Understanding the Book of Mormon: A Reader's Guide Book

Born and raised a Mormon, I've been on that inevitable intellectual and spiritual journey of my mid-twenties to deeply analyze the doctrines, beliefs, and scriptures of the religion of my youth, as well as to find a comfortable stance as to what I believe and where I want to situate my life and devotion.

Grant Hardy is a really good guide for looking at what the Book of Mormon really says, does, and signifies. His excellent scholarship and insightful literary connections make Understanding the Book of Mormon a comfortable read for believers, non-believers, and ambivalent truth seekers (like me) alike. He is direct and unbiased, though a devout Mormon himself, and, as such, gives the book perhaps a gentler treatment than many before him have.

Overall, Hardy makes the point that whether or not one sees the Book of Mormon as divinely translated scripture, it is much more complex and rich than a shallow or quick reading would suggest. Despite clear historical anachronisms and sometimes painfully redundant and derivative language, the Book is worthy of deep consideration and discussion, especially as a landmark nineteenth century text. Referencing Mark Twain's tongue-in-cheek comment that Wagner's music is "better than it sounds," Hardy ends the afterword with the conviction that "Whether Joseph Smith worked by craftiness, by genius, or by revelation, the Book of Mormon is a remarkable text, one that is worthy of serious study. It is better than it sounds" (273). And, after being guided along by Hardy, I certainly agree.