Review: Kingdom of Nauvoo: The Rise and Fall of a Religious Empire on the American Frontier by Benjamin E. Park

September 9, 2022 • Benjamin Keninger

Before moving to Idaho in 2018, I don't think I had ever actually met a Morman before. I didn't even really understand who they were and what they believed - a fact that remained true to some extent even after I had moved to Pocatello and its growing LDS community. While over the years I would pick up on the crucial aspects of this strange branch of Christianity, it wasn't until I read Benjamin Park's Kingdom of Nauvoo for one of my university history classes that I truly understood the underlying meaning and beliefs of the LDS faith. While I usually don't like discussing textbooks I read for school on here, I felt like this one deserved an exception due to its relevance to me and my local community. And besides, it's not really a university textbook anyways. Here are my thoughts:

The narrator, Bob Souer, does a serviceable job reading the transcript of the book, though he does have the tendency to be a bit monotone. Additionally, as is usual for most audiobooks the pace at which Souer talks is rather slow, though a simple adjustment of the speed fixes this minor issue.

The book itself follows the Mormans shortly after their exile from Missouri and their resettling in the town of Commerce located in the bordering state of Illinois. Over the next few years the Mormans, under the guidance of their prophet Joseph Smith, rename the small town "Nauvoo" and convert it into what is essentially a self-automous theocratic city-state. Eventually their religious fanaticism and devotion to Smith causes both the government and the public of Illinois to assasinate Smith and drive the Mormans out of the state.

The content of the book largely focuses on the Morman's time in the city of Nauvoo from 1839 to 1846, as this was the period in Mormanism's history that many of its peculiar beliefs would first develop. While not strictly a biography of Joseph Smith, his importance within the LDS community at this time was so great that he was tied to essentially every moment in the Morman's history in Nauvoo. As such, Smith along with his brother & wife are heavily discussed within the book.

A short read, I believe that The Kingdom of Nauvoo is an excellent recounting of one of the most pivotal periods in Mormanism's history. While I am not usually interested in historical books that deal with a super specific timeframe, the book did a great job of keeping me engaged in its retelling of the strange story of the Mormans.