Book Reviews

Nearly Everything Imaginable: The Everyday Life of Utah's Mormon Pioneers

Edited by Ronald W.Walker and Doris R Dant (Provo: BrighamYoung University Press, 1999 xvi +

THROUG H DESCRIPTION S of the everyday life of early Mormo n pioneers, this fascinating collection of twenty-three essays provides in-depth insight into the character, emotions, and attitudes of these remarkable people The essays enlighten the reader on how the committed and creative Great Basin pioneers met the varying challenges of settling a new land

In "Battle of the Homefront : Th e Early Pionee r Art of Homemaking," Andrew Hedges recounts the experiences of Ann Howell Burt and Mary Hom e in dealing with the hazards and frustration of such creatures as snakes, insects, and rodents. For Ann, a rolling pin became her weapon to thwart a rattlesnake threatening her baby and her patience, and a watchful eye became her means of solving a bull-snake milk mystery. Mary, like others living in dugouts, willow lean-tos, and log cabins, had to find a way to meet the challenge of a dozen or more mice invading her home each night.

The culinary talents of residents of the Great Basin were constantly challenged by the limited availability and variety of food In '"I Have Eaten Nearly Everything Imaginable': Pioneer Diet," Jill Derr notes that if anything could be converted into food, the pioneers found a way to do so The sego lily, destined to become the Utah state flower, was a common source of food for many individuals It is difficult to imagine the preparation of nettle, which could become a palatable dish Because of their creativity and sharing of resources, few Saints starved

An interesting look at church activity is found in "Commo n People: Churc h Activity during the Brigham Young Era," by William Hartley Compared to present times, church attendance was not an essential criterion of faithfulness One compelling reason was an absence of facilities that could accommodate the entire membership of a ward In addition, prior to the organization of church auxiliaries, children and women were not encouraged to attend meetings The sacrament was not offered as frequently as it is today and, contrary to the principles of modern hygiene, the sacrament was taken from a communal cup

"The Homemade Kingdom: Mormon Regional Furniture," by Richard Oman, describes the origin and construction of pioneer furniture. Du e to isolation and the difficulty of transportation, most early furniture was handcrafted from local materials. As Mormo n converts came from many lands and cultures, the furniture they fabricated illustrated their various origins; thus, there -was no commo n style. On e commo n feature of regional furniture was the artificial graining finish on cottonwood and pine to mimic scarce hardwoods. As transportation permitted importation of factory-made furniture, the local manufacture of furniture declined.

Man y other topics poignantly describe everyday life in the Great Basin as experience d by the Mormo n pioneers . The y include health, dress, education, cemeteries, biographical sketches, statistics, music, growing up, longevity of married couples, and more. For those readers looking for information about early life in the Great Basin this volume should offer some interesting reading.

This collection, the first in a new series called Studies in Latter-day Saint History, is published by Brigham Young University Press. Walker and Dant collected the essays from a symposium , "Everyday Life in Pioneer Utah," sponsored in March 1997 by the Smith Institute at Brigham Young University, for inclusion in this volume. Personally, I found this to be a very interesting book.

JAY A ALDOUS University of Utah

Over the Rim: The Parley P. Pratt Exploring Expedition to Southern Utah, 1849-50.

Edited by William B. Smart and Donna T. Smart (Logan: Utah State University Press, 1999 x + 270 pp Cloth, $37.95; paper, $19.95.)

TH E EDITORS , William B. Smart and Donna T Smart, became interested in the Parley P Pratt expedition that explored southern Utah through an interest in finding information on Donna's great-great grandfather, William Henrie, who was a member of the Pratt party. They found few references to him, but the search led them to a desire to publish in full the four original journals kept by participants during the expedition of 1849-50. Th e journals of Robert Campbell, the official clerk of the expedition, and of Joh n C. Armstrong, John Brown, and Isaac C. Haight are published with the original spelling, punctuation, and grammar

The editors add significant commentary between journal entries to place the expedition in context among other explorations of southern Utah, to discuss present-day place names, and to speculate on the route when it is in doubt Those familiar with the Rick J. Fish master's thesis on the Southern Utah Expedition done at Brigham Young University in 1992 may -want to compare the route from the Sevier River to Summers Gate as suggested by the Smarts on page 60-61 to that suggested by Fish's thesis Th e editors also provide some detail on the outcomes of the expedition in relationship to settlement sites and land usage However, Cedar City was not settled the year following the settlement of Parowan but in the same year, November 11, 1851 (14)

Pratt's official report to the territorial legislature and a short epilogue are also included together with rather lengthy appendices that include related papers, valuable short biographies of the expedition members, and Rober t Campbell's Ut e dictionary and his emigrant guides There are, however, a few minor errors on dates in the biographies, which may be typos. For example, on page 224 Josep h Hom e is said to have bee n driven from Nauvo o in February 1861. George B. Matson, Sr., was said to have helped build Camp Floyd in 1857 (231), and the camp was actually built in 1858. And on page 235 William Wines Phelps is said to have acted as Josep h Smith's scribe and speechwrite r at Kirtlan d between 1825 and 1836.

Th e editors repeatedly allude to the toil, sacrifice, and suffering of the members of the expedition. They reinforce Pratt's belief that the me n were placed in circumstances to try their strength and patience, but they were all first-rate and performed willingly and well Indeed, the party traveled 526 miles under difficult circumstances. Because of cold temperatures, deep snow, rugged terrain, dwindling supplies, and worn-out livestock, the party did suffer greatly. O n the return trip, half the party was left in Pahvant Valley while the men with families pushed ahead to Utah Valley

Th e advance party ran out of food and were saved by the heroic efforts of Parley P Pratt and Chauncey West, who rode fifty miles in two days to send back a rescue party. Th e rescuers found one man exhausted and nearly dead; the others suffered in varying degrees from frostbite, lack of food, and general exhaustion

Th e party did return without suffering any deaths and with a detailed report of the country they had explored that suggested twenty-six desirable locations for settlements, of which twentythree were eventually settled Th e most immediate result was the colonization of the Iron Mission beginning at Parowan in January 1851; that fall Cedar City was settled, and shortly thereafter missionaries were called to work among the southern Utah Paiutes along Ash Creek and later at Santa Clara Still later, other colonies were established as a result of the Pratt report.

Th e work is thorough and convincing, as the journals are supported by good research by the editors. This is a valuable and worthwhile addition to the history of western exploration and to Utah and Mormo n history Th e Smarts' thesis—that the expedition was made up of men wh o were willing to give all for their God and their religion, that the me n returned strengthened in commitmen t and contributed muc h to their communities and their church, and that the results of the exploration justified the efforts—is well-documented

WAYNE K HINTON Southern Utah University

Sagwitch: Shoshone Chieftain, Mormon Elder, 1822-1887

By Scott R. Christensen (Logan: Utah State University Press, 1999. xviii + 254 pp. Cloth, $36.95; paper, $19.95.)

CHRISTENSEN' S PREMIS E for this book is that while thousands of "whites and an ever-increasing number of minorities are finding their rightful place in history, Sagwitch is no w given his. Utah history, and especially northern Utah history, is not complete without the information of this brave leader of the Shoshone people

This story is of Native Americans overcoming great trials to adopt and embrace the -white man's way of life. It is a heroic tale that has been forgotten in Utah and western history In order to bring to the public this long-forgotten leader of men, the author searched through every possible source from records and writings of people involved with the Mormo n church and the Shoshone, to the personal writings of Warren A Ferris, wh o was a trapper in the Rock y Mountains during the great fur trade era. Christensen's writings are in-depth and insightful H e has created a very comprehensive study of this Shoshone leader.

There are many times that Christensen must speculate about the presence or participation of Sagwitch, because the records are sketchy at best Christensen used deductive reasoning that these events are the sort where Sagwitch would certainly be present Th e author informs the reader upfront that this is supposition but based on solid reasoning Christensen has also included a rich history of the area of northern Utah and southern Idaho to give a foundational background and understanding of the -world of the Shoshone

While Christensen strives to be objective in the writing of this book, it is still pro-Native American and pro-Mormon. Perhaps this is because he deals mainly with the interactions of the Indians within and without the Mormo n church, and only minimally with the non-Mormon world of Corinne, Utah, and the U.S. government. H e tries to look at events from the Shoshone point of view, which leaves little room for total objectivity The information is presented -well in an easy-to-follow and engaging format The reader becomes engrossed in the narrative of the events as they unfold.

Sagwitch himself was a natural-born politician His name means "orator," and it was given to him because of his "significant speaking and negotiating skills." "He had a way of speaking to his people that made them listen and obey." Using his political savvy and oratory skills, he saw the importance of embracing the -white man's way to best ensure the survival of his people. His is a story of continual struggle to fit into a world that mostly did not want him The Mormo n policy was that it was easier and cheaper to feed the Indian than to fight him, so they strove to provide room for Indians. It was the non-Mormon population of Corinne that tried to drive the Shoshone out of the land altogether, as presented by Christensen Many of the problems arose as more and more settlers arrived in the area, taking over the hunting grounds of the Shoshone and making it impossible for them to survive on their own. The narrative ends with the death of this great leader and a look at his descendants and their impact on the surrounding communities

The information and sources are solid and are likely to stand the test of time. There is little chance that this book will be replaced in the near future, because of its completeness This is a welcome addition to the historical scholar's library, but its greatest interest will most likely be for the Mormon community. However, it is written for all to enjoy and effectively use. In an ever-growing field of Native American studies, this book will be able to hold its own and make a valid and valuable contribution It is well -written and well presented and will be well received.

ROGER BLOMQUIST Brigham Young University

Irrigated Eden: The Making of an Agricultural Landscape in the American West

By Mark Fiege (Seattle: University ofWashington Press, 1999. xvi + 323 pp. $35.00.)

BOO K of Genesis, Adam and Eve lived in a state of harmony in the Garden of Eden, with all manner of fruit, grain, and animals being provided them. Whe n they were banished from the garden to the natural world of wilderness filled with thorns and thistles and other flora and fauna of the -world, it became necessary for Adam to work by the sweat of his brow, planting, irrigating, and harvesting crops that were necessary for life. To take full advantage of the wilderness, the biblical couple had to deal with the environment and to use the resources that existed for their benefit.

Th e title of this book , Irrigated Eden: The Making of an Agricultural Landscape in the American West, and the illustration that adorns the dust jacket, "Golden Opportunities," -which depicts a very youn g couple (perhaps a late nineteenth-centur y Idaho Adam and Eve) gazing over a bountiful harvest, suggest the successful conquest of the wilderness found in souther n Idaho However, a reader of this well-written book quickly learns the real story of agriculturalists coming to grips with the natural environment William Cronin, writer of the fore-word, suggests that Irrigated Eden is a "meditation on the complex interplay of human dreams and natural realities in reshaping our national landscape" (ix) Fiege's investigation of the interplay of irrigation and the environment is part of a series of environmental titles supported by th e Weyerhaeuse r Environmenta l Books , whic h seek to "explore huma n relationships with natural environments in all their variety and complexity."

In his first two chapters, Fiege examines the interrelationships between the existing natural landscape and a new environment created by irrigators. H e quickly discovers in his study that even as irrigators were attempting to "tame" the Snake River and "conquer" the arid land by the construction of irrigation ditches and canals, the riparian environment of the Snake River and its tributaries -was also being expanded by the same irrigation ditches and canals. Th e diversion of water brought a "profound ecological change" to southern Idaho (43). This constant interplay bet-ween the irrigated and riparian environments resulted in -what Fiege identifies as a "dynamic environment" of flora and fauna that was seldom controlled absolutely by farmers and scientists (40).

Th e attempt to create an irrigated garden, writes Fiege, is not without unwanted consequences. For instance, the diversion of vast amounts of water and the impoundment of the Snake River have greatly altered the habitat of salmon and other cold-water fish In their place are the Utah chub and suckers, -which flourish in warmer, slower-moving -water A more recent example illustrates this "dynamic environment." In the 1970s irrigators, scientists, engineers, and others conceived of a plan to control and manage the upper Snake River by constructing the earth-filled Teton Dam Th e subsequent collapse of the dam significantly altered the landscape and environment in ways that the engineers, agriculturalists, and others had not planned.

In three chapters, Fiege examines the human interplay created by the construction of artificial water-ways and the use of the scarce resource of water Unlike the Garden of Eden, the created irrigation environment of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries had no demarcated boundaries. Cooperation and conflict were part of the interplay of the agriculturalists Conflicts were resolved by various means, from individual vigilantism—the tried and sometimes-used method of the mythical "Old West"— to organization and the establishment of laws and rules.

Cooperation and the establishment of laws brought a sense of harmony and good-will among irrigators, permitting them to create an orderly means of management that brought a sense of control over the irrigated landscape. Yet farmers of the region faced other challenges that altered their agricultural Eden The nationwide marketplace forced them to modify and improve the crops raised and the means of grading and marketing them.

Fiege concludes his study by examining the tale of the irrigated garden as found in the writings of such Idaho -writers as poetnovelist Vardis Fisher, author Annie Pike Greenwood, and promoter and publicist E. B. Darlington. Fisher and the others may not have ever adorned their feet with "gummers" or blistered their hands with the irrigator's best friend—the shovel—but, as Fiege demonstrates, these writers captured the compelling imagery of the irrigated Eden. This element and the interplay with the environment have too often been ignored or overlooked by many -writers of the agricultural landscape

CRAIG FULLER Utah State Historical Society

Fawn McKay Brodie: A Biographer's Life

By Newell G Bringhurst (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1999 xviii + 350 pp $29.95.)

BEGINNIN G WIT H TH E COVE R portrait of Fawn McKay Brodie glancing beguilingly over her shoulder under a broadbrimmed hat, this biography of Mormonism's most spectacular bad girl since Fanny Stenhouse is deeply researched and engagingly written

Bringhurst makes no bones about his fascination with Brodie, confessing in the first sentence, with tongue only slightly in cheek, that he has spent the past thirteen years in "an intense intimate relationship with a woman other than my -wife" (xiv) H e honors both Brodie's achievement and her techniques by explaining his own reasons for being attracted to her controversial professional life, includin g his persona l disillusionmen t wit h Mormonism over the ban on ordaining African American men

H e set himself two goals in this biography: to present "the -whole individual" including "her frailties, frustrations, and failures," and also to explore the question: "Why did Fawn Brodie find herself embroiled in controversy throughout her life?" (xv). H e answers both, and the results are a generally satisfying and thoroughly engrossing biography, appealingly studded with personal and family photographs

It also includes a very helpful description of the development of biographical theory, the influence of Freud and Erikson on Brodie's approach to psychobiography, and her preoccupation with sexual issues and lying as consistent themes in the five very different but very public figures -who -were the subjects of her biographies: Joseph Smith, Thaddeus Stevens, Richard Burton, Thomas Jefferson, and Richard Nixon

Although Brodie described her childhood as "idyllic" and her departure from Mormonism at the University of Chicago as "taking off a hot coat in the summer-time" (7, 58), Bringhurst skillfully reconstructs a more complex reality: the McKay family arrangement that kept her father chained to the farm's staggering mortgage, her mother's essential homelessness under the flood of summer McKays in a house without plumbing, the suicide of her grandfather Brimhall, her own mother's death after three suicide attempts, and Fawn's sudden but very successful marriage at the University of Chicago to Bernard Brodie

Fawn Brodie remained surprisingly attached to her Utah roots In fact, one of the book's contributions is the documentation of almost annual visits to the state, including several important speeches and her much-appreciated election as a fellow of the Utah State Historical Society She also gave and received regular visits with her family. Such closeness on one level coexisted with distance on another: her father never read her controversial Joseph Smith biography "or even acknowledge[d] its existence" (103) Absorbing for RLDS and LDS readers will be the discussion of the two churches' reactions (both negative) to the 1945 publication of the Smith biography, culminating in Brodie's excommunication by the Ne w England Mission president for apostasy on June 1,1946 (98-113)

Despite Bringhurst's impressive research, he is unexpectedly reticent in offering his own analysis of his controversial subject. After thirteen years of research, he must know Fawn McKay Brodie as a person and as a professional in ways that even her children do not, and I wanted more of his own conclusions Although he diligently summarizes the critical reaction to each book, he does not share his own critical insights. Bernard's relatives disappear from the narrative after the wedding without an explanation. Through quotations, Bringhurst speculates that Brodie defined herself in a typically masculine way—by her workaholic achievements—and that she even wanted in some ways to be a man (16768), yet he does not juxtapose this conclusion with evidence he himself presents of her blissful delight in mothering her three children or her nurturing support of her students He establishes that she was preoccupied with lying as a character trait in all of her biographical subjects, yet he does not explore her own standards of historical research and -writing Bringhurst candidly documents that Fawn sympathized with her mother's revulsion about sex, that she dealt therapeutically with her own sexual inhibitions -with only partial success, and that she was outraged when she discovered that Bernard had had at least one affair Yet he does not explore the meaning these elements may have had as she relentlessly probed the sexuality of her subjects.

Any biographer must decide how much is excessive; but if a reader's preference counts, I vote for more

LAVINA FIELDING ANDERSON Salt Lake City, Utah

The Trial of Don Pedro Leon Lujdn: The Attack against Indian Slavery and Mexican Traders in Utah

By Sondra Jones (Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 2000

MANY STANDARD HISTORIES OF UTAH contain brief discussions of the controversial Do n Pedro Leon, a trader from Ne w Mexico who -was accused of engaging in the Indian slave trade in late 1851. Some historians have related that he and some of his compatriots were tried by Judge Zerubabbel Snow and fined and sent out of the territory Several historians attempt to draw a relationship between these traders and the subsequent Walker War. This slender volume by Sondra Jones is certainly the definitive work on the subject Jones provides a rich cultural and historical background to slavery and the slave trade in early Utah, dispelling along the way a number of myths about them as well as about the trial of Do n Pedro Leon.

The book is competently written and organized in a helpful and logical -way. Jones first examines traditional views of the Do n Pedro Leon affair, finding them deficient in a number of aspects She then describes the Indian "slave" trade in Uta h and Ne w Mexico, noting how differently the two cultures viewed slavery and those held as indentured servants or slaves. Hispanic Ne w Mexico assimilated Native Americans (even those held originally as slaves or indentured servants) far more easily than did Mormo n Utah. Uta h legally approved of African American slavery but found Indian slavery more troubling, partly because it generally involved stronger tribes preying on weaker groups and partly, perhaps, because of the religious significance attributed to Native Americans by Mormons (though Mormon-Indian relations were often not easy).

On e of Jones's interesting original contributions is found in the next chapter, in which she discloses that Do n Pedro Leon, the central actor in the historical drama, almost certainly was Pedro Leon Lujan, a moderately prosperous resident of a genizaro Ne w Mexico village (that is, a village whose residents -were, at least initially, of mixed Hispanic and Indian blood) Lujan is described as a former military leader and an experienced trader in his late fifties -when he ran into problems on a trading expedition to Utah.

The longest chapter of the book is devoted to the "incident": the arrest of Lujan and his fellow traders, the procedurally deficient trial, and the legal and social issues present and presented in the proceedings Jones makes a strong case that Lujan and his fellow traders were actually attempting to trade legally in Utah and may have been willing to cease when told they were acting illegally. Th e Indians appear to have been adamant about trading slaves for goods Social reality, even without legal support, required the arrest and conviction of Lujan and his men, however. Seth Blair prosecuted the defendants, and Mormo n leader George A Smith, wit h one month's legal practice behind him, was lead counsel to the traders Relying on those primary documents she was able to locate, Jones closely scrutinizes the court proceedings, noting the practical issues involved as well as the political and cultural forces at work. She essentially concludes that Lujan should not have been convicted, because there were strong defenses, but that the jur y was more interested in making a statement about Indian slave trading than in considering the genuine issues in the proceeding before them.

In the next, penultimate chapter, Jones discusses the "aftermath" of the trial, including its effect on Lujan, on Ne w Mexico (slight) and on Utah (far more pronounced) Pedro Leon Lujan found himself destroyed financially by the confiscation of his property, first by the Indians and then, of what was left, by Utah court officials. Although the trial itself did not stop the Indian slave trade in Utah, it set in motion events that would eventually lead to this result. Substantial coverage is provided of the treatment of Indian children wh o ended up with Mormo n families in Utah and ho w they fit in less easily and were less acculturated in Utah than were their counterparts in Ne w Mexico

Jones concludes wit h a chapter that discusses the views of Mormons on slavery evidenced in the trial and in the treatment of Indians purchased and/o r adopted by Utah Mormons, and that judges the validity of the trial. Mormon s in Uta h sometimes found themselves "trading" for Indian slaves by being faced with the same choice Lujan may have been given: purchase an Indian child with arms or other goods or watch the child be killed

Jones has made a small but important contribution to Utah history by providing a clear, concise account of the trial of Do n Pedro Leon and the issues addressed therein, the events leading up to it, and its aftermath In doing so she revises earlier, more biased, attempts to fit this episode into the broader background of midnineteenth century events Her analysis of the difficult and sometimes inconsistent views of Utah Mormon s on slavery and the dependence for these views on the ethnicity of those enslaved is filled with disquieting but intriguing insights Her point that we too often focus on the "white" history of the area is well taken

KENNETH L.CANNON II Salt Lake City

Asian Americans in Utah: A Living History

Compiled by John H.Yang (Salt Lake City: Asian American Advisory Council in cooperation with the Utah State Office of Asian Affairs, 1999 xvi + 264 pp $25.00.)

TH E STATE O F UTAH , and indeed the entire West, is a region of ethnic and cultural diversity Although scholars from many disciplines have begun to investigate this diversity in recent years, much remains to be done. Building upon the earlier work of Helen Papanikolas in telling the story of The Peoples of Utah (Utah State Historical Society, 1976), Asian Americans in Utah seeks to "render a more complete view of the Utah history" by recording the Asian American experience (xi). The book provides a historical look at Asian Indian, Cambodian, Chinese, Filipino, Hmong, Japanese, Korean, Laotian, Thai, Tibetan, and Vietnamese immigrants to Utah from their earliest recorded arrival in the state to the present

The book is divided topically with each chapter dealing -with a specific immigrant group. Chapters begin with a brief but valuable review of the pre-immigration history of the country of origin, thus creating a context for the emigration process Most chapters include a discussion of how the irnmigrant community developed within the state, the traditional cultural celebrations and practices maintained by the community, and the contributions of its individual members to the professional, academic, and cultural fabric of Utah.

The strengths of the book are its depth and breadth of coverage. Th e immigration history of each Asian group is covered from the 1850s, in the case of the Chinese, to the present. At the same time, the inclusion of relatively small immigrant groups demonstrates the work's depth Each chapter is written by people who have "distinct" ties to the communities they write about and "who understand the culture, traditions, and intricate nature of each people"(xiv) It is also evident that the authors have a passion for the stories they tell Other strengths include the color photographs, which add a sense of reality and personality to the text, and the bibliographies included with each chapter, which provide the serious student of the Asian experience in Utah a source for further research

The book could have benefited from a stronger editorial hand The chapters are not equal with regard to style and grammar. Some chapters focus on immigrant family histories to tell the story of the immigrant community while others rely on a more general history of the entire group Occasionally, the work suffers from obvious spelling errors that should have been discovered at some point in the editorial process.

Asian Americans in Utah is a must-have book for all public and school libraries throughout Utah, as well as anyone interested in the history of Asians in the state. It provides students from elementary through high school with a local context for the multicultural perspective evident in so many of their texts and assignments and allows them to see the strength of that multi-cultural influence in their own communities. It provides an excellent source of research material on topics as varied as the history of Tibet to the results of American involvement in the Vietnam War

ERIC WALZ Ricks College

Contested Landscape: The Politics of Wilderness in Utah and the West

Edited by Doug Goodman arid Daniel McCool (Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 1999. xviii + 266 pp. Paper, $19.95.)

CONTESTED LANDSCAPE IS A COLLECTIO N of essays that grew out of a 1997 University of Utah course, taught by political scientist Daniel McCool , entitled "Th e Politics of Wilderness in Utah and the West." McCool's goal, as he explains in his preface, was to have his students, undergraduate as well as graduate, produce a series of balanced essays examining various facets of the recent battles over the creation of wilderness areas in Utah. The result, he hoped, would be a primer on the political intricacies and various points of view involved in protecting wilderness in Utah McCool and his co-editor, Doug Goodman, have succeeded fairly well in meeting this goal. Although the essays are uneven, together they do give the reader a detailed sense of the complexities of wilderness designation More than that, the essays provide a solid basis for the volume's overarching policy suggestion: that wilderness designation needs to be a process that both respects and effectively mediates the interests of local as well as national stakeholders.

The book is divided into four thematic sections. Section One, "A Foundation of Facts," has essays that look at the history of the wilderness concept, the constitutional bases for wilderness designation, and the specific process of inventorying Utah's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) holdings for potential wilderness areas. As the authors of this last essay point out, Utah's wilderness politics currently revolve around the suitability of various BL M areas for wilderness designation. This debate began in the -wake of the Federal Lands Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA), the BLM's organic act that provided, for the first time, a process whereby BL M lands could be preserved as wilderness. Section Two, "Th e Wilderness of Politics," has essays that look at interestgroup politics, public opinion on -wilderness as revealed in polling, and the complex rhetoric of sufficiency and release (basically, political battles over how much wilderness is enough and whether the failure to recommend or protect areas as wilderness releases them for other uses). Part Three, "Competition for Resources," is the most extensive section of the book, with essays that examine historical and current conflicts between mining and wilderness, the thorny problem of state trust lands, grazing and wilderness conflicts, the semantic politics of the roadless debate, archaeological resources in wilderness areas, and the question of whethe r accurate economi c values can be assigned to wilderness as a resource. On e emerges from this section humbled by the complexity of the issues involved. Finally, Section Four, entitled "Lessons from the Past, Proposals for the Future," contains two substantive and valuable essays. Th e first looks at the successful passage of the Utah Wilderness Act of 1984, compromise legislation that preserved a dozen substantial wilderness areas in Utah's national forests.The final essay, by the editors, proposes a "community contex t approach" to breaking the deadlock over BL M wilderness designation in Utah. Goodman and McCool argue that we need to recognize that rural residents in the vicinity of wilderness areas bear a disproportionate share of the costs involved in preserving -wilderness areas. Their solution, which is laid out in some detail, is to pay much more attention to the needs and wellbeing of rural communities in the process of-wilderness preservation. Their goal—and it is an admirable one—is to achieve wilderness preservatio n whil e simultaneousl y shorin g u p rura l economies (through increased payments in lieu of taxes and the imposition of user fees) and providing local rural residents with more input into the management of wilderness areas in their vicinity.

Reading Contested Landscape can be laborious at times, but those interested in a detailed look at the labyrinthine politics of wilderness preservation in Utah and the West will be hard-pressed to find a more comprehensive assessment.

PAUL S SUTTER University of Georgia Athens, Georgia

Working the Divine Miracle: The Life of Apostle Henry D. Moyle

By Richard D. Poll. Edited by Stan Larson (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1999. xx + 240 pp. $29.95.)

RICHAR D D. POLL BELIEVED that the task of "any honest biographer" centered around three critical questions: (1) What did the subject do? (2) Why did the subject do it? and (3) What shall I write? (226). Although the second question is "the biographer's greatest challenge," the third question, according to Poll, is fundamental He stated that his guiding principle in telling a story has always been to tell the "truth, nothing but the truth, but not necessarily the whole truth" (229), thereby "avoiding the extremes of muckraking and idealization" (230)

Poll's biography of Henr y Dinwood y Moyle (1889-1963), written in the early 1980s, remained unpublished for more than a decade Following Poll's death in 1994, his papers, including the biography of Moyle, were donated to the J Willard Marriott Library at the University of Utah. Stan Larson, a University of Utah curator, prepared Poll's final version of the biography, dated 1983, for publication in this volume Larson added supplemental material to the biography, including David O. McKay's funeral tribute to Moyle; Ned Winder's recollection of Moyle's last hours; a review of Poll's life and contributions to Mormon history and culture; and an essay entitled "Problems of Writing Mormo n Biography," presented by Poll in 1992. This essay discusses the broad issues involved in LDS biographical writing, including those noted above Fortuitously, the essay also highlights the challenges and concerns Poll encountered as he prepared the biography on Moyle and is a significant and relevant addition to the volume.

Th e heart of the book remains the biography—divided into sixteen chapters that provide a lively account of Moyle's ancestry and first years (childhood, early missionary labors, educational endeavors, and military service); early married life (family, law practice, and church service as stake president); middle age (welfare work, politics, ranching, and business entrepreneurship); and the final decades (work as a missionary apostle and counselor in the LDS church First Presidency). In these chapters Poll successfully answers in detail the first question noted above: "Wha t did the subject do?"

Th e single most important contribution of the book is Poll's efforts to take Moyle's religious commitment seriously. As a result, the biography is packed with insights that are often obscured or completely missing in this type of scholarly work. H e shows, for example, ho w Moyle's "patriarchal blessings," given -when he was young, motivated him with a sense of "obligation and destiny" (22) This is one of many attempts by Poll to answer the second question noted above: "Wh y did the subject do it?"

Another important contribution of the book is the sweeping and comprehensive overview of Moyle's administrative experience throughout his adult life in a variety of settings. Thoug h a tough lawyer, businessman, and churchman, Moyle was concerned about preserving "huma n dignity" (78). Here, Poll demonstrates his finesse in answering question three: "Wha t shall I write? " H e moves beyon d a stereotype, thus revealing the complexit y of huma n thought, motives, and activity

Poll believed that biographical and autobiographical efforts should provide "a fair representation" of the person (230). Instead of focusing on individual human foibles or particular incidents in the life of Moyle as the only lenses by which his subject could be understood, Poll grasps the larger story, making it possible for hi m to observe that Moyle's "demeanor became more friendly and he seemed to be happier" after he was called to a high church office in 1947 (146). Some may feel that Poll did not adequately answer his ow n questions, especially in his choice of the stories and incidents to include or not include in this volume. Nevertheless, most will agree that he has convincingly demonstrated that Moyle — engineer, lawyer, teacher, businessman, politician, churchman , apostle, and membe r of the First Presidency—was a ma n wh o "never put his hand to any task but what it moved" (xx).

RICHARD NEITZEL HOLZAPFEL Brigham Young University