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Title: The Gathering of Zion: The Story of the Mormon Trail by Wallace Earle Stegner ISBN: 0-8032-9213-9 Publisher: Univ of Nebraska Pr Pub. Date: May, 1992 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.25 (4 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Engaging History of the Mormon Trek West
Comment: Being raised Mormon I have been exposed my entire life to the mythical stories of the pioneers. I knew the names and places in the book for the most part, but Stegner brought the people to life. Just because the pioneers had normal human foibles doesn't make their journey and struggles and triumphs less credible. If anything, it makes them more inspiring. If God can work through the hands of these imperfect men, and I believe he did, he can certainly work through me. I wish I would have read this book before I went on Pioneer Trek and saw Martin's Cove, Devil's Gate, and the Sweetwater River.
Rating: 2
Summary: Stegner was NOT a historian
Comment: Wallace Stegner was a great travel writer, and a great writer of the American West. There is one thing, however, which he was not--a historian. The writing is eloquent, but the history is poor; not only poor, but terribly inaccurate.
If you skim the details, this book is relevant enough. But if you start looking at the actual basis of fact, this work falls way short. One thing that should tip you off is that he does not cite his sources. The few he does mention are shady at best--mostly secondary or tertiary sources, not all of which are reliable. For example, if he wanted to tell about Joseph Smith's murder, why did he have to use Fawn Brodie's (very biased) account? It's not like there isn't a ton of information out there.
This style of history is just sloppy. Not only does it show that the author did very little research, it also shows he didn't care much about accuracy. Some of the errors are simply inexcusable. For example, he cites Wilford Woodruff as the sixth president of the Mormon church. Anyone who grew up in Utah (as Stegner did) should have been able to find out that he was the fourth, not the sixth. This would have taken very little effort on his part. So why didn't he do it? I think he just wasn't all too concerned with historical accuracy.
I recognize the fact that Stegner was primarily a novelist, but if you're going to write history, write history. Don't turn it into fiction. This book will give you a basic overview of the Mormon Exodus. But you can get that in many other books, so why take your chances with a book who's reliability is questionable?
I gave this book two stars simply because the writing is very good. He does a great job of telling a story. Just don't be misled into thinking this is historically accurate, because it just isn't. Stick to Stegner's other works.
Rating: 1
Summary: Jaded Historian's Viewpoints
Comment: If you want to read a book which has been written by someone who hates the Latter Day Saints, then this is the book for you. This author has crossed the bridge between being factual and being a zelot bigot. I was raised not to bash anyone's religion, but I guess that was not the case with this bitter old man.
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