I always hesitate when I review religious books about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons). It is difficult for me to separate my own religious beliefs and examine a text as a purely impartial reader. For example, as a member of the LDS church I read church texts and the scriptural cannon (Old Testament, New Testament King James’ Version, The Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, Pearl of Great Price) weekly, but I never review them as I consider them sacred. I don’t feel entirely comfortable criticizing how the story of Christ’s crucification is portrayed in scripture, for example. With that explanation, and for those of you with different systems of belief, Henry B. Eyring is currently a member of the First Presidency of the LDS church and one of the twelve apostles. Yes, Mormons believe that there are twelve living apostles and a living prophet.
The biography follows Eyring’s life chronologically which I appreciate in a biography. I detest when writers jump all over trying to create interest. If a person is interesting enough to write about, one can stick to regular old chronology. Eyring’s father is the famous chemist Henry Eyring, and Henry B. or Hal as he is known throughout his family was born in Princeton, New Jersey. Hal’s father was known as fun loving and confident, while his mother Mildred was known as straight forward and determined. Her letters and quotes from addresses she made made me chuckle. Mildred reminds me of my grandma who was a decidedly stern woman. Hal grew up, joined the Air Force, and ended up in Harvard Business School, then teaching business at Stanford’s business school. During this time he was married, had children and accepted many church assignments. The LDS church has no professional clergy, and assignments or ‘callings’ are administered through inspiration from other leaders in the church who were called in the same manner. During Eyring’s life he had spiritual impressions that guided him and eventually he was asked to be President of Ricks College (an LDS college, now a four year university BYU-Idaho). Eventually, he was called to be an Apostle.
As a member of the LDS church, I’ve gone through my share of callings/assignments as well, and could relate to Eyring’s surprise, and times feelings of inadequacy. Much of the book was relatable, and interesting. I found certain portions of the book a bit problematic. First, the layout. There are all these call outs on each page to make the text visually interesting which is okay for a magazine article but makes a 500 page book is just confusing. I’ve detested callouts in textbooks because there is no great stopping place, and it is worse in a biography. Also, Eyring has written in a journal every day since 1970. All of his children are still living, and I am sure in an effort to preserve their privacy (his son assisted in compiling this book) there is very little his family life, or his thoughts as a father. Nothing profound, and nothing that shows much feelings. I think this is a disservice. I think this book would be interesting for members of the LDS church, but not very compelling for non members or people interested in learning more about Mormonism.
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