by Fawn M. Brodie
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Product Description
The first paperback edition of the classic biography of the founder of the Mormon church, this book attempts to answer the questions that continue to surround Joseph Smith. Was he a genuine prophet, or a gifted fabulist who became enthralled by the products of his imagination and ended up being martyred for them? 24 pages of photos. Map.
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Average Customer Review:
0 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
 Blind and biased, 2008-10-13
Before buying be aware that this book was written by a pro Mormon and that the majority of the available information was ignored by Ms. Brodie as the sources available were mostly "biased" in her opinion. "Biased" in the author's opinion was testimony which was either critical of Mr. Smith or originated from a non-Mormon, or was/is usual, both. I know of no real biography that is balanced, but quite honestly, balanced views of Jo Smith ARE negative, a definite problem for the "balanced" view.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
 Revolutionary material for those most impacted and probably least interested..., 2008-09-21
Fawn Brodie is one of my heroes. Daring, smart, and relatively neutral, Brodie unveiled the true story of the origins of Mormonism through the life of its original prophet, Joseph Smith. When I first read No Man Knows My History, it launched me toward change I could never have imagined. Now that my life is changed, and with the eyes of a writer, a re-read of this material gives me new appreciation and respect for Fawn Brodie's genius and courage. Joseph Smith was just a man, not a prophet. He was a remarkable man, however, and the timing of his life and death sparked the fastest-growing world religion ever known. Fawn Brodie captured it perfectly.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Requiem for a Heavyweight, 2008-08-28
Brodie's, "No Man Knows My History" is a brilliantly researched history of the life of Mormonism's Prophet, the charismatic and gifted Joseph Smith. As a nonbeliever, myself, I approach almost everything from a secular level, as does Brodie, therefore I'm bound to agree with her approach, recognizing, at the same time, that some of her sources are questionable, in that they are derived from people who hated Josph and/or his strange religion.
Brodie seeks to understand the young Joseph growing up in hard-scrabble Vermont and Western New York. We see a talented, ambitious and highly imaginative young dreamer trapped amongst largely uneducated people who were both superstitious and, oftentimes, painfully gullible. Young Joseph, who isn't enamored with farming, is fascinated by Indian mounds and treasure finding. He finds a stone thru which he claims can divine the location of hidden treasure. He is persuasive enough [alternatively, people are so gullible] that he makes a modest living from selling his talents although there is no evidence that he, or anyone else, was ever enriched by them. As a matter of fact, he is successfully sued by one angry man who regards himself as cheated.
Over a period of time, and unlike Mormon preachments, Joseph morphs into something like a religious mystic. He claims he has found a 'Golden Bible' although the circumstances of finding it are initially vague. The Golden Bible has some interesting characteristics. Smith generally keeps it--whatever it is--hidden in a box or under cloth. It seems that few people can visualize it, except himself, although--according to witnesses--it has weight and heft. Also, despite the fact that others can't see it, Joseph reports hiding it from place to place so that it won't be stolen for its golden value.
Using magical implements, including stones, Joseph 'translates' his golden plates into the document later known as the Book of Mormon. Joseph's tale of visions of angels, God and Jesus seem to have, for the most part, post-dated the translation of the gold. The nature of these visions, the number of angels, personages etc. seems to have morphed over time.
Joseph is now well on his way to becoming a prophet and world-shaker. He gains increasing number of adherents. The question is, 'how much of this does Joseph believe, himself?' We'll probably never know but, I suspect that over time and with increasing adulation, that he comes to believe that he is the true instrument of God's Power on earth. Like most powerful men, women flock to him as bees do to honey. He has additional 'revelations' including the desireability of faithful men taking multiple wives. This revelation has the force of a commandment and Joseph, without the apparent consent or even knowledge of his wife, Emma, takes on multiple women as religious wives.
The newly-founded sect finds it persecuted for its communistic and polygamist practices. They are forced to move, almost en masse, from one place to another, until founding the city of Nauvoo, Illinois on the banks of the Mississippi. The city is successful, perhaps too much so. Joseph sets himself up as General of the militia and orders the destruction of a printing press that has criticized him. He is arrested by secular authorities and, while imprisoned in the upper floor of a jailhouse, he and his brother, Hyram, are shot to death by an anti-Mormon mob. Joseph is dead but a martyr is born.
Ron Braithwaite author of novels--"Skull Rack" and "Hummingbird God"--on the Spanish Conquest of Mexico
2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
Well, I'm number 160, 2008-08-17
159 Amazon reviewers have come before me to say what they think about this book by Fawn Brodie, No Man Knows My History: The Life of Joseph Smith.
Before I read this book, I knew nothing about Joseph Smith and only a little more about Fawn Brodie, as I was once a graduate student studying American history.
After reading this book, I am sure of one thing: Joseph Smith was a truly American prophet who created an exceptionally American religion.
Joseph Smith was a con-man, a prophet with an exceptional vision of God and an even more amazing liturgical, ceremonial and organizational implementation, and - let's not forget - a martyr. He also loved life. He loved women. He was not a conventional prophet.
Brody's book will take you through all this. I believe the journey was as long for her as for Smith. Read the Epilogue. This sums up her understanding of the man and his fantasy - how the fantasy evolved and how it was absorbed into his life and became a reality.
An amazing book about an amazing man. What American in 19th-Century started something that had so great an impact on our country and the world, other than perhaps Lincoln?
That's it. I'm not a Mormon, either.
2 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
No Ma'am, That Ain't History!, 2008-08-14
The so-called facts in this book have been debunked by Hugh Nibley's book, "No Ma'am, That Ain't History."
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