Utah Historians and the Reconstruction of Western History Book

This is an unusual history. Instead of discussing events or places, Gary Topping examines the lives of five well-known and respected western writers with Utah roots: Bernard DeVoto, Dale Morgan, Juanita Brooks, Wallace Stegner, and Fawn McConkie Brodie. Each produced books and historical studies of importance, and some also wrote historical fiction. Topping takes an in depth look at childhood and education, life experiences, and the angst and joy that flavored the perspectives of these historians and hence colored their work. I found the discussion of each person informative, but I most enjoyed the introduction and concluding chapter of this book. It is in those sections that Topping makes his most interesting interpretations of their lives and their places in Utah and National history.