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I am about halfway through this book that was recommended to me by a close friend. Here is a review of it: http://www.slate.com/id/2252442/http://www.slate.com/id/2252442/” class=”bbcode_url”> I have always disliked the BOM for more or less the same reasons Mark Twain cited. It’s boring, didactic, the language is awkward, the characters are not compelling, it’s preachy & moralizing, there are no women. Essentially, my objections have been that it’s bad literature. But Grant Hardy points out a lot of things that are literarily interesting about the book, things that I dismissed because it is such a chore to slog through it (which I have more times than I care to number). Despite my dislike of the book, I did have a real BOM experience when I prayed about it. It didn’t make me like the book, but it gave me reason to believe it to be historical rather than written by JS (there is evidence both ways – and either way I still don’t enjoy reading it).
Regardless, Grant Hardy’s book is worth a read for anyone who wants to find more value in the BOM. His views on its compilers / narrators are very interesting. Here are a few points he shares about Nephi and Mormon:
Nephi: What I always hated about Nephi is that he’s so insufferable and black and white. Hardy points out that the book is written by an aging narrator who sees his life as a series of failures that require justification, and he also has great disappointment looking ahead and knowing that his descendents will be conquered despite his faith. The book also points out what Nephi doesn’t directly point to: that Laman & Lemuel were devout Jews who followed their father’s orders, and Nephi actually kind of blew it by killing Laban and making it so they could never return to Jerusalem. Until that point, they were just hiding out in the wilderness. After that, they had to focus on finding a land of promise. And Lehi never gives approval for Nephi’s action. Mormon: Mormon’s writing style is just hard to get through. He insists on covering every year, even if nothing happens, and his love of Captain Moroni seems unfounded to me. Hardy points out that Mormon is impressed with 2 things that he highlights in the histories he includes: 1) people with great personal ability, and 2) people who relied on God to make up for their lack of skills. He highlights both of those types as having merit. Hardy also points out where the stories Mormon includes simply don’t add up to his own descriptions of them. Mormon ties black and white morals to some very gray tales. Anwyay, I hope this will encourage some of you to pick up Hardy’s review of the BOM. I’ll post more thoughts later if I get a chance. Does this strike anyone’s interest? I’m halfway through if anyone has any questions about what he does and doesn’t address. Happy to answer.
That’s exactly how I’ve always seen Nephi, and I share it with very, very few people. 
Thanks for the review.
My husband bought it a few months ago. During my lifetime I have enjoyed the Book of Mormon. Mine is all marked up. Clearly I love various parts over others. Because it has been a spiritual and human nature book for me I never really got caught up in the anachronisms. That isn’t because I don’t study, it’s because I use the book differently. Anyway my husband, who is the thinker and had some anachronism struggles began reading the book. Well the the first few pages are anachronism heavy. Even ones he’d never thought of. Before long the Book of Mormon seemed to unravel before both of us. I was so hurt, and angry that I wrote a letter ( never sent it) to Bro. Hardy.
Time though helped. As we kept reading we found new jewels of hope and joy. The book is now underlined with and annotated. Grant Hardy really does dismantle to book and re-tie it in a new way.
I guess my support and caution of the book go hand in hand. I am interested what our take will be on it when we finish. My husband also bought Grants Readers Book of Mormon. We have heard that the structure alone brings out new insights you don’t find in the standard version.
One huge plus for this book is it’s great to take to church and read during meetings. It keeps your mind and spirit engaged.
mom3 – are you confusing the book your husband read with Grant Palmer’s Insider’s View of Mormon Origins? That book really does point out the anachronisms and 19th century elements, one by one, essentially dismantling the BOM. However, my view of Palmer’s book is that he reaches to make his point in several cases, not distinguishing very well between what is valid and likely and what is specious. Grant Hardy’s book is more like a thinking man’s seminary class. It’s not quite apologetics (he does allow for non-LDS readers of the BOM to view it as fiction), but it does present the literary elements that would have been difficult for JS to construct, especially extemporaneously. Hi Hawkgrrl, Great question. No I am not confused on the books. My husband read Grant Palmer 3 years ago. I didn’t read his “Origins book” but I did read his “Incomparable Christ”. I am talking about Hardy’s book. It sitting right here next to me.
My husband kept reading anachronism after anachronism to the point I even became discouraged. To me Hardy wisely hits a million of them. This also does lend him credibility as he moves through the book to make his points. I guess the point that I was trying to make, but didn’t was more a warning to others who may not have been tripped up by anachronisms before, they may find this overwhelming.
Like all spirituality we each see, read, or hear what nurtures our soul. You mentioned not being a big Book of Mormon reader. Hardy’s book is great for analysis and seeing new things we don’t get in LDS lessons. (I love it for that reason) I just know that those anachronisms help throw others into a deeper crisis of faith and I wanted to send a shout out before it threw them too much.
Thanks for asking me to clarify. Thanks also for posting your joyous review. It’s good to see you back on the forum. I enjoy your insights.
I’m glad you clarified, and that it was the same book. Just to clarify, I’m not a BOM lover, but I have read it countless times and was aware of the anachronisms from my teenage years (being raised in an area where there was a lot of anti-Mormon literature). Maybe that’s why I didn’t notice them in Hardy’s book, but now that you’ve given more examples, I think you are right! Hawkgrrl. I just came back to correct my interpretation of your BOM status. You beat me to it. Sorry to mistakenly represent you. Thanks. You’ve increased my interest. :clap: To me there are a lot of subtle insights about the personalities in the BOM. For all my readings I hadn’t caught as many as Hardy finds. We just finished his insights on Zeniff. They really showed a human being struggling for charity and righteousness. He also points out the failures or perceived failures that Zeniff’s people experienced. Not because of unrighteousness per se but because life and our best efforts don’t always turn out. I facebooked Grant Hardy with some questions and he explained that he wrote the book to help others find good in it. It helped me fully comprehend his purpose as I continue to read.
Quote:there are no women
That’s the greatest criticism perhaps. There are several female characters but they’re not memorable. Mary does feature in it quite a bit, but she’s a Biblical character.
I’ve grown to love the Book of Mormon. You have to recognise it as having the faults of the culture(s) it comes out of… Joseph Smith’s world, and then the quasi-Biblical backdrop, which is/is not true.
The chiasmus thing has been overdone. There are some interesting literary features which were probably not consciously included by Smith.
It is drier than the Bible, but it does have moments of beauty, mostly in theological passages rather than in action sequences.
By the way, I recommend Terryl Givens’ The Book of Mormon: A Very Short Introductionhttp://www.amazon.com/Book-Mormon-Short-Introduction-Introductions/dp/0195369319 Givens steers away from most of the “is it/isn’t it true?” argument, and looks at other factors.
It’s also short, and can be read in an afternoon or less.
I heard an interview with Grant Hardy on Mormon Stories. It definitely sounds like an interesting book, and I will add it to my long reading list.
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