It's difficult to find unbiased information on such a polarizing subject such as the Mormon faith and its founder but I believe this book does it best of the major biographies. I believe Bushmans Rough Stone Rolling was too apologetic in nature and sought to explain away some of the troubling aspects of Smith's life while Fawn Brodie seemed to also have an agenda. For the most part the author let's the facts and history speak for themselves and does not offer a opinion but there are a few times where he does use occam's razor after relating events and he concludes (very reasonable I believe) that Joseph Smith was most likely a charlatan that suffered, especially in later years, from megalomania. Biographies are tough because readers differ in what they want the author to spend their time on and there were some sections I wanted him to spend a little bit more time on and others less. There were quite a few nuggets of information I had never encountered before. I recommend this book for both the Mormon faithful and those that are casually interested in this subject.

Context is important, so it’s important to note first that I am reading this as someone who has never been a part of the LDS Church; I only have an avowed interested in Mormonism, including having written my undergraduate honors thesis on the subject of contemporary Mormons’ perceptions of themselves within the Mormon diaspora.

Again, context is important, so it also important to note that the “big deal” behind this new biography of Joseph Smith is that it is (1) the first published since the publication of the Joseph Smith Papers, and this (2) the first written by a “never Mormon” scholar. It fits nicely into what could now be considered a trilogy of key Smith biographies: first, Fawn Brodie’s and Man Knows My History, a distinctly skeptical take on the founder of Mormonism; followed by Richard Lyman Bushman’s tome Rough Stone Rolling, a decidedly more sympathetic view written by a faithful LDS and esteemed historian. Now, Turner’s An American Prophet provides a middle-of-the-road look at the complex figure that is Smith.

As a non-academic, I quite enjoyed reading this. It is not overly long, which means that it moves at a quick pace and doesn’t delve too deeply into all topics. While I appreciated his nuanced look at polygamy, I do think that he missed an opportunity to create a more rounded portrait of Emma (which ends up highlighting just how sorely we are in need of a new Emma Smith biography—it’s been 40 years since Newell and Avery’s Mormon Enigma!); but certainly readers will enjoy the attention paid to the polygamy of it all (this is just not the most interesting aspect of Mormon history for me personally).

Throughout his writing, Turner covers all of the basics of Smith’s life, including his politics and theological developments. Turner doesn’t speculate, nor does he shy away from controversial aspects (multiple chapters are devoted to polygamy). He draws a clear line from the beginning to the end, and leaves the reader with a beautiful ending paragraph that I won’t spoil for you.

Overall, this is an excellent addition to Mormon historical scholarship. This is the perfect book for someone who doesn’t know a lot about Joseph Smith (or perhaps thinks they do) or is just becoming interested in early Mormon history.

Now, someone go write about Emma!

Thank you to Yale University Press, the author and NetGalley for an DRC in return for an honest review

My Grandmother, although brought up in the Church of England faith, had a close connection to the Mormon church. I think she possibly toyed with the idea of becoming a Morman at one time. She personally knew many in the Morman faith and was known to always welcome the visiting Ministering Brothers into our home for a chat and a cup of tea. I also inherited her copy of The Book of Morman. I even have the odd b/w family photo standing with Pastors. I requested this book in the hope it would bring me closer to understanding what attracted her to the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

#JosephSmith #NetGalley

A thoroughly researched biography of the Mormon prophet. The author presents Joseph Smith and his life wart and all, and does not shy away from controversy. The amount of research that went into the book along with the riveting narrative makes this an excellent read..

I enjoy a good piece of non-fiction as a palate cleanser from my love of fiction.. This biography of Koseph Smith didn't disappoint. Learned a lot about hom.and how he built the LDS Chirch. An Interesting read.

Good bio, I like its presentation style. It answered a lot of questions, showing the good, bad, and ugly of an interesting man.

3.5 rounded up. In the introduction to the book, the author talks about how it’s nearly impossible to have a truly neutral book about Joseph Smith based on who he was and what he claimed. The author comes very close and is strikingly neutral on some controversial points. A notable exception to this is when talking about the origins of the Book of Mormon, he specifically comments that he doesn’t believe the plates existed. This is the only time I noticed such a direct opinion from the author so it felt very out of place for me. The book offered a lot of cultural/regional/national context for various events, which offered a better understanding of some points. As far as religious doctrine goes, more focus is placed on polygamy than any other topic. This may be since it serves to shape “the fall” mentioned in the title of the book. Because of the authors neutrality, this book with give you a good understanding of Joseph Smith but will not try to convince you if his rise was prophetic or if his fall was warranted.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

As an ex-Mormon who’s spent years untangling the web of Joseph Smith and the LDS Church, I dove into John G. Turner’s Joseph Smith: The Rise and Fall of an American Prophet with a mix of curiosity and skepticism. Turner’s no stranger to Mormon history so I expected a thorough, outsider’s take. And honestly, he mostly delivers, though it’s not without some hiccups for someone like me who’s already knee-deep in the messy details and done with the Church’s narrative.

The book leans hard into primary sources, especially the Joseph Smith Papers, which is great for someone like me who values raw data over sanitized Sunday School tales. What I really liked was how Turner grounds Smith in his time and place. He shows how the Burned-Over District’s religious fervor, folk magic, and economic desperation shaped Smith’s ideas. The seer stones, treasure-digging, and occult vibes? Turner doesn’t mock them but explains them as part of Smith’s world, which lines up with what I’ve read in books like D. Michael Quinn’s Early Mormonism and the Magic World View.

But here’s where I got frustrated. Turner’s commitment to “objectivity” sometimes feels like he’s tiptoeing around the Church’s sore spots. The Church’s current narrative still venerates Smith, and I hoped for a sharper critique of how that myth-making distorts history. Overall, Joseph Smith is a solid read for somebody who wants a detailed, well-researched take without the Church’s rose-tinted glasses. Turner’s not out to bash Smith or the Church, which I respect, but his restraint can feel like it pulls punches.

I like to read about religious icons and this is a book that is well written.

I liked the historical facts and the way the author still left the reader to decide what to believe. I personally think that all churched are some kind of cult, but this is an intriguing read.

As a member of the church I think this book was done pretty well for someone that is not a member themselves. It was well put together and well written.

The writing style of this book makes it a surprisingly easy and quick read, not what I expected from a university press. There's less historiographical detail than I expected about how the details of Smith's life interfere with decades of church hagiography. That being said, this book provides a complete look at Smith's life and is a suitable introduction for schools. I would recommend it for those unfamiliar with Smith or Mormonism in general.