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Founder of the largest indigenous Christian church in American history, Joseph Smith published the 584-page Book of Mormon when he was twenty-three and went on to organize a church, found cities, and attract thousands of followers before his violent death at age thirty-eight. Richard Bushman, an esteemed cultural historian and a practicing Mormon, moves beyond the popular stereotype of Smith as a colorful fraud to explore his personality, his relationships with others, and how he received revelations. An arresting narrative of the birth of the Mormon Church, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling also brilliantly evaluates the prophet’s bold contributions to Christian theology and his cultural place in the modern world.
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For non-believers, this should be a fascinating biography on a strange and unique person. For the believer (as I am), it's a testament that God calls imperfect people to carry out his work. I don't feel justified in my own short-comings, but I feel comforted in knowing I'm in good company when I don't meet that all to common “be thou perfect” expectation that is felt at times within the Church.