ARTICLE - ITS UNJUST TO SAY LDS (Mormon) CHURCH IS ANTI-SEMITIC

It's unjust to say LDS Church is anti-Semitic

By Dan Peterson

For the Deseret News

Published: Thursday, March 15 2012

One of the charges leveled in the recent controversy over vicarious baptisms for the dead is that Mormonism is anti-Semitic.

Nothing could be further from the truth.
Latter-day Saints are, for example, the only religious group of which I'm aware whose canonical scripture expressly denounces anti-Jewish bigotry.
The familiar prophecy in 2 Nephi 29:3, that "many of the Gentiles shall say: A Bible! A Bible! We have got a Bible, and there cannot be any more Bible," is typically used to argue for extrabiblical scripture. And, plainly, that's one of Nephi's points. Still, we shouldn't overlook the next three verses:
"But thus saith the Lord God: O fools, they shall have a Bible; and it shall proceed forth from the Jews, mine ancient covenant people. And what thank they the Jews for the Bible which they receive from them? Yea, what do the Gentiles mean? Do they remember the travails, and the labors, and the pains of the Jews, and their diligence unto me, in bringing forth salvation unto the Gentiles?
"O ye Gentiles, have ye remembered the Jews, mine ancient covenant people? Nay; but ye have cursed them, and have hated them, and have not sought to recover them. But behold, I will return all these things upon your own heads; for I the Lord have not forgotten my people.
"Thou fool, that shall say: A Bible, we have got a Bible, and we need no more Bible. Have ye obtained a Bible save it were by the Jews?"
By contrast, while neither can be legitimately used to charter anti-Semitism, both the New Testament and Quran are replete with denunciations of the Jews for having persecuted and slain their own ancient prophets, and the gospel of John, in particular, blames "the Jews" for the killing of Jesus. The famous "passion play" at Oberammergau, in Germany, historically based on John's account of the last days of Christ, has sometimes come under fire in recent decades for alleged anti-Semitism.
Far from being anti-Semitic, the Book of Mormon is actually philo-Semitic, pro-Jewish. And Mormon support for the Jews is further demonstrated in a famous episode from early Latter-day Saint history.
By the 19th century, hope of a return to Palestine was fading among many Jews. An 1845 conference of rabbis in Frankfurt-am-Main deleted all prayers for a return to Zion and the restoration of a Jewish state from their ritual prayer books. An 1869 rabbinic conference in Philadelphia essentially agreed.

In April 1840, though, the Prophet Joseph Smith dispatched Orson Hyde and John Page of the Council of the Twelve Apostles "to visit the cities of London, Amsterdam, Constantinople and Jerusalem." They were to carry a letter of introduction with them into the domains of the Ottoman Empire, explaining that "The Jewish nations have been scattered abroad among the Gentiles for a long period; and in our estimation, the time of the commencement of their return to the Holy Land has already arrived."
Only Elder Hyde completed the arduous mission, spending April 1841 to December 1842 in Jerusalem. Before dawn on Oct. 24, 1841, he climbed the Mount of Olives, where, overlooking the city, he wrote and recited a prayer. Here's a paragraph from it:
"Now, O Lord! Thy servant has been obedient to the heavenly vision which Thou gavest him in his native land; and under the shadow of Thine outstretched arm, he has safely arrived in this place to dedicate and consecrate this land unto Thee, for the gathering together of Judah's scattered remnants, according to the predictions of the holy Prophets — for the building up of Jerusalem again after it has been trodden down by the Gentiles so long, and for rearing a Temple in honor of Thy name."
Then, having built a small altar of stones, he descended from the mount.
The "First Aliyah" or Jewish emigration to Palestine can be dated to 1882, and many consider 1897, the year in which the First Zionist Congress met in Basel, Switzerland, to create the World Zionist Organization, as the birth year of practical Zionism.
Mormonism isn't committed to any particular position on the Arab-Israeli conflict, but, plainly, while many Jews were abandoning the idea, a Mormon apostle was praying for their return to Jerusalem. And, while many Christians have used the Bible to justify prejudice against Jews, the Book of Mormon expressly condemns such prejudice.
It's simply unjust to claim that Mormonism is anti-Semitic.

NEWS - LDS (Mormon) CHURCH REMINDS MEMBERS TO FOLLOW PROXY BAPTISM POLICIES

LDS Church email reminds members to follow proxy baptism policies

By Joseph Walker, Deseret News

Published: Wednesday, March 14 2012

Continuing its effort to encourage all church members to comply with established policies for the submission of names for proxy baptisms, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sent an email Tuesday to users of its New FamilySearch genealogical website reminding them that the conditions for use of the website "require compliance to the policies before you can submit names to the temple."
During recent weeks the church's emphasis on genealogical research in support of its doctrinal belief in eternally uniting families through rites and ordinances performed in LDS temples has drawn public attention – and, in some cases, criticism. Particular notice has been made of the unauthorized submission of the names for temple work of Jewish Holocaust victims despite a 1995 policy that such names would not be available for proxy baptism.
The email to New FamilySearch users quoted Dennis C. Brimhall, managing director of the church's Family History Department, from a recent article in the LDS Church News, in which he said "the searching out of our family, and preparing the names for the work to be done in the temple is … a responsibility, but it is also a privilege."
"That privilege is extended to the members by those who hold the (priesthood) keys to the work," Brimhall continued. "The(se) keys … are held by the First Presidency of the Church."
A letter from the church's First Presidency outlining the policies was attached to the email. This is the same letter recently sent to local LDS leaders, who were asked to read the letter during worship services. The First Presidency letter stressed that "our preeminent obligation is to seek out and identify our own ancestors" and indicates that "those whose names are submitted for proxy temple ordinances should be related to the submitter."
"Without exception," the letter continued, "church members must not submit for proxy temple ordinances any names from unauthorized groups, such as celebrities and Jewish Holocaust victims. If members do so, they may forfeit their New FamilySearch privileges. Other corrective action may also be taken."

ARTICLE - ARE MORMONS KEEPING ROMNEY AFLOAT?

Are Mormons Keeping Mitt Romney Afloat?

By Timothy Stanley

Mar 14 2012, His victories in the Pacific Islands and American West show the power of a strong minority to boost a weak candidate in low turn-out contests.


There are six kids in white shirts and black ties standing in a line. One steps forward and dances around the others, hissing and sneering like a bobcat. He moves to the front on the chorus and the boys start slapping their thighs in a steady one-two-three, one-two-three rhythm. The leader cries, "Grab the book from your pants!" They pull out a black book -- one-two-three. "Slap the book on your chest!" They slap away -- one-two-three. "Read the book, read the book, pray, pray!" One-two-three. "We've got the gospel, you get it, you get it?" Then they step towards the camera and wave their hands. "You come walk in the waters with meeee!" The boys fall to the floor in a fit of giggles. It's one of the odder sights on YouTube.
The book is The Book of Mormon and the boys are young missionaries. They are dancing a Mormon-themed version of the Maori war dance, or Haka -- just one of the many Mormon Haka videos posted on YouTube (if you want to see the dance done with real force, check out this version by by Mormons Elders Hopoate and Ofahulu in Australia.) This extraordinary cross-fertilization of Mormonism and Polynesian culture is quite common. It's a testament to the broad and growing reach of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints -- and hints at the political power of the Mormon diaspora.
In a primary season as competitive as 2012, every delegate counts. For that reason, the votes of Republican Pacific islanders living in American territories and Hawaii have gained an unusual degree of importance. Last Saturday, beleaguered front-runner Mitt Romney won GOP caucuses in Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. On Tuesday he scooped victories in American Samoa and Hawaii. Together, these islands have given him at least 36 delegates -- a small number, perhaps, but one more hard-earned step towards the nomination. He came in third in the American deep South last night, but he still was the day's delegate winner, thanks to the island caucuses.
Romney's victories owed something to the Pacific islands' large population of Mormons. In fact, local members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints may have proved crucial to winning each of these caucuses. It wouldn't be the first case of Mormons bailing out Romney this campaign season. They've also helped his candidacy in two critical Western states -- demonstrating that Mormons aren't just a great fundraising network, but a surprisingly powerful demographic force within the world of low-turnout GOP primaries and caucuses.
The Mormon presence in the Pacific islands is certainly substantial. There are an estimated 14,784 Mormons in American Samoa -- where only about 70 Republicans gathered to caucus Tuesday -- and 55,000 in Hawaii -- where more 10,000 Republicans turned out -- along with 1,971 in Guam, and 735 in the Northern Marianas. The heavy concentration of converts is no coincidence. Polynesians have a special place in Mormon theology. According to some Mormons, thousands of years ago a group of Israelites, led by the prophet Lehi, escaped Babylonian captivity and sailed to freedom in Central America. Their new civilization flourished until it was destroyed in a civil war between the Nephite and Lamanite factions in 400AD. The sinful Lamanites, who won, were distinguished by a dark colored skin and were the forebears of the Native Americans.
According to the Mormon Book of Alma, a mixed group of Nephites and Lamanites sailed to Polynesia in 55BC. They settled down peacefully and, mixing with migrants from Southeast Asia, became the modern Polynesians. Many Mormons thus believe that the Polynesians practice a religion that is very close to the early Israelite church -- a claim supported by the fact that they share several myths in common with the Hebrew tradition, including one about a great flood. In the Mormon mind, Polynesians have a covenanted role to play in religious history. Being dark skinned, they bear the "mark" of the Lamanites. But, as the apocalypse approaches, the Book of Mormon prophesizes that they shall become "a white and delightsome people" (NB, the word "white" was changed to "pure" in 1981).

In fact, it was typical for Christian missionaries to claim that the Polynesians were a lost tribe of Israel: the first Protestant missionary to New Zealand in 1830 called the Maori "dispersed Jews." This helped justify the expense of evangelization, which continued apace during the 19^th century. Mormons often get rough treatment when they try to spread their version of the Good News abroad. But in Polynesia they benefited from cultural norms about hospitality that made the locals natural converts. The LDS Church set up its first mission in Samoa in 1862 and, since then, it's been one of the most popular destinations for missionaries to go -- because Samoans have a culture of welcoming strangers and listen to what they have to say. Only local Protestant and Catholic churches resisted Mormon encroachment, retarding growth until after the Second World War. Since then, the American Samoan church has grown to a likely 22.5 percent of the population. The LDS Church puts the figure as high as 30 percent, and today's Republican vice chairman in American Samoa -- where Romney swept -- played football at Romney's alma mater, the Mormon-owned and operated Brigham Young University. One of the reasons why Polynesians were drawn to Mormonism was that the Mormons were so generous. In addition to building schools locally, they welcomed migration to Utah. As a result, present-day Utah has a population of about 25,000 people of Pacific Islander descent. Although they tend to join wards (churches) in heavily Polynesian neighborhoods, there is little evidence of racial segregation. Given the sometimes difficult historical relationship between white Mormons and African-Americans, the LDS's embrace of Polynesians is an example of how its theology is oddly bifurcated. It has been capable of discriminating against one minority while positively fetishizing another, with the lines of racial demarcation shaped by the peculiarities of scripture.
Did the Mormon/Polynesia link make a difference in the Pacific island votes? Two things that suggest so. First, the Romney campaign made a big outreach to the islanders. The day before the Northern Marianas voted, Mitt's son Matt had lunch with the governor of the islands and the candidate dialed in to say sorry for not being there: "I am apologetic that I can't be with you today, but as you could imagine I'm running from place to place, trying to secure as many delegates as I can." Matt added, "It is important for us to get everywhere we can, everywhere that people vote. This is obviously one of the harder locations to get to but by far, it's one of my favorites so far." And Team Romney dominated among local endorsements -- including that of former Republican congressman Charles Djou of Hawaii, Hawaii House Minority Leader Gene Ward, and Guam Governor Eddie Calvo.
Second, turnout was so low that it's hard not to credit the sizable Mormon populations with some impact on the outcome. Even in the islands with tiny LDS communities, Mormons outnumber the people who participated in the vote. In Guam, only 207 people took part in the convention. There are 1,971 Mormons living on the island.
This is not to suggest a stitch up, but rather to note the surprising demographic strength of the LDS Church. Worldwide, its membership rocketed from 4 million in 1978 to 11 million members in 2000. In America, it has increased by about 30 percent since 1990. There is evidence that domestic growth has flat-lined, but heavy concentration in certain states has given it increased political clout.
Consider the importance of states with sizable Mormon populations to this year's primaries. Shortly after he won the Florida primary, Romney faced his first Western challenge in Nevada. Although he was always going to do well in The Silver State, a strong victory was necessary to prove that Florida wasn't a one off and he had momentum to carry him to victory in Michigan at the end of the month. Romney won Nevada with 50 percent. Importantly, turnout was a dismal 32,894 -- well below the total Mormon population of the state, at 174,662. According to CNN exit polls, a quarter of all participants were LDS members and 88 percent of them voted for Mitt. Nationwide, only 2 percent of Americans are Mormon.
One month later, there was Arizona. Arizona wasn't as important as Romney's home state of Michigan, which voted on the same day, but for a while Santorum was close to Romney in polls and it was vital that Mitt win the Arizona primary. He did so easily, by 47 percent. Turnout was 505,635. The local Mormon population is 381,235 and, according to CNN, 14 percent of voters were LDS members. Three days later came Washington state, which was, again, important for establishing Romney's credibility after a series of defeats by Santorum. Romney won with 38 percent on an appalling 1.4 percent turnout. The turnout equaled 50,764 Republicans -- in a state with a local Mormon population of 263,004. Romney has also won Idaho and Wyoming, both of which have high densities of LDS members (Idaho is the second most Mormon state in America, after Utah). It is surely significant that Mitt has yet to be truly tested in a Western state that doesn't have a significant population of Mormons. The only such challenge he has faced so far was in Colorado, which he lost 40 to 35 percent. Ergo, even if Mormons aren't directly responsible for Romney's Western victories, they have been critical to their scale and maintaining his campaign's momentum.
Much has been written about the role that Mormons have played in the 2012 race, but most of it has operated on a conceptual level. What might voters think of Romney's faith? How will Romney's beliefs influence his decision making? What has been less well studied is the precise impact of Mormon votes and communities on the primary outcome. Given their obvious significance in early Western votes and the way that they have helped add to Romney's delegate count in the Pacific islands, it's clear the extended Mormon family has delivered for Romney and proven itself to be a vital part of the Republican electoral process. If and when Romney sews up the nomination, their Haka may well be heard at the convention.

QUOTE - WHEN A MAN REFUSES - By: Dr. Ronald E. Cottle

When A Man Refuses
===================
When a man refuses to obey God,
he inevitably obeys the devil.
~Dr. Ronald E. Cottle~

ARTICLE - LEHI SUSHI CHEF JOANS OTSUJI A CONTESTANT ON NEWEST "SURVIVOR"

Lehi sushi chef Jonas Otsuji a contestant on newest 'Survivor'

 

By Rachel Brutsch, Deseret News

Published: Tuesday, Feb. 14 2012

Looking out the window this time of year at Utah's brown-gray landscape could inspire feelings of gloom, particularly for someone who's recently been in, say, Samoa.
It did for Jonas Otsuji, who recently finished participating as a contestant on CBS's "Survivor: One World," and said returning home was "a little depressing" at first.
"It was honestly great to see my family, but I went to the Lehi library like a couple days after and I was sitting in there and I was just like… 'What am I doing? I'm sitting in the Lehi library. What's the purpose of my life?'" he said with a laugh.
It's not that Otsuji has never made the tropical-island-to-Utah leap before. The 37 year old was born and raised in Hawaii and came to Utah for the first time to study photography at Brigham Young University.
Today he lives in Lehi with his wife and three kids and works as a sushi chef, catering and teaching cooking classes at area universities and kitchen stores.
Otsuji has been a "Survivor" fan from the very beginning. "Since Season 1, I've watched every single episode, some of them twice," he said.
"Every season when we'd watch it, my wife would always say 'Man, you'd be so good on that show,' and I was always like, 'Yeah, yeah, yeah.'"
Otsuji decided to apply to be on "Survivor" when two contestants, Purple Kelly and NaOnka, quit during "Survivor: Nicaragua" during Season 21.
"I was just so worked up. I thought, 'Man, it is just so disrespectful that they would quit,'" Otsuji explained. "(Then) I thought, 'I really have no place to judge these people because I haven't applied, so they're one ahead of me.' That motivated me to make my tape and the rest is history."
His acceptance to be on the show, he said, was surprising in some ways but not in others.
"They've never had a sushi chef on the show before, and you know, I just thought, from a producer's perspective, you know, it'd be interesting. Everybody's interested in sushi chefs for some reason; they're sort of mysterious. … People would be like, 'What? A sushi chef?'"
From his years of watching the show, Otsuji strategized his physical preparation: a lot of running and no weight training.
"I purposely didn't want to bulk up or get too muscular or ripped. I wanted to be in shape, but I didn't want to look in shape," he said. "I ate more food than I normally would so I'd have a little bit of a belly, so they'd be like, 'Oh, just a fat sushi chef, no big deal.'"


He also had his mental strategy figured out, and shares it in his introduction video, "Meet Jonas", on CBS.com:
"As far as lying and manipulating and backstabbing, I have no problem doing that. I feel like if you're playing the game, you've had, what, 23 seasons to figure out what people do. If you're not aware that people backstab and lie and all that, then that's your problem."
Otsuji said it's confusing to him when people ask him how he, as a Mormon, is willing to lie and manipulate on the show.
"Yeah, that's part of the game," he said. "It doesn't mean it's how I am on a day-to-day basis. BYU players don't tackle people on the street; they only do it when they're in the game."
He is one of several members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to have competed on "Survivor." Past LDS players have been Ashlee Ashby, Tyson Apostal, Neleh Dennis and last season's Dawn Meehan and Rick Nelson.
Otsuji served a mission for the LDS Church in the Japan Tokyo North Mission, which he said gave him, a fourth-generation Japanese American, the opportunity to get in touch with his roots and to learn to speak Japanese.
"It was really cool to learn my history, you know, the culture. Because you know I grew up American, so I always wondered what it would have been like to grow up Japanese," he said. "So yeah, it was a little weird, because I felt kind of Japanese, but at the same time I realized I totally wasn't Japanese when I got there."
After returning from filming "Survivor: One World," Otsuji worked on his latest project, Chef War, a cooking competition between two local professional chefs. "It's basically like a live Iron Chef competition, but the audience eats the food and the audience votes for who they think should win," he said.
So far, Otsuji hasn't been recognized in public yet, but that is likely to change when the show begins airing on Wednesday.
This season begins with 18 castaways divided into two tribes of nine: the male Manono Tribe and the female Salani Tribe. They were named after islands in Samoa, where this season was filmed.
The participants on "Survivor: One World," hosted by Jeff Probst, will try their best to "outwit, outplay and outlast" one another through a series of challenges and voting rounds, all while living on the same beach, to be crowned "sole survivor" and win $1 million.
How well Otsuji fared will eventually be revealed after the 24th season of the Emmy-Award winning series kicks off Wednesday, Feb. 15, at 7 p.m. on CBS Television Network.
For more information about "Survivor: One World," visit www.cbs.com/shows/survivor.

Helping marriages progress is the greatest Valentine's Day gift

By Linda & Richard Eyre, For the Deseret News

• 
  
  Happy Valentine's Day! We think it is one of the great holidays of the year — especially for couples — a chance to express love in a special way to the most important person in our lives.
  It's also a great holiday for jewelers, perfume-makers, chocolatiers and flower shops. We are afraid this column will be of little help to any of these retailers, however, because we are going to suggest a different kind of gift for Feb. 14.
  How about giving the one you love the most a gift that will actually make your love grow even stronger — a gift that will keep on giving to both of you and to your relationship?
  We think that marriage can exist on at least five levels, and that it can progress from one level to the next and to the next. Let us try to name these levels and describe them briefly and then suggest a Valentine's gift that can actually help couples progress from one to the other, climbing the ladder of love.
  Level one is a marriage of convenience. Two people think they are in love so they decide to live together, with or without an actual ceremony.
  Level two is a marriage of contract. Man and wife get married legally — and often religiously — and make at least a pledge of "in sickness and in health" and "till death do us part."
  Level three is a marriage of true commitment. Beyond the formality of a wedding, both parties exclusively and completely commit themselves to each other and give the security of knowing that there will never be any other.
  Level four is a marriage of synergy, where the man and the woman, the yin and the yang, learn to complement and complete each other so well that the total is greater than the sum of its parts.
  Level five is a marriage of oneness in which the commitment and the synergy continue to grow to the point where the couple share everything and where their oneness becomes an entity that supersedes their "individualness." Everything they seek, they seek together, and they are essentially fused into something that swallows up even as it preserves their separate gifts and natures.
  Whatever level you perceive yourself to be on this Valentine's Day, you can progress to the next one if you both want to. And while there are many ways to progress, here is a suggestion that we think works for all who really try it.
  Have a private, marital "Sunday session" for about an hour once a week where you do four things:
  
  
  1. Coordinate your schedules and priorities for the week ahead so that you are together when you need to be and know where each other is when you are not.
  2. Decide on one night during the coming week when you will go on a "date," which might be as complete as dinner and a movie or might be as simple as a little walk or drive together. Think of it as a continuation of your courtship and be willing to pay the price and make the sacrifice of a baby sitter.
  3. Have a private "testimony meeting" or "feelings session" where each of you takes a few minutes to tell the other your feelings about your goals, your relationship concerns, your faith and your love. Listen attentively to the other person when it is his or her turn, and express yourself honestly when it is yours.
  4. Finish with a prayer — in whatever way you are accustomed to praying — with each person being voice for a part of the prayer. Whether or not this is a regular or usual process in your marriage, do it to close this weekly Sunday session.
  Giving this gift to each other for Valentine's Day will take real commitment, and it will take an hour that you may not think you have. But there are 168 hours in a week, and using one of them this way will make the other 167 a lot better. Guaranteed!
  

  The Eyres' three latest books are "The Entitlement Trap," "5 Spiritual Solutions" and "The Three Deceivers." Richard and Linda are New York Times No. 1 best-selling authors who lecture throughout the world on family-related topics. Read Linda Eyre's blog at www.deseretnews.com/blog/81/A-World-of-Good.html and visit the Eyres anytime at www.TheEyres.com or www.valuesparenting.com. Listen to their weekly radio show on Mondays at 4:30 at www.byuradio.org

Book Review: The Book of Mormon Girl by Joanna Brooks

 

Posted by Shelah | February 13, 2012

 Title: The Book of Mormon Girl: Stories from an American Faith

Author: Joanna Brooks
While Mitt Romney is undoubtedly the most high-profile Mormon in America right now, many might argue that Joanna Brooks is the most high-profile Mormon woman in America today. In addition to her job as chair of the English Department at San Diego State University, she writes for Religion Dispatches and Washington Post, hosts the Ask Mormon Girl website, and blogs at Feminist Mormon Housewives. Last week, the front page of CNN’s website included an in-depth story of Brooks and her family. So it’s really the perfect time for her memoir, The Book of Mormon Girl, to be released.
Brooks divides her life into three basic sections– growing up, early adulthood/disillusionment, and maturation/resolution. In the growing up years, which comprise the bulk of the memoir, she gives us detailed and delightful stories of her Young Women’s leaders and her grandmothers, interesting, devoted, hardworking women who taught her the gospel while hiking mountain passes and doing service. She writes about the cultural dissonance that comes from being “in the world but not of it.” She writes about her adoration for Marie Osmond. All of these chapters are rich with description and detail.
Joanna’s story is one that I’m familiar with because I’ve both heard her tell it and because I recognize parts of it in my friends and myself. Maybe not the growing up in the tract house on the edge of Southern California’s orange groves, but certainly the feeling of being the only LDS girl in my high school, of being a “root beer among cokes” as she puts it. Like Joanna, I was a girl who set my sights on attending BYU and only BYU, and when I arrived there and had to adjust when I realized that it wasn’t as perfect as I thought it would be. I see her story in the story of friends who have felt pain too acute to bear, pain they associate with the church, and have left as a result. And I see her story in friends who have come back from that pain, who want to find a way to live a life of integrity within the religion and culture in which they were raised.
Brooks’s adult chapters, as well as the way she has chosen to live her life publicly, do a lot to dispel the myth that Mormon women are all cut out of the same cloth, with the same thoughts and beliefs. She shows that it’s okay to grieve for the things we wish were different, that we can find our voice, even if we’re most comfortable speaking quietly and politely, and that we can love the church and want to be part of it without embracing every aspect of it. Furthermore, she shows that it’s possible, even fulfilling, to come back and to see raising children in a home where parents come from different faith traditions as a boon and a blessing.
Brooks chose to self-publish her memoir, and while I understand why she did it, and I really do think that she has both an important story to tell and the writing chops to carry it off with remarkable sensitivity and finesse, self-publishing is always a tricky business. The Book of Mormon Girl, is an engrossing and important memoir, but it’s not a perfect book. The child and teen chapters repeat many of the same details, and while the repetition seems to be intentional, the cumulative effect was to give sort of a storybook quality to the setting. Also, as a reader, I am interested in Brooks’s childhood, especially since her teen years seem to be such a reflection of mine, but I’m even more interested in how she went from belief to disillusionment and back again. She does give several chapters to the adult struggles in her life, but I want more. I think it’s a testament to the success of her writing both in The Book of Mormon Girl and in other venues, that we want more of Joanna’s wit and wisdom. And I’m confident that she’ll give it to us.