Things in Heaven and Earth: The Life and Times of Wilford Woodruff, a Mormon Prophet

Rating:
Summary: History Need Not Be So Dry
Review: I'm afraid this was rather tedious reading. While I can appreciate that a scholarly biographer may choose to merely stick to the facts as they are known regarding the life of their subject, still it is my personal feeling that someone's life is far more important than the facts: what did that life MEAN to others? The biographer is, in my opinion, on safe ground when they interpret the life of their subject and write the story that has meaning for the author, not just a compilation of detailed facts. That is essentially all that Alexander has done with his treatment of the life of Wilford Woodruff.

The tragedy is that the story that occurred in the Mormon "kingdom" during the life span of the 4th President of the Church was anything but dry! While I disagree with the author's assertion that "Woodruff was probably the 3rd most important Mormon after Joseph Smith and Brigham Young," (I don't know how you could possibly quantify the value of a man, and then rank them in some sort of Letterman's Top Ten List...especially when you consider the incredible contributions of other Mormons, including Sidney Rigdon, Hyrum Smith, the Pratt Brothers, as well as some of the more notorious, such as John Bennett,) still, so very much changed in Utah during his presidency that radically shaped the future of the West, that the feel and meaning of the story should be TOLD, not merely documented. It was during the leadership era of Wilford Woodruff that the Mormons finally joined the United States, which was in reality an incredible shift in the paradigm of the Mormon hierarchy. Plural Marriage, one of two keystones to Mormon segregation, (the other being the notion of theocratic inheritence of whatever land they happened to occupy), was eliminated...more or less...during his leadership. And the millenialism of the Saints became considerably tempered. Instead, Alexander chose to focus on the breakup of the People's Party and the importance of the tension then between Mormon Democrats and Mormon Republicans. To read this book, you would think that was the biggest story in Woodruff's life. I don't disagree that it was important in shaping policy, but it wasn't the real story. Furthermore, you practically know nothing about his families as a result of reading this book, only that he had four, plus a few divorced wives, which you would think in the family orientation of this church that these people would be a more significant subject of this book.

The fact of the matter is, Alexander has chosen to focus on the History of Utah and the Church during the life of Wilford Woodruff, while mentioning Woodruff's involvment, rather than focus on his life, while mentioning what was going on in the church. We know the history already, but tell us about the Man!

Read the book, but don't expect to be kept on the edge of your seat, shed any tears, or experience vicariously the joy and satisfaction of a full life, well lived in the service of his fellow men, his country, and his God.

Rating:
Summary: History Need Not Be So Dry
Review: I'm afraid this was rather tedious reading. While I can appreciate that a scholarly biographer may choose to merely stick to the facts as they are known regarding the life of their subject, still it is my personal feeling that someone's life is far more important than the facts: what did that life MEAN to others? The biographer is, in my opinion, on safe ground when they interpret the life of their subject and write the story that has meaning for the author, not just a compilation of detailed facts. That is essentially all that Alexander has done with his treatment of the life of Wilford Woodruff.

The tragedy is that the story that occurred in the Mormon "kingdom" during the life span of the 4th President of the Church was anything but dry! While I disagree with the author's assertion that "Woodruff was probably the 3rd most important Mormon after Joseph Smith and Brigham Young," (I don't know how you could possibly quantify the value of a man, and then rank them in some sort of Letterman's Top Ten List...especially when you consider the incredible contributions of other Mormons, including Sidney Rigdon, Hyrum Smith, the Pratt Brothers, as well as some of the more notorious, such as John Bennett,) still, so very much changed in Utah during his presidency that radically shaped the future of the West, that the feel and meaning of the story should be TOLD, not merely documented. It was during the leadership era of Wilford Woodruff that the Mormons finally joined the United States, which was in reality an incredible shift in the paradigm of the Mormon hierarchy. Plural Marriage, one of two keystones to Mormon segregation, (the other being the notion of theocratic inheritence of whatever land they happened to occupy), was eliminated...more or less...during his leadership. And the millenialism of the Saints became considerably tempered. Instead, Alexander chose to focus on the breakup of the People's Party and the importance of the tension then between Mormon Democrats and Mormon Republicans. To read this book, you would think that was the biggest story in Woodruff's life. I don't disagree that it was important in shaping policy, but it wasn't the real story. Furthermore, you practically know nothing about his families as a result of reading this book, only that he had four, plus a few divorced wives, which you would think in the family orientation of this church that these people would be a more significant subject of this book.

The fact of the matter is, Alexander has chosen to focus on the History of Utah and the Church during the life of Wilford Woodruff, while mentioning Woodruff's involvment, rather than focus on his life, while mentioning what was going on in the church. We know the history already, but tell us about the Man!

Read the book, but don't expect to be kept on the edge of your seat, shed any tears, or experience vicariously the joy and satisfaction of a full life, well lived in the service of his fellow men, his country, and his God.

Rating:
Summary: A meticulously researched and comprehensive biography
Review: Things In Heaven And Earth: The Life And Times Of Wilford Woodruff, A Mormon Prophet is a fascinating, detailed, meticulously researched and comprehensive biography of a remarkable man, his life, work, thought, philosophy, and contributions. Biographer Thomas G. Alexander (Lemuel Redd Professor of Western History, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah) has made an important and seminal contribution to the study of Wilford Woodruff's personal life and contributions to the development and expansion of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Things In Heaven And Earth is important reading for student of Mormon history in general, and the lives of the influential men who lead and shaped its activities, theology, expansion, and organization. Also very highly recommended is Thomas Alexander's Mormonism In Transition: A History Of The Latter-Day Saints, 1890-1930.

Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Biography by a Master Historian
Review: Thomas G. Alexander, professor of history at Brigham Young University and one of the leaders of what has been called the "New Mormon History" that tries to approach the subject with functional objectivity, has written a good biography of the Mormon Church's fourth president. Alexander asserts that Woodruff was "arguably the third most important figure in all of LDS Church history after Joseph Smith...and Brigham Young" (p. 331). While perhaps an overstatement, there is no question but that Woodruff was a central leader of nineteenth century Mormonism. He was a member of the church's council of twelve apostles between 1835 and 1889. Then he became president and headed the Mormon movement until his death in 1898 at age 91.

Alexander presents Woodruff as a true believer in the message of Joseph Smith and the Mormon religion. That meant, for Woodruff, the acceptance of "a world view that unified the temporal and spiritual realms in God's kingdom and in the lives of church members" (p. xiii). That holistic view of the temporal and spiritual found expression in the Mormon theocratic state of early Utah. Ironically, Woodruff began the dismantling of that theocracy in response to the challenges of federal authority. He, for instance, was responsible for the 1890 manifesto ending the performance of plural marriages and he set the course for Utah's statehood in 1896 by working to remove the church from politics.

Although there is much to admire in "Things in Heaven and Earth," there are some imperfections. One of them is occasional demonstrations of pro-Mormon bias and the too-easy acceptance of the court position. For example, Alexander argues that the "intermingling of church and state [in pioneer Utah] would have generated little opposition in a Protestant-dominated community" (p. 176), but there is little reason to accept that conclusion. The quest for empire that early Rocky Mountain Mormonism mandated always ran against the grain of the American mainstream and the nation asserted itself to defend against a perceived threat to liberty. There are numerous examples in American history of other religious groups, in similar instances being handled roughly by the larger community.

Even so, "Things in Heaven and Earth" is a fine biography. It is sympathetic without being hagiographic, and Alexander's conclusions are usually well measured. It can be profitably read by anyone interested in the development of Mormonism, new religions of the nineteenth century, and the American West.

Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Biography by a Master Historian
Review: Thomas G. Alexander, professor of history at Brigham Young University and one of the leaders of what has been called the "New Mormon History" that tries to approach the subject with functional objectivity, has written a good biography of the Mormon Church's fourth president. Alexander asserts that Woodruff was "arguably the third most important figure in all of LDS Church history after Joseph Smith...and Brigham Young" (p. 331). While perhaps an overstatement, there is no question but that Woodruff was a central leader of nineteenth century Mormonism. He was a member of the church's council of twelve apostles between 1835 and 1889. Then he became president and headed the Mormon movement until his death in 1898 at age 91.

Alexander presents Woodruff as a true believer in the message of Joseph Smith and the Mormon religion. That meant, for Woodruff, the acceptance of "a world view that unified the temporal and spiritual realms in God's kingdom and in the lives of church members" (p. xiii). That holistic view of the temporal and spiritual found expression in the Mormon theocratic state of early Utah. Ironically, Woodruff began the dismantling of that theocracy in response to the challenges of federal authority. He, for instance, was responsible for the 1890 manifesto ending the performance of plural marriages and he set the course for Utah's statehood in 1896 by working to remove the church from politics.

Although there is much to admire in "Things in Heaven and Earth," there are some imperfections. One of them is occasional demonstrations of pro-Mormon bias and the too-easy acceptance of the court position. For example, Alexander argues that the "intermingling of church and state [in pioneer Utah] would have generated little opposition in a Protestant-dominated community" (p. 176), but there is little reason to accept that conclusion. The quest for empire that early Rocky Mountain Mormonism mandated always ran against the grain of the American mainstream and the nation asserted itself to defend against a perceived threat to liberty. There are numerous examples in American history of other religious groups, in similar instances being handled roughly by the larger community.

Even so, "Things in Heaven and Earth" is a fine biography. It is sympathetic without being hagiographic, and Alexander's conclusions are usually well measured. It can be profitably read by anyone interested in the development of Mormonism, new religions of the nineteenth century, and the American West.