“COLORFUL CHARACTERS IN MORMON HISTORY: The Good, the Bad and the Hilarious!” by Kathryn Jenkins Gordon, Covenant Communications, $15.99, 264 pages (nf)
“Colorful Characters in Mormon History: The Good, The Bad and The Hilarious!” by Kathryn Jenkins Gordon delivers an entertaining collection of stories that feature well-known people who impacted Mormon history.
“Not all of the colorful characters in Mormon history are sandwiched between the covers of this book,” the author writes. “And remember that colorful doesn’t mean bad. As Webster’s dictionary will tell you, colorful means 'richly eventful,' 'presenting or suggesting vivid or striking scenes.'”
Although all the personalities were colorful and made lasting impressions — for good or bad — on Mormon history, not all of them were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Mark Twain, Jim Bridger, Butch Cassidy, Lilburn Boggs, Charles Anthon, Orrin Porter Rockwell and Ephraim Hanks are among the 19 distinguished persons included in the book. Mary Fielding Smith is the one woman included in the lineup.
Gordon’s love of history and humor is evident throughout the book. Extensive research is reflected in numerous footnotes and quotations from letters, personal journal entries and other historical documents.
Her commentary and interpretation of events often reflect a wry humor. She writes as though she is having a personal conversation with the reader.
For example, to introduce Lewis Bidamon, the author writes, “So, you might ask, how did a technically-part-Lutheran-part-Methodist-but-nonreligious guy end up married to what could be considered the ‘first lady’ of Mormonism? That itself is a colorful tale …”
Black-and-white photos of each person, with the exception of Thomas B. Marsh, begin the vignettes, which vary in length from three to 11 pages.
With the exception of a few mild swear words in the J. Golden Kimball story, the book contains no foul language or sexual innuendo. There are a few nondetailed descriptions of violence.
The author has also written “Butch Cassidy and Other Mormon Outlaws of the Old West” and works as the managing editor at Covenant Communications. She and her husband, Glenn, live in Orem and are the parents of 10 children.
Rosemarie Howard lives in a 100-year-old house on Main Street in Springville, Utah. She enjoys creating multimedia projects. Her website is at dramaticdimensions.com.