one to start with to understand their neighbors. Then maybe The Wizard of Oz or The Emperor's New Clothes to understand the Morg.

Good choices.

'One Nation Under Gods' is a great primer on Mormon history. I would also recomend 'Inventing Mormonism: Tradition and the Historical Record'.

Sums everything up neatly and easily. It's probably the one book I'd recommend in your situation, if your friends only have time to read one. And it's easy to understand for people who have don't have much experience with Mormons.

In Mormon Circles: Gentiles, Jack Mormons, and Latter-Day Saints
by James Coates


When I was getting reactivated, my wife picked up this book at the library. She asked what I thought of it. I flipped through some pages and said it was AntiMormon propaganda and she returned it. A couple years later I baptized her.

Anyway, after we learned the truth about the church, I went to the library and got it for her.

She says that if she had read it the first time she would never have joined the church.

I think I'm going to give her a list of about 6-8 books with a little note as to why I think each book will help them understand their Mormon neighbors.

I want to circumvent the proselytizing efforts that will surely be attempted by their "We-are-nice-Mormons-step-into-the-baptismal-font" so-called new friends that will be knocking at their house.

I'd never heard of James Coates' "Mormon Circles"--if my library doesn't have it, I'll get it used on Amazon. Thanks for that title, JoD3.

Thank you all for the input thus far.

I really like Mormon America (http://bit.ly/98foXe ), it's unbiased yet comprehensive, and a good primer before getting into the really heavy stuff. I haven't read cademon's suggestions, so I don't know how Mormon America compares, but it sounds like it's probably similar in theme and content to those recommendations.

I second that suggestion. I'm on my second copy of it - never got my first one back from my excommunicated ex-mo father.

I just finished reading "Confessions of a Recovering Mormon" by Deborah Lucas. I just reviewed it...

http://www.epinions.com/review/Deborah_Lucas_Confessions_of_a_Recovering_Mormon_The_Deborah_Lucas_Story_epi/content_529193406084

It's a very good story about one woman's exit out of Mormonism.

They can check out books listed above from any library, also.
Depends on what kind of info they want about Utah.
If they have a church and are not looking for a church, no need to be concerned about the LDS folks dragging them kicking and screaming to their church! :-)

The best one-volume introduction to Mormonism that I have run acrosss is Mormon America by Richard and Joan Ostling:

http://www.amazon.com/Mormon-America-Revised-Updated-Promise/dp/0061432954/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1288197152&sr=1-1

i guess my trifecta would be :


1. no man knows my history by fawn m. brodie

2. mormonism shadow or reality by jerald and sandra tanner

3. early mormonism and the magic world view by d. michael quinn

i would also suggest going online and perusing, journal of discourses, a 26 volume collection of public sermons delivered by early leaders of the mormon church

Ditto on "No Man Knows My History"

Also, have they been to this site yet?

It seems silly to suggest this, but South Park's All About the Mormons (can be viewed online) is pretty good, too.

'You Can Never go Home Again'-Wolff

IMO NeverMos heading for Utah FIRST need to understand what Mormons do believe. Gospel Principles is a good basic primer for this purpose.

If they were my friends, I would suggest they start with Gospel Principles and then read other books as suggested by other posters above.

most of the books listed are encyclopedic documentaries on Mormon history or biography. Don't get me wrong, I have read most of these and I love the ones I have read, but I'm not sure how much benefit a non-Mormon moving to Utah for the first time would get out of reading the biography of Joseph Smith.

Jon Krakauer's "Under the Banner of Heaven" (mentioned a couple of times in this thread) I would recommend, because it tells a modern story with early church history and doctrine dovetailed into it.

I would also recommend anything related to the Mountain Meadows massacre, which would be relevant to anyone living near Cedar City. Perhaps "Blood of the Prophets" or "Massacre at Mountain Meadows" would be apropos.

There aren't many books out there that tell the story of what it's like living in Utah as an outsider; someone who has been both in and out of the church, both in and out of the state. With that said, I would like to toot my own horn, and suggest my book: "House of Faith, House of Cards". View it at this link: http://www.amazon.com/House-Faith-Cards-Mormonism-Murderers/dp/1449085210/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1287973196&sr=1-1

The book is also available at Barnes & Noble. In the book I tell the story of my life, how my parents converted to the church when I was a young child. I detail my experiences in the church, describing each so that a non-Mormon would be able to understand the workings of the church better. I also discuss my own family's move to a rural area of Utah from out of state, and how we were received by the locals. It may be an eye opener for someone coming to Utah for the first time.

In the later chapters I discuss my deconversion from the church, and then include my own list of grievances against the Mormonism, over a hundred pages of scriptures, quotes, doctrines, etc., that helped make my decision to leave the church.

I loved these stories when I was a kid. It's about a non-LDS (Catholic??) family in a small Utah town in the 19th c. Fun kids stories, but gives you a great feel for how non-Mormons live among Mormons.

It provides great insight into the true nature of Joseph Smith and many of the early members.

Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
Stepford Wives movie

and from what I've heard: D&C 132...

my guess is that they will get severly depressed once they get to Utah and will panic. any type of self help books and a good therapist will be needed

They will want to get the heck out of Utah ASAP

BTW, I know three families, 2 nevermo and 1 exmo, who have retired to Cedar City, and are very happy there. Two of the heads of household were midwestern professors, one a CA attorney.

I think living in Utah is getting easier/more normal. Utah and Davis counties still give me a rash, however.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/29/2010 11:16AM by Brother Of Jerry.