... "Telling the stories of the prophets can be a tricky business. There are several audiences for these books, and I'm guessing that it's an impossible task to satisfy everyone. There are those who enjoy the Gibbons approach of reporting the laudatory episodes and exciting challenges in their lives. Others want a critical approach – one that factors in all aspects of a prophet's life, even if these aspects might not be considered faith promoting. Does a book need to be one or the other? I think not. " ...Review
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Title: Howard W. Hunter: Man of Thought and Independence, Prophet of God
Author: Francis M. Gibbons
Publisher: Deseret Book
Genre: Biography
Year Published: 2011
Number of Pages: 176
Binding: Trade paperback
ISBN10: n/a
ISBN13: 978-1-60641-943-4
Price: $24.99
Reviewed by Jeffrey Needle for the Association for Mormon Letters
When this book arrived in the mail, I originally thought this was a paperback reprint of a hardback book. After all, the other volumes in the Gibbons biography series all appeared in hardcover. To my surprise, this is a first printing, a paperback original to conform with reprints of the previous volumes in this series.
Gibbons is one author who has drawn both praise and criticism from Mormon readers. He is praised for his energy and vitality, his commitment to chronicling the lives of the Mormon prophets. But he is often criticized as being a hagiographer rather than a true biographer. And while there is value in telling a faith-promoting story, there is also room for a more textured, pragmatic look at the lives of the leaders of the Church. I have argued that both approaches can be used to build faith.
Telling the stories of the prophets can be a tricky business. There are several audiences for these books, and I'm guessing that it's an impossible task to satisfy everyone. There are those who enjoy the Gibbons approach of reporting the laudatory episodes and exciting challenges in their lives. Others want a critical approach – one that factors in all aspects of a prophet's life, even if these aspects might not be considered faith promoting. Does a book need to be one or the other? I think not. As mentioned, you can study the life of the prophet in all its complexity and depth, and come from the experience encouraged and inspired.
My view – all of these approaches are valid. In the case of Hunter, Gibbons' subject is pretty easy. Everything I've read about Howard W. Hunter has been positive, and I quite liked him during his brief tenure as President of the Church. I remember when he passed away – I felt that a great man had been taken from us.
In this short volume, Gibbons does an admirable job of chronicling Hunter's life. As with all the prophets, you can't rise to such prominence without passing through a lot of life, a lot of experience. Readers are thrilled with Hunter's overcoming so many obstacles in his life – a wonderful testimony to the power of faith. It reminds us that prophets are people too, subject to the same temptations and weaknesses as the rest of us. But with God in our lives, we can, indeed, rise above the challenges of life.
What comes through so clearly here is his love for God, for his fellow laborers in the Church, and for all mankind. With neither fear nor favor, this wonderful man gladly accepted his role as leader and servant, a role cut short all too soon. One wonders what the Church would look like today had President Hunter been granted a longer life.
As with previous volumes in this paperback series, some comment has been made about the quality of the printing and the price. It seems that these books were not produced with permanence in mind. I'm not sufficiently familiar with the printing business to explain the quality of the paper used – but it seems as if the cheapest possible stock was obtained. And the price? Perhaps a little steep for the size of the book? Again, I don't understand how these decisions are made – I'll have to trust Deseret Book to have made sensible choices in the producing of this series.
Readers wanting to obtain the Gibbons biographies in their hardcover form know how difficult they can be to find. And when they're available at used bookstores, they often command a good price. Complete sets of the series can be quite rare. With the issuing of this series of paperbacks, the books are once again available for interested readers. I can only hope they're not put off by the rather stiff price.
So, what can we say about Hunter that sums up his life? Perhaps Gibbons says it best: "He was bound to his fellow Apostles, whether living or dead, with an immutable bond of love and dedication to the Lord Jesus Christ." (p. 122) And when it comes to summing up a man's life, it's hard to imagine anything more important.
Jeffrey Needle
Association for Mormon Letters
jeff.needle@gmail.com
www.aml-online.org
www.LDSBookLovers.com/Needle.html
Title: Howard W. Hunter: Man of Thought and Independence, Prophet of God
Author: Francis M. Gibbons
Publisher: Deseret Book
Genre: Biography
Year Published: 2011
Number of Pages: 176
Binding: Trade paperback
ISBN10: n/a
ISBN13: 978-1-60641-943-4
Price: $24.99
Reviewed by Jeffrey Needle for the Association for Mormon Letters
When this book arrived in the mail, I originally thought this was a paperback reprint of a hardback book. After all, the other volumes in the Gibbons biography series all appeared in hardcover. To my surprise, this is a first printing, a paperback original to conform with reprints of the previous volumes in this series.
Gibbons is one author who has drawn both praise and criticism from Mormon readers. He is praised for his energy and vitality, his commitment to chronicling the lives of the Mormon prophets. But he is often criticized as being a hagiographer rather than a true biographer. And while there is value in telling a faith-promoting story, there is also room for a more textured, pragmatic look at the lives of the leaders of the Church. I have argued that both approaches can be used to build faith.
Telling the stories of the prophets can be a tricky business. There are several audiences for these books, and I'm guessing that it's an impossible task to satisfy everyone. There are those who enjoy the Gibbons approach of reporting the laudatory episodes and exciting challenges in their lives. Others want a critical approach – one that factors in all aspects of a prophet's life, even if these aspects might not be considered faith promoting. Does a book need to be one or the other? I think not. As mentioned, you can study the life of the prophet in all its complexity and depth, and come from the experience encouraged and inspired.
My view – all of these approaches are valid. In the case of Hunter, Gibbons' subject is pretty easy. Everything I've read about Howard W. Hunter has been positive, and I quite liked him during his brief tenure as President of the Church. I remember when he passed away – I felt that a great man had been taken from us.
In this short volume, Gibbons does an admirable job of chronicling Hunter's life. As with all the prophets, you can't rise to such prominence without passing through a lot of life, a lot of experience. Readers are thrilled with Hunter's overcoming so many obstacles in his life – a wonderful testimony to the power of faith. It reminds us that prophets are people too, subject to the same temptations and weaknesses as the rest of us. But with God in our lives, we can, indeed, rise above the challenges of life.
What comes through so clearly here is his love for God, for his fellow laborers in the Church, and for all mankind. With neither fear nor favor, this wonderful man gladly accepted his role as leader and servant, a role cut short all too soon. One wonders what the Church would look like today had President Hunter been granted a longer life.
As with previous volumes in this paperback series, some comment has been made about the quality of the printing and the price. It seems that these books were not produced with permanence in mind. I'm not sufficiently familiar with the printing business to explain the quality of the paper used – but it seems as if the cheapest possible stock was obtained. And the price? Perhaps a little steep for the size of the book? Again, I don't understand how these decisions are made – I'll have to trust Deseret Book to have made sensible choices in the producing of this series.
Readers wanting to obtain the Gibbons biographies in their hardcover form know how difficult they can be to find. And when they're available at used bookstores, they often command a good price. Complete sets of the series can be quite rare. With the issuing of this series of paperbacks, the books are once again available for interested readers. I can only hope they're not put off by the rather stiff price.
So, what can we say about Hunter that sums up his life? Perhaps Gibbons says it best: "He was bound to his fellow Apostles, whether living or dead, with an immutable bond of love and dedication to the Lord Jesus Christ." (p. 122) And when it comes to summing up a man's life, it's hard to imagine anything more important.
Jeffrey Needle
Association for Mormon Letters
jeff.needle@gmail.com
www.aml-online.org
www.LDSBookLovers.com/Needle.html
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