From: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com (aml-list-digest) To: aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: aml-list-digest V1 #767 Reply-To: aml-list Sender: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Errors-To: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Precedence: bulk aml-list-digest Thursday, July 11 2002 Volume 01 : Number 767 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 10 Jul 2002 10:53:07 -0500 From: "Preston" Subject: [AML] _Handcart_ Release Date Changes Kels Goodman's historical epic "Handcart" will be first shown publicly on July 23rd at 10:30 p.m. at Scera Theater in Orem. The late time is due to trying to get space in a real theater during the busy summer movie blockbuster season. There will be a reception afterwards. Industry people and journalists who haven't already received an invite can write to me and I'll forward the request to Kels. The new release date for "Handcart" will be October 11th, pushed back from July 24th. The record number of summer blockbusters has pushed independent films like "Handcart" out of the summer release cycle. Theater chains wanted "Handcart" to open in Fall. But Adam Anderegg's movie "Jack Weyland's Charly" opens September 20, so "Handcart" is staggering its release date past that, to October. The Wednesday before October 11, there will be another premiere at the Scera officially for the opening. - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 10 Jul 2002 09:06:56 -0700 From: The Laird Jim Subject: [AML] Thoughts on Art and Literature A few interesting questions have been posed in the last few months on some of my favorite websites. It's a debate that has gone on for centuries, and is probably no nearer a conclusion now than ever, but it appears that a swing is in progress. The concept of "Art," in caps, as an abstract perfection is losing ground at last. Art and classical liberalism have always gone hand in glove. It can be argued that many of the concepts of the classical liberal enlightenment were created by artists. Everything from the scientific method to economics can be traced back to the artistry of pen, brush and chisel in the renaissance. The quest for excellence and the love of beauty for its own sake broke down the closed socialistic guilds as well as knocked "nobles" from their overlordship. So effective was literature that the printing press was banned in many countries and licensed very tightly in every other. While many or even most artists were lapdogs of the great nobles, they quietly subverted everything they touched, as if by accident. Great art was paid for by the nobility, but it was created almost exclusively by the middle class. The impact can be overstated, but I personally think that art and particularly literature had a larger impact than gunpowder. A sad outgrowth of the renaissance was the French school of philosophy, which has ruined everything it has touched, and especially art. The idea that perfection could be easily attained here and now and the ridiculous noble savage theory have had enormous impact on the world of art. The quest for excellence became a quest for essence. Painting, sculpture and literature have gone through phases and fads that produced nothing of import or beauty. The sculpture thrown out by an English janitor a few months ago is a perfect example. He had no inkling that a pile of rubbish was "art," even though there were similar works nearby. Art as a whole has become more and more denigrated as it has become more and more pure. Even literature, which ought to be the most communicative art form, has suffered from this intolerant arrogance of puritanism. I won't mention any by name since that might offend; but there are very many books written in the last century that were without merit of any kind yet were hailed only by the "artsy" crowd. Indeed the very fact that there is such a thing as an artsy crowd is a bad omen, but there are at long last glimmerings of change. My own theory of art is very simple: art is science transcended. Painting, sculpture, literature both poetry and prose, music, dance, and every other possible form of art are all based on a science. A good piano player has skills that can be practiced until they become second nature. The science becomse art when innovation or even extraordinary expression. In writing a good writer can tug at heart-strings or get a laugh without deviating from the basic science of writing, but creating a character that becomes real to the reader is an achievement of art. I read almost exactly the same concept on the Arts & Letters website a couple of months ago, and more and more I've been hearing and reading little snippets of the same ideas. Art should communicate, and great art communicates with broad audiences. Mozart is still performed and admired though he is centuries dead; he defeated time and speaks to audiences that are divided from him by a gulf of time and culture. He did not achieve a quientessence, however; he used his talents and skills to create beauty that is recognized by anyone willing to listen. Art is in its essence communication. The narrowing of art to so many little genres has harmed both the science and the art; I once bought the same belief, and told my english teacher in High School that I didn't need to learn much about grammar or diction or read great books to learn from the masters. (Or mistresses--Jane Austen is my favorite.) I wanted to break the rules, write purely, and when I read the stuff I wrote then I am embarrassed and annoyed that I was ever so stupid. Instead of writing poetry any way I chose I took to writing sonnets and copied the "an thenath" form from Tolkien. I wrote short stories with a predetermined word limit and a ban on words of more than two syllables. These things didn't necessarily make me an artist, but they did improve my mastery of the science of writing. Now when I break a rule I do it deliberately, rather than carelessly. It's much more fun to break rules when you know what they are. Almost all great art came about while there were more rules than grammar or punctuation. Shakespeare was subject to the whims of a very whimsical queen. Cervantes was dodging the Spanish Inquisition. Limitations and censors do not necessarily hold back art, they often make it more clever, innovative and creative. Euphemism, irony, and satire are all products not of free expression but of violent repression. A free society does not necessarily produce the best artists. The puritan form of art still exists, and still holds far more sway than it deserves, but the signs are all in. The utter ridiculousness of some of the latest art scandals are one of the best indicators. The shrillest complaints come when the problem is nearing resolution. In my own genre the nine thousandth recycling of King Arthur is another good sign. Stagnation is often the forerunner of innovation. I may be too optimistic but I think I see the glimmerings of dawn despite the darkness of the hour. I believe this is due in no small part to the breaking of the dam. All the various media are slipping from the hands of the few. Excellence may become the object of the quest again, and that is all to the good. Art could begin to drive civilization again, instead of being an ugly toy for idlers. I'm definitely too optimistic. So be it. With all that manure there's GOT to be a pony in here somewhere. Jim Wilson aka The Laird Jim - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 10 Jul 2002 17:00:08 -0500 From: "Preston" Subject: [AML] "Possession" Trailers Online Trailers are finally available online for "Possession", directed by Neil LaBute and starring fellow BYU-grad Aaron Eckhart (also starring Gwyneth Paltrow). Check it out: http://www.comingsoon.net/movies/p/possession.php - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 10 Jul 2002 15:50:50 -0600 From: "Scott Parkin" Subject: Re: [AML] Mormon Utopias [MOD: I want to allow discussion as Scott has outlined it. So please, do go ahead and respond--but do it from the perspective of sharing (as opposed to arguing for) your view, keeping in mind that this is intended as a springboard for literature, rather than vice versa.] William Morris wrote: > I'm fascinated > by the way Mormons conceive the Millennial reign of Christ. > Specifically, > I've met those who see it as an idealized, rightous end point of > socialism, and those who see it as an idealized, rightous end point of > capitalism. > > So you get the socialism wouldn't be bad if it was correctly > implemented > and people actually lived it line. And the reply that socialism is evil > and that capitalism is the most correct economic system because it > preserves free agency--it's just that once Christ comes everyone will > have > each others best interests in mind and so everyone will choose to live > in > harmony and share with those in need. I know this may be a mild abuse of List guidelines, but would you be willing to offer a more detailed list of the reasons why capitalism/socialism allegedly denies/reflects gospel truth as we know it? I ask, because I want to hear the reasonings behind both mindsets so that I can address them to some degree in my proposed near-future, pre-Millenial, pseudo-utopic, speculative novel. One of the reasons I ask is that it seems to me that economic systems have little or no bearing on moral agency. The ability to choose among many brands of canned peas (or not) seems far less important a gospel question than what moral/social good is enabled with that can of peas. That choice seems to me to be independent of the economic system that made the peas available to consumers. Over the years, the body of the Church has participated in any number of economic experiments, including the socialized United Order and the aggressively capitalistic modern American free market economy--with little or no impact on the fundamental doctrines and ordinances. Religion and economics address different fundamental questions. Or so it seems to me. > But it sounds like you're talking about a Utopian society that is > pre-millennial, so the model would be closer to Enoch's city---which is > the > same model for many of the collective communities that have been tried > in > American history---a gathering of like-minded individuals. The problem > with this model (and really we don't know much about Enoch and Zion) is > that it's too much like a gated community for my taste. That's certainly how it's been portrayed in the vast majority of Mormon fiction--the Saints go off to their own separate place, close the doors, and exist fully independent of the rest of the world. Or at least they try. Is that gated community concept of the Mormon utopia a reflection Mormon doctrine? It certainly reflects our previous experiments, but that was in an age of the subsistence farm where one could close the gates; I'm not sure it would be possible to do that now without colossal technological and social regression, and I see few reasons to try. Yet we regularly see Mormon apocalyptic fiction that forces Mormons into exactly that--a social/economic/political separation from the rest of society, or at least from a corrupt American society (oddly we rarely see apocalyptic stories set outside of the U.S.). But doesn't this violate the whole idea of building Zion wherever we are? And yes, I'm trying to write a pre-apocalyptic, pre-Millenial novel that postulate some level of Mormon social or economic or political pseudo-utopia. While I have no intention of getting apocalyptic in my story, that certainly is a direction I could go if I chose. I look forward to any and all thoughts that you (or anyone else) have to offer. I just hope the request doesn't fall too far outside List guidelines, because I would like to hear as many arguments and opinions as possible. Thanks. Scott Parkin - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 10 Jul 2002 17:56:17 EDT From: PinkDiva@aol.com Subject: Re: [AML] Killing your Darlings So how do you tell? What's a darling? I think this is a great question. It's difficult to find darlings in your own work, which is why objective readers are important. If several objective readers identify the same darling, they're probably right. Otherwise, it's tough to know, unless it's the obvious wordy passages with tons of adjectives and adverbs or repetitive sections, etc. I find when reading my own work, time is almost as good as an objective reader. It's amazing how a passage can be wonderful when I write it, and flat and/or awful a mere week later. Lisa Turner - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 10 Jul 2002 16:36:22 -0600 From: Barbara Hume Subject: Re: [AML] Killing Your Darlings At 03:42 PM 7/10/02 -0500, you wrote: >Computers have >turned us all into ninnies -- we can now delicately traipse around our >writing and peck here and peck there. I LOVE this image. It made me put down my Diet Coke and read it again. Does that make it a darling? Nope. It's clever and memorable. And true. I say keep those memorable phrases that people will quote to each other and say, "Isn't this great?" or "Isn't this beautiful?" or "Isn't this just the way you feel?" and dump the phrases that people will quote to each other and say, "Can you believe this person gets paid to write?" barbara hume - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 10 Jul 2002 18:53:15 -0600 From: "Scott Parkin" Subject: [AML] LUND, _The Freedom Factor_ (Review) Lund, Gerald. _The Freedom Factor._ 1987: Bookcraft (an imprint of Deseret Book), Salt Lake City. Trade paperback: 295 pages; $14.95. ISBN: 0-87579-961-2 Why would anyone bother to read a Gerald Lund book writter prior to his popular _The Work and the Glory_ series? Yet I have now done it twice (without actually reading TWG), with this book and with _The Alliance._ The short reason is that it was an impulse read. I've been reading up on Mormon apocalyptic fiction recently and this book promises a form of that. I've been fascinated with Mormon ideas of social/political utopias, and this book addresses that to some degree. In the end, though, it was sitting right there on the counter of my local library as I was renewing a couple of other books and I just tossed it on the pile. A Synopsis ============ _The Freedom Factor_ is a near-future alternate history thriller set in the United States. Young Bryce Sherwood, a senior aide to the senior senator from Massachusetts, authors a bill to add an amendment to the constitution that would enable congress to dissolve the government with a vote of no-confidence, forcing immediate re-elections of both the congress and the president. The amendment is designed to reduce gridlock and force cooperation between the president and the congress, putting pressure on all parties to work it out or risk being put out of power. The proposed amendment is very popular with a citizenry tired of empty rhetoric, and it appears that the bill will pass. But others are not as happy with this proposed change to the Constitution, including a fiery young woman named Leslie Adams who opposes Bryce Sherwood's efforts. Of course these two young people come together and a star-crossed romance ensues. Leslie tries to convince Bryce that his amendment will destroy the checks and balances set up by the original framers of the Constitution. When Bryce refuses to be convinced, a series of mystical events ensues and the ghost of Nathaniel Gorham, one of the original framers of the Constitution appears and transports Bryce into an alternate timeline where the Constitution was never ratified. In this fragmented United States small confederations of states are dominated by a despotic tyrant, the people suffer under the rule of a police state, and technology is limited. The different nations of North America are at cold war with each other, and armed borders separate them. As Bryce interacts in this nightmarish alternate America he comes to understand why his amendment is a bad idea and joins freedom fighters out to overthrow the government while he tries to woo an alternate Leslie Adams, all hope of returning to his own timeline lost. A Quick Review ================ This is a competent thriller with interesting twists and surprises. Lund's writing style is easy to read and rarely interferes with a solidly paced story of political intrigue. I found the love story a little forced, but the overall movement was good enough that I forgave it that weak spot. This novel is at its best when the characters are firmly situated in the alternate history and trying to solve immediate problems. Yet this novel also claims to be an argument on the sanctity of the U.S. Constitution, and that's where I thought it came up a little bit short. Lund raises a fascinating core question and conflict--can a two hundred year old document really address the needs of a modern, global nation dominated by technology unimagined by the founding fathers? This is a fundamental question, and one that I expected Lund to argue directly. But most of the arguments among characters happen offstage; onstage the characters only reiterate the conclusions of arguments past. And while Lund argues that Bryce's amendment will eliminate checks and balances in the government--thus enabling evil people to seize power and institute despotic rule--he never quite address *how* that will occur. We see the results, but not the reasoning, and that annoyed me throughout. Perhaps he thought that all his readers would already know those arguments. If so, I think he overestimates his readers' foundations in government and history. I suspect Lund just wanted to avoid talking heads and let his dramatization carry the argument--a noble goal and one that I would ordinarily applaud. But I wanted to hear the arguments directly, not just through dramatization in an alternate timeline (more on that below). The lack of that direct argumentation left me feeling unsatisfied and feeling like the author had made a promise he never fulfilled. This is not a slick international spy thriller of the Robert Ludlum ilk. But it is a solid, well-paced story of political intrigue and how one man comes to appreciate freedoms he has taken for granted. The novel really shines when it stops trying to set up its larger argument and just tells an adventure story. If you're looking for a strong argument about the sanctity of the U.S. Constitution that explores both argument and counter-argument, you will be disappointed. If you want a competently written, well-paced thriller set in an alternate America, the last two-thirds of this novel will fit the bill nicely (no pun intended). An Alternate Argument ======================= I found Lund's alternate-history-as-argument unconvincing for a number of reasons. First, he piled every nightmare possibility into one package, apparently implying that if our Constitution had not been ratified, no constitution would have been ratified and the fragile new nation would have fragmented into the worst of all possible configurations. The only way for this nation to succeed was exactly the way it did, and any other answer would have led to complete disaster. In other words he piled it on just a little too heavy, in the process undermining his own dramatized argument with an obviously precarious strawman with little power to sway those not already converted. Second, the obviously Soviet-style socialism he offers as the replacement in this alternate America reads just a little too much like a right-wing political tract for my tastes. Rather than creating a new and unique alternate history that mixed some good in with a lot of bad in a partially implemented American Dream, he chose to simply appropriate the Ghost of Communists Past--ignoring all the other successful governmental types that have been implemented in the last several hundred years. Again, the premise appears to have been all or nothing, and I just had a hard time with that. Third, though this book was written by a Mormon author for a Mormon audience there is no mention of what this alternate America meant in terms of the restoration of the gospel. There's nothing that says a Mormon author has to deal with that question in his work, but in the case of any book published by Bookcraft it just felt like an obvious omission of a question of relatively strong interest to the intended audience. In the end, I think Lund tried to do either too much or too little. He didn't offer a strong enough direct argument, and his dramatization was so skewed and politically lopsided that it failed to carry the weight it should have--at least for me. If this had been limited to an alternate history where the Constitution hadn't been ratified--and where the characters had no concept of some other possible history--I think this could have been a good, punchy thriller. But in up-leveling to the Big Question I think Lund bit off more than he really knew how to chew. Mormon Political Theory ========================= The recurring political story in this novel is so aggressively right-wing that it begs a question--is this emphasis of the political right a core element of Mormon doctrine, or is it an artifact of the heavy Utah influence on Mormon literature? Because I can't recall a single Mormon political thriller that doesn't proclaim an aggressively right-wing agenda--along with its black-helicopters/despotic-overlord as the only apparent alternative to that agenda. Once again, it seems like all or nothing--either glorious Americanism in all its Republican/Libertarian glory, or utter social chaos and destruction of individual rights. There's nothing in between, and it seems like no other alternative is offered as valid. Apparently the Brits and (East) Indians and Germans and Japanese and Australians and Norwegians and Brazilians and Canadians et al are all living under utterly failed political systems completely incapable of providing basic freedoms to its citizens, and as a result all of their lives really suck and they're totally miserable. I know, no one said that. But in offering only this one horrific political alternative to 1950s Americana, it seems like we are begging exactly that question. Of course American Mormons think it's pretty cool to live under the American system, and we believe that the American Constitution was inspired of God. But we also believe that God inspires many people to many works--even political works that take place outside the United States. The last time I checked, we were still building Zion wherever the people were, even if it wasn't in the U.S. I can't fault Lund for having his own vision and for presenting it, though I can and do disagree with parts of it. He wrote his book and he sold it. He has exercised his right to speak freely according to the dictates of his own conscience, and I can only applaud that effort. What I'm concerned about is the rest of us. Where are the other kinds of stories? Where's the political dialog through literature that dares to question American Jingoism as a gospel principle? Where are the stories of how Mormon culture sometimes comes into conflict with American political culture? It does happen, doesn't it? Is there another political stance in Mormon culture? I have to wonder, because I can't recall seeing it presented in literature. I hope it's because we haven't written those stories, not because the Mormon publishing establishment refuses to publish those other visions. Winding Down ============== Maybe a review isn't the place to rabble-rouse or question the political/social/artistic vision that Mormons present through literature. Then again, after reading a book like _The Freedom Factor_ I can't help but think about the relationship between Mormon doctrine and political theory and social vision. Because literature does raise these questions--or at least it should. As much as I want to resist the claim that Mormons are a homogeneous lot, the lack of other political (or social, economic, or environmental) visions in our literature certainly seems to beg the issue. And isn't that part of what a review allows? If I'm lucky, someone will write a book and prove that there is more than one Mormon vision on politics, and that's the best a reviewer can hope for. If I'm lucky... Scott Parkin - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 10 Jul 2002 20:08:35 -0600 From: "Richard C. Russell" Subject: Re: [AML] S.L. Newspaper Wars - ----- Original Message ----- From: To: Sent: Tuesday, July 09, 2002 9:18 PM Subject: [AML] Re: S.L. Newspaper Wars > I also believe that folks in the area > feel that both papers are so biased that losing either one > will tip over the table of balance, which in my opinion is > really a teeter-totter. For a while, I didn't think either > paper knew what balance really was, nor could they find > it. It sounds as if that hasn't changed. There are times when the coverage of the same story is quite different, not from an editorial POV but in terms of writing quality as well as both breadth and depth of the report. For example, the Trib's report of the discovery of lead plates at Lee's Ferry was brief enough to leave a lot of questions and some suspicion about BY's involvement in the MMM while still doubting the authenticity of the plates themselve. The News' version was twice as long giving more complete background of the issue which left the impression that allegations of BY's involvement were unfounded. The Trib will very often cover a story that the News will not report at all, however. There is balance if there are two papers. I believe that when it comes to some sensitive matters concerning the Church's activities the News could not possibly be balanced. And I don't think there is anything wrong with that, either. The Church is the subject of many many articles in this state. ********************************************* Richard C. Russell, SLC UTAH www.leaderlore.com, lderlore@xmission.com "There is never the last word, only the latest." ********************************************* This e-mail is a personal communication sometimes intended merely for the sake of discussion. Its contents represent solely the opinions of the author and not necessarily those of the author's employer nor those of any organization with which the author may be affiliated. It is specifically not intended to be a representation of LDS Church doctrine. - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 11 Jul 2002 04:53:25 -0600 From: "Thom Duncan" Subject: Re: [AML] Unbiased Presentation - ----- Original Message ----- From: "Todd Petersen" > Scott wondered if there is such a thing as unbiased reporting. I say > yes, "If God's doing it." Otherwise, no sir. There is only more or less > bias, never none. > -- > Todd I wouldn't even go that far. God, to my knowledge, has never written anything, without the intervention of man (the Ten Commandments being the notable exception). All else is, at best, the interpretation of God's will through a human prophet who may or may not get everything right, or more accurately, who may or may not be ABLE to describe God's will in terms that are universally understandable. I would be willing to change my opinion if anyone can present any concept of the Restored Gospel that has been universally taught by all GAs, prophets, and Seminary teachers without alteration from its first revelation. Even the Word of God is biased. That's why we are given the gift of the Holy Ghost, imo, so as to be able to differentiate the Word of God from the teachings of men intermingled with Scripture. Thom Duncan - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 11 Jul 2002 07:35:18 -0500 From: "DCHuls" Subject: Re: [AML] _The Other Side of Heaven_ (Review) From: "D. Michael Martindale" > Eric said this was a missed opportunity, a great deal of talent agtehred > together to tell a fascinating story, but with a script that blew it big > time--with the usual results. The easily "inspired" Mormon audience > loved it, and the rest of the world's audience saw the film for what it > was: a failure of mediocrity. This, in summary, is what Eric said. > > Everyone take note: this doesn't happen often. I agree with Eric 100 > percent. My impression of this movie, having read the books some time ago, was it was true to what Groberg wrote. I suspect that John G. wishes he had done some things differently as a green missionary too. His life as I have read about it makes the point that he did do a lot of growing up and did follow through and has done much good for the people of the Islands because of what he learned as a green kid from Idaho. I once was a green kid from Idaho. Believe me for every Harold B. Lee and Ezra Taft Benson there are many more like me who have made small waves not Tsunamis in life. But our small waves have impacted the lives of others and I apologize to no one for the height of the wave. I can tell you that what I know now and what I knew at 19 are vastly different. So the movie rang "true" to me. I also believe there are some experiences in life that we treat as personal and private, administering to the sick may be one of those. I had to learn how to do that on my own. It was not something that my father taught me. I want to hope that our missionary preparation is better now than it was in Grobergs day. There are many ways to embellish. We have seen one Brother get in trouble for doing so. I recently had a garage sale and my Paul.Dunn. books were for the most part left in the boxes. I enjoyed his books and his embellishments. However, when I learned that had been his style I lost some respect for a good story teller. Had he simply indicated on the flyleaf these stories are inspirational and may be motivational if not altogether true perhaps we would feel better. On the other hand if what we want to sell is how it should have gone as opposed to how it went, then I would say that Brothers Samuelson and Martindale both have made excellent points. Perhaps John Groberg wanted the film to be what happened without embellishment. I have no way of knowing I am just one old guy saying that I enjoyed the film. Saw it twice. Cried both times! I recently saw the latest Tom Cruise movie and if I could get my money back I would! I do not need all this violence and high tech explosions, eyeballs being carried around in a plastic baggie and on and on. I yearn for the sweet powerful story by Mel Gibson in "The Man without a Face" as opposed to "Brave Heart". Verbose as usual I now retire back into my corner! Craig Huls - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 11 Jul 2002 06:39:34 -0700 From: "Jeff Needle" Subject: [AML] Lee NELSON, _A Thousand Souls_ (Review) Review ====== Title: A Thousand Souls Author: Lee Nelson Publisher: Council Press Year Published: 2002 Number of Pages: 167 Binding: Hardback ISBN: 1-55517-653-4 Price: $18.95 Reviewed by Jeffrey Needle Most of you will be familiar with Lee Nelson from his many fiction titles, including the Storm Testament series. He has written widely on topics concerning the West and the history of the LDS Church. "A Thousand Souls" is a departure for Nelson. In this small book, Nelson relates some of the highlights of his mission call to Germany. Sent to Europe in the 1960's, and given a blessing by Spencer W. Kimball, Nelson begins a two-year journey from uncertainty to a sure testimony of the Gospel. The title comes from Spencer W. Kimball's blessing, which included a prophecy that he would bring "a thousand souls" to Christ. Given the sparsity of conversions in the German field, this seemed highly unlikely. And with each failure, each slip, Nelson wonders how this vision could possibly come to pass. After a rocky start, Nelson eventually becomes comfortable with the German language, and finds himself enjoying his mission as he and his various companions explore innovative ways of tracting and presenting the Gospel. Beneath the text of this book is a surprising ambiguity about the role of deceit in the methods used to open doors. He is taught to begin his conversation by saying he is "taking a survey," when in fact it isn't a survey at all, just a pretext to get in the door. He questions this tactic, but finally pushes his doubts to the background. (Later, when he and a companion engage in a massive program of deceit -- constituting, by the way, a hilarious and highly entertaining narrative of misguided missionary work, in my mind the best part of the book -- he uses as his excuse the idea that deceit was practiced on a smaller scale, why not on a larger scale? Sadly, his Mission President cannot parse this argument, and takes corrective action.) The characters that populate this story include nuns and a priest, missionaries and their prospects (including some rather distasteful individuals), and mission leaders of all stripes and competencies. So, does he eventually resolve the "thousand souls" problem? Well, in a way. Frankly, I didn't buy his resolution. Suffice it to say that it sounds a bit as if he tried to fit the facts into his prophetic expectation. Having never served a mission, I cannot attest to the accuracy of the way Nelson portrays the process. I suspect much of it is accurate. This is tough work, it seems. It requires dedication, stamina and real belief. Falling short on any count can result in a failed mission. We must get to the end of the book, to the Author's Note, to learn that Nelson isn't at all sure that everything happened exactly as he relates it in the text of the book. He admits that, with the passing of time, sequencing and attribution can be mistaken. But he insists that the broad outline is correct. As stated, this is a real departure from Nelson's previous works. Thematically, I don't think he's ever done anything like this before. Also, the cosmetic appearance of the book is much better than anything I've ever seen from Council Press (an imprint of CFI). Readers who own any of his previous works will remember the rough appearance of the book covers. "A Thousand Souls" has a slick, thoroughly professional look that previous volumes lacked. Sadly, one feature of Nelson's writing persists. Homonym confusion is rampant -- "alter" when it should be "altar," "pour" when it should be "pore," etc. Grammatical blunders are also there, including his famous confusion between "I" and "me" that, at least in my own case, causes a jolt whenever I encounter it. And, my most famous rant, the last book of the Bible is "Revelations" on page 111, but he gets it right on page 112. In previous reviews of Nelson's books, I wondered aloud why a simple editing process isn't performed, to purge the book of such obvious blunders. It seems like such a simple issue. My wonderment remains. Despite the flaws, I really enjoyed this book. I read it in two sittings, laughing out loud in places, scratching my head in others. Nelson terms his work an "autobiographical novel," and should be read as such. It is entertainment, and it works well, although some might feel as if his resolution of the "thousand souls" prophecy is a bit contrived. The price is, I think, a bit steep. Most LDS readers will not be willing to spend nearly 20 bucks for such a book, and will likely wait for the volumes to reach the remainder table. If you can find a copy, locate a comfortable chair, sit back, and enjoy one of the better missionary tales. I think you'll have a good time with it. - ----------------------- Jeff Needle jeff.needle@general.com - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 11 Jul 2002 07:20:44 -0700 From: "Jeff Needle" Subject: [AML] TELFORD et al., _Nauvoo, The City Beautiful_ (Review) Review ====== Title: Nauvoo, The City Beautiful Author: John Telford, Susan Easton Black and Kim C. Averett Publisher: Eagle Gate (imprint of Deseret Book) Year Published: 2002 Number of Pages: 54 Binding: Hardback ISBN: 1-57008-798-9 Price: $19.95 Reviewed by Jeffrey Needle Books for review are often accompanied by a press release from the publisher. Deseret Book included the following note with this book: For every person who will be able to travel to Nauvoo this spring there will be a hundred who want to, but will not be able to make the trip. John Telford, Susan Easton Black, and Kim C. Averett have created a book for the armchair traveler to Nauvoo. First published in 1997, "Nauvoo" contains beautiful, full-color photographs by Telford and text by Black and Averett; re-released in 2002, the book has been updated to feature photographs of the new Nauvoo Temple from construction to completion. Okay. So one would expect this book to be larger than its predecessor. Wrong. The previous volume, titled simply "Nauvoo," is physically larger (nearly coffee-table size), goes to 96 pages (including an index and notes, missing from the current volume), and sold for a whopping $34.95. So how is this volume an "update"? Most obviously, photos of the Nauvoo Temple are now included, photos not available, for obvious reasons, in the 1997 edition. So how do you accomplish the smaller size? Sadly, the current volume lacks an extensive running commentary on the historical events that surround the photographs, so nicely provided in the earlier book. This text provided background that I think is essential to understanding the flow of Mormon history in Nauvoo. A simple caption helps, but is not as useful. Why not retain the text of the older edition, and simply add the updated Nauvoo Temple material? I suspect they needed to find a way to shrink the book down a bit so that they could sell it at a more reasonable price. (I tried to determine whether photos were omitted, but the lack of an index in the new volume made this an awful task I decided to abandon.) Pages 57-64 of the earlier edition are dedicated to "The Nauvoo Temple," a brief but informative history of the Temple and its impact on the city. I regret that the publishers omitted this strong narrative from the new edition. Given the stated reason for the new volume -- the inclusion of the rebuilt Temple - -- it would have made this a better book. My naturally cynical nature also suspects that the publisher has decided that background text isn't nearly as important as beautiful pictures, that people may be willing to give up text in favor of more pictures and reduced price. This is not a particularly Mormon trait; society as a whole seems to be favoring visual delight over serious text. It's too bad. Together, the two books make for a pleasant journey through Nauvoo. Having never visited the city, I appreciated the opportunity to see how the early Church built a major city in a most unlikely place. Despite its lack of background text, "Nauvoo, The City Beautiful" does offer brief captions with the photos, helping the reader to identify the time and place. Those interested in further information, however, will have to look elsewhere. "Nauvoo, The City Beautiful" does not constitute a major contribution to Nauvoo studies. But it does provide a fairly low-cost alternative to previous display volumes, and may be of interest to Church members who want to view the city, then and now, and perhaps develop a deeper interest in historical study. Those who can obtain both volumes should do so, as the current volume, despite the press release, really isn't a re-release at all, but a reduced, and less detailed, version. - ----------------------- Jeff Needle jeff.needle@general.com - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ End of aml-list-digest V1 #767 ******************************