David O. McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism

By: Gregory A. Prince, Wm. Robert Wright

Narrated by: John Hopkinson

Ordained as an apostle in 1906, David O. McKay served as president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1951 until his death in 1970. Under his leadership, the church experienced unparalleled growth - nearly tripling in total membership - and becoming a significant presence throughout the world.

The first book to draw upon the David O. McKay Papers at the J. Willard Marriott Library at the University of Utah, in addition to some 200 interviews conducted by the authors, David O. McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism focuses primarily on the years of McKay's presidency. During some of the most turbulent times in American and world history, McKay navigated the church through uncharted waters as it faced the challenges of worldwide growth in an age of communism, the civil rights movement, and ecumenism. Gregory Prince and Robert Wright have compiled a thorough history of the presidency of a much-loved prophet who left a lasting legacy within the LDS Church.

©2014 University of Utah Press (P)2021 University of Utah Press

Descriptive and Well Ordered

Likes:
• The thematic ordering (as opposed to strictly chronological) facilitated consumption and understanding.
• The authors’ approach was largely descriptive (ad opposed to interpretive and / or persuasive)
• It seems the primary source was extensive (thank you Claire); and it seems supplemental resources were also well researched and incorporated.
• So much insight packed into an economical package. Nicely done. Very.
• Seemingly no or low bias (is there really anything such as no bias)?
• Truth telling or perhaps rather fact and phenomenon as told by first hand witnesses.

Liked less:
• The occasional interpretive and summative remarks usually at the conclusion of a section. What is the need for or value of netting down the delightful complexity of human endeavor (even or especially in the setting religious organization)? What is the practical value or in contrast theoretical merit in assessing a net positive or net negative?

Very interesting to learn the backstory

Hearing about the history of David McKay as an apostle as red as president of the Church of Jesus Christ of latter day today was very illuminating and interesting read for me

LOVE this book

This was a history. And that I was alive for half of McKay’s presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints made it mean so much more. This is not a Spiritual journey so much as the scaffolding of a man’s life. It is not filled with warm fuzzy stories. I believe it was meant to be that way. It explains so much about how the Church operates today. McKay truly ushered in a New Era and began a world wide Church. McKay was the only death of a prophet that I mourned and I was only 10. He was a miracle worker of “the one”. We all knew that he loved us. One of the greatest take aways for me is that the leaders of the Church are just men after all. Men with good intentions—but still men. And knowing that God worked with an uneducated 14 year old boy to begin the restoration of his church still gives me the assurance that he can use these fallible men to guide His church today.

Great History, Well Told

Such a good piece of LDS history with great narration. Seriously, this book does a better job of presenting a church leadership "behind the scenes" view than anything I've found written. Thank you to the authors but especially thank you Claire Middlemiss!

Great history and delivery

Such a great look into the administration of the Church during President McKay’s tenure—something I knew nothing about.

Big Tent

This book provided an insight and understanding of the church I love so much. Without this valuable history of such a pivotal time in the history of the church, it would be impossible to truly understand why the modern church is the way it is. The book provides a glimpse of the culture and custom that permeates the church, but isn’t the church. It also showed me that the “tent” of the church truly is much larger than I previously imagined.

A Must Read for Faithful Members of the Church

Loved this! It fostered so many deep conversations and has helped strengthen my testimony and appreciation for prophets. Highly recommend this for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. If you’re not a faithful member, this book won’t mean much to you. It is definitely for people with a frame of reference or history or interest in the subject matter.

David O. McKay, prophet.

Arrangement of chapters into specific subjects, such as politics, temples, etc. and the clarity of the narrator.

Worthwhile

This was important information but had significant holes. It relies on Clair Middlemiss’s diaries and significant numbers of oral interviews with no archival work. The early years are lacking. There’s no sense of Huntsville of the setting in which events occurred. But it’s still a great biography and definitely worthwhile.

Great

This was a wonderful book. I thoroughly enjoyed the biography in every way. Thanks to the authors and narrator.