Utah Books

I think this book wasn't very good. The whole story is kind
of slow and boring. The main characters are Brandon and Gramdpa. They are both Navajo. Everything else about them wasn't well described. The plots and story events are long and boring. It takes about 60 pgs to get to the first problem. For example: Brandon's parents are arguing about weather gramdpa should stay with them. The message in this book is never forget your lost ones. I would recomend this book to anyone who likes slow and long books.
By
Brendan

The story is about a boy who's grandfather gets sick and has to come up to his house from Little Waters , Arizona on a Navajo reservation. Brandon the, main character, has to give up a lot of things in the begging before his grandfather gets there. He has to take down his posters and he doesn't want to have his grandfather in his house living in the same room as he is. They have some problems like for Brandon he has to do Navajo traditions like in the morning at like six o'clock in the morning he has to run to the sun. Then Brandon sees why his grandfather makes him race the sun and it's because it just makes you fell good. Then his grandfather gets a letter from home and he wants to go home so Brandon gets some money and takes him to his home town. There they talk talk to there relatives. The next day Brandon's parents get there and they are very mad. Later that day they go to his grandfather's house and then there they spend the night. The next day Brandon races the sun and you'll have to read the book to find out what happens next.
I thought this book was very interesting because it had some Navajo traditions that where very intriguing. I would give it three out of five stars (which is above average) because it was a little slow at times like in the begging when Brandon and his best friend are doing math and come home and talk about Brandon's grandfather coming to the city. On a general basis it was a good interesting book. It was good but if u like action packed adventurous books I don't recommend it to you.

12 year-old Brandon Rogers' grandpa has to move in with him. At first, what he does is annoying to Brandon but then he starts liking it. Brandon didn't know much about his culture until his grandpa came but then he learned how to race the sun.

I didn't like this book because there wasn't any action until the end and there wasn't any suspense.

I wouldnt' recommend this book because it was one of the worst books I have ever read.

Brandon, an ordinary twelve-year-old boy who lives in suburbia has an Indian heritage. Brandon who does not know much about his Navajo background sees a letter sitting on the kitchen table and sees that his grandfather will be coming to their house for the summer. His parents decide that he should sleep in Brandon's room and replace is bed for a bunk bed. Grandpa comes to the home with and Indian smell, He is exhausted from riding so long to the their house. By the next morning before the sun is up, his grandfather wakens Brandon. This is where the teachings of Navajo life begin! Grandpa sends Brandon to race to where the sun comes up, and then race back when the sun peaks over the trees. After that, it makes him feel great. Now he has to "Race the sun" each morning. Next, Grandpa teaches how to plant, where to plant, and what to plant. After a month, Grandpa is sick. Sick of his old age and misses his home and the fresh smells of the sage brush down where he lived. Brandon now cares for his grandfather and wants to take him back down to the reservation. Brand fiqures out a way to run away with his grandfather without anyone knowing it! The rest of the book you will have to read. I give this book *** (3) out of 5 stars. The book was planned well but had a sad ending.

12-year old Brandon's Grandpa said he was going to come. Brandon was horrified, but then when his Grandpa told him to race the sun and heard him chant at night, Brandon couldn't stand it anymore. But soon Brandon grows to loves his Grandpa. Soon, when he heard that his Grandpa had cancer, and wanted to go back to his homeland, but his parents won't listen, he decides to runaway with his Grandpa.

I think this book was kind of boring then kind of fun. First it was boring, but the middle and the ending was great! Some of the parts were funny (like the part when Brandon called Grandpa a genuine Navajo alarm clock), and some of the parts were sad (like the part when Grandpa died...)
I would reccomend this book to anybody who likes stories that are a little bit funny and sad.

Living in Utah makes this event too close for comfort which compelled me to read this book. This author's perspective was very interesting and exciting. I found the book to be full of interesting facts some of which I had not heard or read before. It also has reminded me that our society had changed in a frightening direction when we are no longer safe in our own homes.

This is a rather boring book...I picked it up after a friend of mine recommended it to me. Although it only took 2-3 to read it, it was boring. It took all I had to actually get through it. The writing is easy enough-but just in a vocabulary and level sense. My younger sisters and brother could read it with no problems. It's just that there's no real good flow.

What Elizabeth experienced was harrowing, and one of the reason why she's home is because of all the media coverage...

My hand trembled with each and every page I read.
With each word my mind went back to when I was kidnapped, beaten, tortured and raped in Moscow in January of 1992 by early Al qeada operatives.
Maggie, you have written a spine chilling account of Elizabeth Smart's kidnapping and rescue.
I applaud you for your writing skills.

-Yvonne Bornstein, Author, Eleven Days Of Hell- My True Story Of Kidnapping, Terror, Torture and Historic FBI and KGB Rescue

I read part of this book when the hardcover version first came out. What a horrific experience for that family and how miraculous that they had a happy ending!! I still remember where I was when I heard that she had been found. I didn't read the whole book because it was too disturbing and I get nightmares easily. It really bothers me when people criticize the family for writing a book and allowing it to be put into a movie. Why shouldn't they share their miracle? I would! Not a whole lot of children/teens come back alive when they are kidnapped and so I think the family are doing right to share their story. I'm sure that it will help other families to have hope. And what is the family doing now? They are presently helping another family who has a missing family member! So many others would want to just forget about it, but instead they are out there trying to help and comfort another family. That's really quite commendable. I did notice when I read what I read, that they do include a bit of information about their belief system. Although I don't agree with their theology at all, I do believe that they have every right to talk about it in their book. All of us would do that if we were in the same situation. They were sharing how they got through the ordeal and of course their faith is going to be mentioned. I was certainly praying too and I even hung light blue ribbons (her favourite colour) in a few places. There are so few miracles in the news nowadays and I'm glad that the Smarts are sharing their story. I really think the point of the book is how good is coming out of such a terrible tragedy.

When i got this book i expected it to tell me what exactly happened to elizabeth whilst she was captured, it told me pretty much nothing!! and left me a lot of questions!! all i got what how they tried to get her back and the way they lived on the streets. i had to guess by the insinuations that there had been sexual abuse, but im not sure what else! i assumed that the author researched and interviewed her and was going to tell us things we didnt know but it didnt! maybe that was the intention of the book, as the title shouldve told me that but everything it did tell me was everything the media pretty much told us. i would love to know why she didnt run, other than speculations and what all happened to her when she was gone. if you want to know media info then i suppose this book is good but if u are trying to find out what happened to her you'll be very dissapointed!it was written well though.

Justin McCarthy has done a fine job of explaining the context and background of the many different events near the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. Much of the information is very intriguing and sheds light on a very obscure history in Eastern Anatolia.

If you've ever wondered what really happened to the Armenians, then you should read this book. The book doesn't give you conclusions, it gives you facts. It's a history book, it's not meant for a political audience and it has no political role.

This a book written by a paid writer who tries to sell himself as a historian. He is just a knot in the self defeating campaign by the Turkish government to deny the Armenian Genocide. No amount of money can silence the truth.

This is an articulate book of a controversial issue by a great historian from the United States. It is no surprise that nationalists are here trying to stop you from buying this book, because they know that the truth will damage their system of belief. The rebellion in Van is sometimes excused by Armenian nationalists as some sort of "defense of Van"; however, since when did people find the time to dig trenches around a city if it was simply self-defense? It was a rebellion!

It was definitely a rebellion, and it downplays the whole genocide argument, and that is why the book is so controversial and that is why some people are ferociously attacking it!

It is a little boring in the first chapter but then it gets extremely interesting and exciting in the later chapters. If anyone is even remotely interested in this subject this is a good read.

The Armenian Massacres in Ottoman Turkey: A Disputed Genocide (Utah Series in Turkish and Islamic Stud)

The book (As the title suggests) outlines the events that lead up to the Armenian rebellion in the east Anatolian city of Van and its consequences to not only both communities (Armenian and Muslim (I deliberately use 'Muslim' rather than Turk and will explain why later)) But also to the great powers of the time.

McCarthy begins his book by relating to us the journal of two Western travellers who journeyed to Van in 1919 and found a city in ruins populated by an Armenian majority and a tiny Muslim minority. Devastated Mosques, destroyed buildings and ruined villages.

He then goes on to provide the reader with some background into the city of Van and its surrounding area during the late Ottoman times. He points out that the city was one that unlike Erzurum was off the beaten track for trade, too distant from Istanbul the capital and with the Ottoman empire lacking in finances unable to develop the city. McCarthy describes how the city did have a moderately wealthy population who lived off trade primarily with Iran and Russia.

In Mccarthy's view, the Van Provence suffered from several key problems. one being the tribal structure of the Kurds who were only nominally under Ottoman rule whose tribal system often involved attacks on weaker groups both Muslim and Christian (Primarily villages) leading to a situation where almost every village was armed. 2 a weak and underpaid army mainly from Central Anatolia that had neither the arms or manpower to successfully deal with rebellious tribes or inter clan fighting. 3 Armenian political groups that intended to exploit the situation of disorder by provoking attacks from Kurdish clans and advertising it as "Muslims attacking Christians" and 4 The great powers especially Russia preventing the Ottomans from dealing effectively with the insurgents by seeking any opportunity to interview under the pretext of "Protecting a minority"

McCarthy states that Armenian insurgent groups while smuggling arms into the area knew very well that their rebellion would be unsuccessful but believed that should they provoke an outrage in response they would gain the sympathy of the great powers to their cause in much the same way as had happened in the Balkans and that was the main goal of their rebellion.

Leading up to the revolt, the Ottomans had placed a larger garrison of troops in Van and had an able officer capable of dealing with any violent unrest however while dealing with the problem in Van were incapable of dealing with the reprisals that took place in the rural areas. According to McCarthy the deaths of Muslims in the Van rebellion outnumbered those of Armenians however in the rural areas where the Kurdish tribes were far stronger and Armenians weaker the numbers of Armenian deaths were far greater.

McCarthy then goes on to narrate the situation leading up to Word War 1. How while Armenians had been granted higher positions in the Ottoman government and how Armenian parties had supported the Young Turks they deserted some before war broke out others en mass while armed during the war and often used their weapons on the civilian population. McCarthy points out that Kurds in the east who had for so long been only nominally under Ottoman rule soon began to be used by the great powers (Primarily Russia) in an attempt both to destabilise the Ottoman empire and also to gain ground from them.

In conclusion, McCarthy aptly shows that the situation in Eastern Turkey leading up to the Van revolt was far from clear cut. It was certainly not "Muslim Vs Christian" and according to McCarthy there could not possibly have been a government policy to massacre the Armenians as not only were they citizens within the state whom the government had sent troops to protect and even armed for service in the army but also it would make no economic or strategic sense to do so.

I would recommend reading this book as it does cover an aspect of World War 1 that we in the west know very little of and would also be of great interest to anyone with an interest in the Middle East and the Caucuses. McCarthy points out the connection with Armenian rebellions in Iran, how the Iranian government at the time had also exploited the Armenians against their regional rivals the Ottomans, Kurdish politics and Russia's eastern front.

A fascinating book that does require some time to read and it would help if the reader had some background knowledge on the subject before reading as although McCarthy does not labour on the subject there can at times be far too much information to digest.

I found this a much better read than his book "The ethnic cleansing of the Ottoman Muslims" because it was far more regional specific and less general. I used "Muslim" rather than "Turk" simply because It was Turks and Kurds involved in the conflict, though as McCarthy is at pains to point out the tragedy of east Anatolia was far from one of Muslim Vs Christian.

Query how an author and purported historian who is on the Turkish Government's payroll write an honest and unbiased representation of history? We should ask the author how much he has been paid by the successors of a regime of genocidal murderers. He may try to justify the facts, he may try to rewrite history, but the truth will always prevail.

More maps would be nice. I would have to agree about the using the minutes (ie 70 minutes) for beta. On the other hand one should always take the maps anyway.

Opposite of Kelsey, difficulties seem to be over exagerated, rather than underexagerated. It would be nic if all authors used the same terminology for diffiuclt and easy, but this will likely never happen.

Steve seems to skip over some fantastic stuff, in favor of some more mundane stuff on some hikes, but all you have to do is do some side trips. To get the most out of this (or any) book, leave the paint by numbers route description on occasion and do some exploring on you own.

I would still highly recommend the book. It's a great source of info.

Don't pay a ridiculous collectors price. A corrected, new and better edition is in the works, and the profit will go the the author/publisher.

Keep in mind that this book describes the San Rafael Swell. This is a remote, undeveloped part of the world. If you use a guidebook, such as Steve's, that doesn't include all the GPS points and topo maps, then maybe you'll realize that you are going to need more than a guide book to do this stuff safely. And that, my friends, is the genioius of Steve's book. It will get you started, but you need to invest some time with maps etc before the trip to do it safely.

Route descriptions for this part of the world should be in units of time rather than units of length. Not all 5 mile roads in the San Rafael are created equal.

We've hiked 5 or 6 routes in Steve's book. With proper pre-trip planning, we've always been safe and never seriously lost (we've just experienced temporary navigational inconveniences, so far!)

Mike.

We used Allen's books many times. The information is wrong way too often regarding exit and entrance points in canyons. It seems that nobody reviews guidebooks before publishing. The worst trio we discovered so far are: Steve Allen, Michael Kelsey and Vivian Lougheed. Hiker beware!

ET huh? Yeah I know exactly what you mean! Just did that hike suggested in the guide book this weekend. This book serves as a list of hikes to do, but you better have a topo map and some good orienteering skills to match. He listed maps used for the hike but omitted the map which showed the latter third of the end of the canyon. We are lucky we realised this or we would have been trying to exit in the wrong spot. Not only does he use times to find confusing, he gets mileage wrong when he does give it! He said it was about 16 miles for the total trip. We used a topo program to count the mileage afterwards. It was at least 24 miles! Be careful when using this book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Husband wanted book, I ordered it. He likes it.

Got this book in preparation for a trip to the area. It's very comprehensive, but looks like it was laid out with an old fashioned typewrite. Still, if you plan to hike the Paria River, it's definately a good resource..

Found this guide book very helpful in a canyoneering trip down this nice canyon. I read the book before an April 2003 Paria Canyon trip starting at White House Trailhead and going all the way to Lee's Ferry. One thing was missing from my pack though....the book!

My trip I carried the BLM map/travel guide you can purchase at the Paria Ranger Station. It was $8.00 and I had a detailed map with camp sites and all known streams for water. The Kelsey Book has little dots or symbols for the sites which were pretty useless when the maps are so small in print. I was glad on the trip I had the BLM Guide for the trip.

Check the weather forecast before you leave and again at the ranger station. The summer of 2003 in September there were flash floods in the canyon from storms over 40 miles away!

The Paria Ranger Station reports temperatures to the weather service and rain/snow amounts. You will have to go to noaa.gov site for the info. Enter Kanab or Salt Lake City in the today's forecast box and then at the bottom of the forecast page will be additional forecast info - press the forecast discussion. On the new page enter state summary and look on the page for Paria Ranger Station!! There the high and low's will be listed with any precipitation amounts. The ranger station calls in the info every day.

Remember to pack the book for your trip to help you with your travels down this great canyon.

As an American I lived my life of [...] years in feet and miles. I too heard my [...] teacher (nearly 45 years ago) say better get used to metric the US is the last country on the planet not using it and SOON you will have to use it. Never happened! (except for beverage providers who saw an oportunity to give us less product for the same price!) Wilderness hiking can be very dangerous, you need to know where you are, and I can't be pulling a calculator out every page to figure out how far 13.7 meters is!! Otherwise the book is filled with very good information. Pick up a detailed map at the trail head the maps in the book are too small to be of any help.

This book is outstanding. I'm an avid canyoneer and these books got me started. Many think they're too good. I follow the canyoneering boards and people consistently complain that Kelsey gives away too much information and allows, "just anyone who buys the book" to get in the deepest, darkets canyons. The land managers down right hate these books because people get into trouble. I think a good guidebook tells you about an area and it's up to the individual to be responsible and not exceed their abilities.

Aside from the extermely thorough and detailed area information, Kelsey takes pains to explain the history of the area and to prepare you for what you need to do spend time in these strange lands. I have hundreds of guidebooks from around the world and none of them comes close to Kelsey's in these areas. They are a treat to read.

There are a few quirky things about Kelsey's work. He lists everthing in metric. I agree this makes perfect sense from a technical (the rest of the world is metric and it makes much more sense) point of view but still have to do a poor job of converting everything back to miles in my head. It would be better to list miles in brackets after the kilometers. Kelsey is also (apparently) very fit because his hiking times are impressively rapid. I usually add 50% to his times to get a realistic estimate of how long it will take me.

All in all, I couldn't recommend Kelsey's books more. He is an extremely hard working, dedicated author. His works are jewels for this area and will long be recognized as not only the geographical authority but also the historical authority in this wonderful part of the world. Buy everything he writes.

I got this book as a gift and it's been well-liked so far. Shipped quickly and was in great condition when it arrived, but I don't know details enough to review content or anything like that.

If you want lots of background historical info, have a thirst for adventure and discovery on your own, and you have good common sense in the outdoors, get Kelsey's book. If you need your hand held, regularly hike with a pacifier in your mouth, are taking children along, or have little desert experience, you may want the other book. The beauty of Kelsey's book is that you'll eventually have to figure your own way out of the pickle he put you in - but you'll love it.

The historical background and geological cross-sections (of which there is at least one for every hiking area) show Michael Kelsey at his best; I have battered my borrowed copy (which I need to replace) pretty well. The most understandable criticism in my view is the lack of difficulty ratings; just remember that Kelsey is a fast hiker so go conservative at first to see what your multiplier factor is, and remember that 3rd and 4th class scrambling often, but not consistently, constitutes straightforward hiking to him. And bring your own topo map; his sketches are a good reference for route, access, and other descriptions in the text, but are not meant to be your only map. You wouldn't want to be deprived of adventure because your guidebook gave you GPS coordinates for each footstep you are to take, so I have no problem with route descriptions like "look for one of the several ways down" and so forth. There is also the occasional rant against imagined people who want to "lock up" the land and keep everyone out, which I take as a slightly odd way of expressing his otherwise understandable viewpoint on access restrictions for popular but sensitive areas.

As a student of geography and land use planning, Kelsey's book has provided further references for deeper research.

I talked with a park ranger who made the comment, "We use Steve Alan's book to find all the people who get lost from Kelsey's descriptions." I didn't believe this until I went down to the Swell and did the Virgin Spring hike described in Kelsey's book. He said that he did the hike in 9 hours. Using GPS I would estimate the hike at just about 30 miles total. Steve Allen recommends 2-3 days to complete the same hike. Kelsey's descriptions of this complicated hike are dangerous and sure to leave you searching for hours for the trail in a place where getting lost is easy because of infrequent use. He also puts a large disclaimer in this book "Don't blame me" because someone blamed him for getting lost on the local news. The only thing good about Kelsey's book are few good pictures. Save your money and buy Steve Allen's book.

It is noteworthy that so many essays in this book give the credit due to the wise and courageous Fawn Brodie.

Yet this is a book attempting damage control for the Mormon Church. Damage that was mostly created by the egotism of its first two leaders.

This situation of opinions brings to mind one of my favourite New Testament sayings attributed to Jesus.
"Narrow is the way that leads to truth and few there be that find it. Wide is the gate the leads to destruction and many will go in that way." This reflects upon a sad truth that the majority always follows the false advice of directions of executives and are usually misled thereby.
The courageous and wise are a rare breed, and a few of them can be found in every religion.

First of all it should be noted that before one argues forever about the facts, this book was written by a Mormon because she cared for Mormons. As more information becomes available over time Fawn Brodies claims are receiving more and more credibility. The damning evidence poins out that the claim to be a prophet does not make one a true prophet or even make one moral, is building into a flood. A presennt flood of data that all the apologetics and damage control may never abate. The more we dig the worse it gets for JS & BY.

Yet, somehow the endurance of the Mormon people continues on in a functioning community of believers in the LDS religion. Many are innocent, devout and sincere people.

I am not sure if that acclaimed masterpiece, "No man knows my History" annoys average Mormons more because of what it says, or because - after having spent so much energy telling the world about Joseph Smith and his band[with a limited education in the matter], it is disconcerting to hear the evidence of what really went on. To understand the past it is not necessary to cry over it. Or to curse and discredit present historians about it.

It will often be disconcerting to hear about the many of things the church never mentions until too long after one returns for a missionary stint.

I know this feeling, I once had to face the dark history of my own church, a different one.

I'm writing this, in part, to offset the asinine one-star assigned by a Utah reviewer and also because I believe "Reconsidering..." is essential to appreciating and evaluating Brodie's book. Each essayist was excellent. There wasn't one section that was irrelevant, including the one about style that another reviewer criticized. Taken together, the essays provide a superb insight into the strengths and weaknesses of "No Man Knows..." as well as that of its author, Fawn Brodie. Without this "preface", one who is unfamiliar with Joseph Smith and Mormonism is likely to be misled by Brodie's prejudice and misinformation. I am no longer a committed Latter-day Saint, so I'm not blindly defending the faith. It's just that as courageous and innovative as Brodie's book was, it was hardly an even-handed scholarly treatment. Having read dozens of scholarly works on the subject, including many by non-Mormons, her animus against Mormonism and its founder is evident. Still, she deserves credit for her dogged research and masterful presentation. It is a flawed masterpiece. Although "Reconsidering..." is not the literary tour de force that the book it examines is, it is certainly more objective and just as erudite.

It's unfortunate that readers of both this book and the book it deals with "No Man Knows My History", get so sensitive and threatened if they perceive their own personal beliefs being attacked.

This book is a collection of 7 essays by Brodie's contemporaries and fellow historians, who give OBJECTIVE opinions on her groundbreaking work on the life of Joseph Smith. Unlike most reviewers below, each essayist is able to put aside their personal beliefs and critique Brodie's work from a purely scholarly viewpoint, and so you will not find either apologetics or polemics within this collection.

Each essay's author is able to comment on both the good and the bad of "No Man Knows My History" and is able to do so without standing on a soap box.

My favourite essay was the final one by Roger D. Launius "From Old to New Mormon History: Fawn Brodie and the Legacy of Scholarly Analysis of Mormonism", who acknowledges the effect her work has had on Mormon historians but also highlights the effort spent on addressing the issues she raised has diverted attention away from potentially more beneficial works.

Todd Compton's essay on Brodie's coverage of Smith's plural wives acknowledges the pioneering and exhaustive work Brodie performed in her appendix on the subject, but also highlights the flaws in her assumptions, to the extent of convincingly refuting a few of her claims of Smith's plural marriages - including evidence that Oliver Buell could not possibly be Smith's offspring.

In conclusion, this collection pales in comparison to the work it comments on but it does show an example of objective scholarship when reviewing works as controversial as Brodie's "No Man Knows My History".

One Hundred (and one) years after the Mormon prophet's demise in Nauvoo, Fawn Mckay Brodie had completed a biography of him. This work on Joseph Smith's life has within certain communities has been received both with high priase and acclaim as well as severe condemnation. This controversy alone has raised the status of the book amongst historical, socialogical and literary reviewers. Newell G. Bringhurst brings this dynamic alive with a selection of essays about Brodie's offering from a variety of critical and careful perspectives.

The focus of this collection is not to examine the actual biography of Smith and its validity, rather it is about Brodie's work. Many of the relevant issues discussed about a task as she achieved are brought to light by the various essays: how meticulous was her research, the literary style are prose of the work, the reliability of her sources, the consistency of the work, the conclusions her work leads to, etc. All these were carefully examined by a number of the essayists. Furthermore, the character of Brodie was considered, i.e. her sense of purpose and accomplishment, perhaps her sense of duty. There are amongst each of the essays remarkable insights into both the work on a scholarly level and into the woman who created it all.

The synopsis of the collection as a whole is widespread praise for Brodie's ground-breaking effort. She has treaded into a life with such incredible care and insight which few have since unsuccessfully attempted to match. The biographer is given the credit she desrved with "No Man Knows My History" and later solidly earned with her other works.

I recommend this strongly for those who have an interest in examining historical research and particularly those interested in Brodie's research. For those interested in Mormon research, I suggest both this "Reconsidering..." and Brodie's biography be read concurrently or at least in succession.

Newell Bringhurst, a highly-qualified Mormon historian who is not active in the church, has assembled an interesting and balanced set of essays about Fawn Brodie's extremely important book on Joseph Smith. Devout Mormons reject her work out-of-hand (much of the time, I fear, without reading it--the Church has told them not to). But real historians are not fearful of research and of facts. This is the basis for this collection. The best essay is Bringhurst's own, which gives a clear picture of the difficulties Fawn B. encountered when researching the book, as well as an analysis of the validity of her methods. In spite of heavy indoctrination by family and community, Fawn B. managed to develop a clarity of sight and and desire to penetrate myths and propaganda that made all of her works important and unignorable by future writers on their subjects. The "pro-Mormon" essays in this collection, interestingly, tend to be the most bombastic and evasive--much like the master of apologist irrelevance, Hugh Nibley. Like a good historian, Bringhurst provides the evidence and leaves it to the reader's intelligence to evaluate it for himself--the exact opposite of what Mormon authorities do.

While some of the anecdotes are quite humorous, a large portion of the commentary sounds like it comes directly from the mouths of some bitter ex-Mormons/Latter-day Saints. I didn't want an entire book of Mormon/Latter-day Saint jokes--I was looking for commentary of Utah at large. Also, a lot of the tongue-in-cheek humor would be misunderstood by those not 'in the know,' giving a perverted view of the Utah I know and love to make fun of.

Having lived many years in several cities in Utah I found the book rather entertaining. The lighthearted, humorous look at the eccentricities in the government, the people and their often unusual behavior was a nice reminder of what we loved and loved to hate about Utah. I disagree heartily with "offcenter" who sounds a bit defensive and appears to have expected an academic treatise rather than a lighthearted look at an unusual state-which appears to be what the book is actually about. What is suspicious though, is the need to question another reader's motivation for liking the book. Correct me if I am wrong, but royalties for this book would not go to Dr. Stern no matter who publishes her books, and therefore the unnecessary suggestion of unethical motivations is inappropriate.

Here's a quote from the back-cover: "Author C.L. Crosby... now lives with his partner of ten years in San Francisco Bay Area"... so what we have here is a highly morally enlightened homosexual (literally) who seems to think he's the expert on Mormon Religion and somehow thinks this qualifies him to insult everything good that they stand for. He states in millions of disclaimers put into the book that he's never been in Utah and knows nothing about the thesis he's written for the book, but it's obvious he's educated on what he's talking about and stretches every topic into a fabricated lie and manages to be extremely insulting. I personally am not a Mormon, which the book mocks, but I am from Utah and this "Heinous Truth About Utah" doesn't exist. The only truth about Utah that you need to know is that there aren't many Religious Fanatics, despite what uneducated people say. It's a nice place to live with scenery that's to die for. The people are trustworthy and it lasts. That's all you need to know. Don't buy the book.

I'd hate to ever find myself being an apologist for Utah, but this book is just full of trite, recycled stuff. If you just laugh yourself to death over those "you might be a ( fill in the blank) books and howl over Galleger videos, then call me a snob and ignore this review. I'd suggest any Robert Kirby or Pat Bagely books if you want a little more insightful humor about Utah. I also have to note that the Dr. Sterns rave review is a little suspect seeing that she wrote a book for the same publisher as the author.

Well, I've just spent two of the most fantastic weeks in Salt Lake City and the state Utah, and just before I left, a dear friend of mine gave me a copy of this book.
Back home I read it and just couldn't stop laughing, it's all so recognizable, witty and to the point.

The power of this fantastic book lies in repeatedly naming everyday stuff, but in a way that is so sarcastic that it hurts you stomach from laughing out loud all the time.

A must buy for everyone who's ever set foot in Utah, or intends to do so...

This seemed to be a decent guide...and then after using it, it was found to be lacking. The routes are sometimes awkward, and missed better routes that are easier to trek, and thus safer. Some of the trails are either poorly noted, or have changed since publicaton in 2001.

This is a guide that can be greatly improved upon.

There are locals in the area who can give far more accurate directions, and better yet, guide you to the places safely, if you are not experienced at hiking this terrain. This optionis highly recommneded to photographers or those hiking with children/teens and weekend warriors/older folks.

Kelsey's Canyon Guide is thought of more highly by those with both books.

This guidebook is definitely a good resource for exploring this fascinating corner of Utah. I largely agree with Tom Budlong's earlier review.

A word of warning to GPS users. This guidebook is copyrighted 2001. In May 2000, the US military discontinued GPS "selective availability", greatly improving the accuracy of civilian GPS signals from that date on. Unfortunately, it appears that the author recorded many of the GPS coordinates in this book prior to this date. Thus, the author's GPS coordinates are frequently inaccurate- I've found some errors of 200 meters or more. The author's coordinates are still helpful, but GPS users accustomed to (spoiled by?) high accuracy should be wary.

Bad news first.
-- Directions to trail heads are infuriatingly compressed, hard to read, and in some places silly (ex: Major state route paved highway intersections are identified with GPS coordinates.)
-- Despite the 2001 copyright, 7-1/2' maps names are not given, but the obsolete and no-longer-available 15' maps are given.
-- Some of the detail maps are not oriented north-up -- hard to use for our north-up oriented minds. Worse yet, the maps don't say where north is, despite the north arrow in the map legend that lies, since it always points up. Hard to orient yourself, even after you discover the lying arrow.
-- The maps have no scale.
-- No index. Unpardonable sin, especially in these days of computers.

OK, now good-bad news:
-- Lots of GPS coordinates. But they are in a table following each route description, not embedded in the description. So you have to flip pages back and forth, and try to figure which set of coordinates apply to which text passage.
-- This is the only book that covers the area efficiently. Mike Kelsey's books cover larger areas. (Perhaps there are others that I have not found.)

Ready for some good news?:
-- It appears appropriately comprehensive. I say appropriate, since it is not totally comprehensive about the area. This leaves room for independent exploration, and does not divulge secret last best places.
-- Use the nicely made table and overview map starting on p.45 to efficiently sort through the walks he describes in the rest of the book.

I recently completed an outing to the Cedar Mesa/Comb Ridge area for which I had specifically purchased this guidebook. On first glance it appears more comprehensive then the Kelsey "Non-Technical" hiking guide, but first impressions can be deceiving. Most annoying were the UTM co-ordinates. Aside from the fact that they are inaccurate, see below, they are also largely worthless. An example from the "Fish Mouth Cave" description includes these handy co-ordinates: carpark-0,620,633E;4,142,890N, 1st Alcove-none, 2nd Alcove-none, Fish Mouth Cave-none, carpark-0,620,633E;4,142,890N! Why bother? Kelsey has no UTMs at all, but he obviates their need by providing accurate and helpful written descriptions of the hikes he describes. The Tassoni descriptions are, imho, MUCH less helpful. Kelsey also provides clear, color "fotographs" (Kelsey spelling--kind of annoying, really) of the features/attractions on the hikes he describes. Page 80 of the Tassoni guide includes a picture of the Abajos mislabled as the La Salles, and p.85 features a picture of Comb Wash-somewhere. In one fell swoop Tassoni has become inaccurate AND irrelevant! Oh, the Tassoni pics are also grainy B&W images of the wrong, irrelevant feature. The Tassoni guide is not entirely unhelpful, but your money would be MUCH better spent on the Kelsey guide.

I was dismayed to find, in the Introduction, urging from the author for readers to contact their congressional representative to designate excessive amounts of Utah acreage as wilderness areas, thus rendering them useless to much of the population that lives in these areas, of which I am one, and many who visit. While I believe that these areas should be kept from vandalism and destruction, I also believe educating the populace on the proper treatment of the land is a better alternative to closing off access to many who do not have the physical ability to hike long distances to see the beauties of nature.

Not wishing to support those who want to keep my family and I from enjoying and responsibly utilizing the land around us, I considered returning this book. But in spite of the author's extremist environmentalism views, the book offers good descriptions, maps, and photographs of some beautiful sites that I am anxious to explore with my young family. So, I will keep the book and try to ignore the preaching.

The book is presented as a legal thriller based on historic events. However the history is poorly researched and presented in a biased manner. The lack of adequate research and the biased presentation of the mountain meadows massacre undermine the whole premise of the book. An author who knowingly misleads readers to achieve an effect should acknowledge that so readers don't feel they have been exploited. Please see the following books for a scholarly presentation of the tradegy at mountain meadows:

Massacre at Mountain Meadows The Mountain Meadows Massacre

For a first novel, I found Brigham's Day an "okay" read. Gates establishes an eerie mood in the prologue which is heightened by his powerful descriptions of Kanab, Utah. The immensity and starkness of the Utah scenery and the has-been quality of Kanab go a long way in evoking an off-balance, dwarfed-by-events atmosphere. When we arrive in Kanab with attorney Brig Bybee, we cannot help but feel with him how far he has fallen and how far he may have to go to regain his footing. Gates also conjures accurately the mystery and suspicion that always seem to surround Mormons and their practices. His inclusion of an historical murder with bearing on Brig's present case is a stroke of inspiration: this is the way things have always been in this territory and one man may not make much headway in solving this crime.

However, I was put off by Brig's relationship with the daughter of the man his client is accused of murdering. A down-and-out lawyer might be so unethical, but Gates does not have Brig so much as consider the issue. There's an unnecessary sex scene that does nothing to further the plot and seems to have been included largely for the Penthouse Forum set (like scars and cowboy hats? Have I got a story for you. . .!)

Worst of all, Gates doesn't play fair with his readers. We go along with Brig's co-counsel, Ron Watters, as he investigates his wild theory of the crime. We're with him as he interviews a potential witness and searches his client's camper. Watters finds something earthshatteringly important, but we don't find out what it is until several chapters later. Watters then rushes to meet with another major player and sees him with someone significant to the plot--but unidentified to us. This may be necessary to keep Brig and readers in suspense until a better time for an unveiling, but Gates writes it poorly. Watters pushes open a door, gasps, and there's a sudden change of scene, a device reminiscent of TV scripts.

Gates does so well at describing his setting, creating an atmosphere, and conceiving an unusual plot that I wanted this book to be better. My objections largely involve elements of mystery writing skill. I'm hoping that Gates's next book will live up to the promise of Brigham's Day.

This is the story of an attorney responsible for defending a man accused of murder. The once well known and well respected Brigham Bybee is at the center of the novel. Unfortunately, he is no longer well respected and is on the verge of being disbarred. In order to save his license, he is appointed to represent a man accused of killing a person who holds a very important Latter Day Saint secret.

This secret goes back over 200 years and at first blush, although the theory of defense is somewhat farfetched, as the novel progresses, the author does a good job of tying the events of the past to the events of the present. Although the story is not factually accurate, it would not be difficult to imagine an organization killing in the attempt to preserve the "good name" of the organization.

I thought this was a very good debut novel and the creativity was very impressive. Although this was a very well written legal thriller, I was somewhat disappointed in what appeared to be the authors lack of recognition of the obligation of an attorney to his/her client. Bigbee's relationship with Zolene created a major conflict of interest and had the effect of undermining his duty,responsibility and obligation to his client.The dynamics of that relationship was somewhat at odds with the representation of his client. However, notwithstanding that minor nuance, I thought the book was quite good and look forward to the second Bigbee novel.

After reading Brigham's Day, I am certain of two things. John Gates is a fine writer and a great story teller. The characters are well drawn, and Gates uses them to great effect in drawing the reader into the shadowed secrets of the Morman experience. I hope to meet Brigham Bybee again,and soon.

BRIGHAM'S DAY is the debut novel by John Gates. Brigham Bybee, an attorney on the verge of being stricken from the bar, is assigned to the case of a poor young man who is accused of murder, in Kanab, Utah. The book is very dark, telling tales of not-so-savory events in the days of Brigham Young and Joseph Smith, the founders of The Church of the Latter Day Saints, and the modern Church, all taking place in the ethereal beauty of southern Utah. This is not a true historical novel, but rather a modern day murder mystery with historical undertones, and well worth reading