Mormons believe in a god that talks to people — a god that opens the heavens every now and then and picks a prophet to talk to. So, when a wise-cracking young missionary starts having visions, who’s to say whether or not they’re really from the Almighty…? John Draper’s A…
Category: Book Review
Mormon Mission Impossible: William Shunn’s “The Accidental Terrorist”
Funny thing about Mormon missions: even though they’re voluntary, you can’t leave. Even though Mormon missionaries are adult volunteers, they can’t just say, “Sorry, this isn’t working, I’m going home now.” Have you ever wondered what happens if you try to leave? It’s rather surprising. In The Accidental Terrorist, William…
The true meaning of service: Scott Miller and Mark Hubble’s “The Book of a Mormon”
Like many young Mormon adults, Scott Miller set off on a mission largely because he had always planned to — but wasn’t really prepared for what he was getting himself into. This mission memoir takes place in the late 70’s — earlier than most others I’ve read. Amusing 70’s-specific tidbits…
Dare to Do Wrong: Alex Hansen’s “Their Works Shall Be in the Darkness”
What’s the fun of having a little power if you don’t abuse it? Especially if you’re a teenager. If you’ve served in one of the youth presidencies in a Mormon ward, you probably think they don’t really have the authority to shape policy in any original or interesting way, but…
The latest from the marvelous pen of Johnny Townsend!
If you like short stories and you’re interested in the lives of Mormons, you should be following the work of Johnny Townsend. Since he writes from an ex-Mormon perspective, believers often dismiss Townsend’s work as biased — or as a priori “an attack on the church” — but I think…
Family and Death in Mormon Britain: Carys Bray’s “A Song for Issy Bradley”
A little girl lies dying in her bed as her family bustles about their individual activities. Once it’s too late, all of the other members of the family are left with reasons to blame themselves — any one of them could have made slightly different choices and prevented the child’s…
Review of City of Brick and Shadow
The novel by Tim Wirkus, City of Brick and Shadow, is a riveting tale of two missionaries in a sweeping Brazilian slum looking for a missing congregant they had recently baptized. All the characters are well-realized, from the unhappy local Mormons to the woman at the lanchonete to the mysterious…
An Ode to Life and Love: “Free Electricity” by Ryan Rhodes
Everything was suddenly different, but what had just happened would not fall into place in my mind. The circuitry had never been laid for this — like learning a foreign language. The verbs were reversed with the nouns and the vowels were crashing into the consonants and every adverb and…
What should I do?: Johnny Townsend’s “Behind the Zion Curtain”
With all big problems in this world, it’s easy to feel small — like there’s nothing you can do to make a dent in any of them — and wonder whether your life has any value. Religion to the rescue, right? Well, not exactly. The CoJCoL-dS can provide answers to…
What part of Mormonism is in you?: Johnny Townsend’s “A Day at the Temple”
Mormonism is a complicated thing. Whether you’re in it or whether you’ve extracted yourself from it, there are bits of Mormon belief and culture that you can’t stand, and other bits that you can’t shake. Sometimes it’s the same bits. And its always a little different from one person to…