As 2022 comes to a close, I wanted to write a year-end retrospective on some of my favorite Mormon Studies books from the past year. I soon realized that By Common Consent Press had published so many great books that including them in my list would take over the entire review. So, this post focuses on the BCC Press, or “The Little Press That Could.”
The BCC Press was “founded as a non-profit publisher in 2017” with the goal to “seek out the best authors from the LDS world, and … publish books that address all aspects of Mormon life, including works of philosophy, theology, history, scriptural exegesis, fiction, poetry, personal essays, and memoirs”.
Between that time and December 2021, they published about 30 books; in 2022, they published 17! I will list all 17. For books that have previous AML reviews, I will link to them, and for a few that particularly touched me, I will provide mini reviews here.
- Experiment Upon the Word, by Frederik S. Kleiner.
Somehow the AML missed reviewing this book! BUT the link above will take you to a BCC post that tells you all about it!
Courtesy of Ardis Parshall - The Brain’s Lectionary, by Elizabeth Pinborough.
We missed this one too! I feel awful about that! This book is AMAZING! Pinborough starts by explaining why she wrote the psalms in this book:“The occasion for this book was a traumatic brain injury I experienced in 2015. In verse and illustration, I tell of my voyage through the storm, my perilous near-drownings, and my fumbling for an astrolabe to guide me back to myself and to God…”
From there, she leads you on a journey that everyone needs to experience. I received my Masters in Rehabilitation Counseling from Utah State in 2013 and became a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor not long after that. I have worked with many people who have experienced TBI’s. I wish that everyone would read this book and learn from its insights. PLUS, she leads with a quote by Yoko Ono!
- Litany (With Wings) by Tyler Chadwick.
I have never been a poetry fan. To pass each year of English in high school, we had to submit a poetry collection. As a freshman, I named my poetry collection “Poetry Sucks.” The following year, it was “Poetry Sucks II,” etc., until I graduated. Now the BCC Press is trying REALLY HARD to make a convert of me. Their books of poetry are always amazing and thought-provoking. Litany (with Wings) was stunningly good.In the link above, Heather reviews Litany far better than I can, but I will say; Chadwick composed poems that will convert the most diehard poetry hater. I particularly loved “Goddess Dreaming of Her Temple in the Woods,” which connected with many memories of camping with my children, and “Goddess in Repose,” a beautiful tribute to the Divine Feminine.
- Paradoxical Glory, by Nancy Heiss.
More GREAT Poetry!
- The Book of Mormon for the Least of These, Vol 2 by Fatimah Salleh and Margaret Hemming Olsen.
I LOVE this series so much that I purchased Volumes One and Two in hardback, and I am waiting anxiously for Volume Three. Salleh and Olsen use a social justice approach to examining the Book of Mormon. They are not afraid to call it and its writers out when they think that they are wrong. They take a critical eye to the familiar text and force their readers to reevaluate how they interpret familiar stories and verses. I particularly like their approach to Alma. When they examine the sermons of Alma, they point out troubling things that he says about women and children. I also love how they examine the famous verses in Alma 24:21-27 and show how Mormon’s take on how God used the violence done to the Anti-Nephi Lehi’s to convert others is a bad take that ignores and downplays the trauma done to those people. This series is a MUST READ and I do not say that lightly.
- The Woman’s Book of Mormon, Vol 2 by, Mette Harrison.
I am a Mette Harrison fan-boy! Since discovering her work I have gone on a bender and have read any of her work I can get my hands on. She was challenged to approach the Book of Mormon from a Woman’s perspective while being respectful to the source Material. What she created is astounding. There are two volumes so far. I believe that we will get three. I would LOVE to have more. Volume two is comprised of 21 “Books” each telling the story of a different woman as it relates to a familiar Book of Mormon story.Two of these stories that are next to each other particularly touched me. “The Book of Marta” gives a name to the servant woman who ran away from Morianton and warned Captain Moroni of his plans. Giving this perspective made the story SO MUCH better and even made Captain Moroni more likeable.
Right after that comes the “Book of Bella.” The Book of Mormon lionizes Helman and presents the story of the Sons of Helaman as a story of faith overcoming in a time of war. It presents a very clean version of war and makes quite the hero of Helaman and the warriors who had perfect faith. Bella is the mother of one of the young warriors of Helaman. Just 15 when he is called off to war. He comes back from the war different, violent, and suffering from PTSD. The things that Helaman trained him and caused him to do have forever changed him and his mother hates Helaman for what he turned her gentle boy into. Having a gentle 15-year-old of my own, who once made me drive several miles into the wilderness to save a mouse, who rescued a three-legged cat, and who often reaches out to the friendless, this retelling of the story broke me and made me completely reexamine this central Book of Mormon story. PLEASE read this book series.
- Genealogy of Werewolves, by Mette Harrison
Genealogy of Werewolves is book two in the Vampires in the Temple I LOVED this series be Harrison SO MUCH I begged to read a ahead and get a sneak peek at the rest of the series. It tells the story of Jack Hardy; a Salt Lake police detective who happens to be a werewolf. The Salt Lake and LDS church in this series is pretty much like the real thing, except there are Vampires, Werewolves, and Near Immortals. Like with all great sci-fi fantasy, Harrison uses her stories and characters to examine real world problems and social concerns. She forces you to think about the problems and challenges inherent in Mormon culture. The link above takes you to my full review. This one takes you to Amanda Ray’s review.
- Radiant Mormonism by Warner Woodworth.
I have been a fan of Warner Woodworth for years. I own most all of his books and I have listened to him speak on many occasions. His book Working Toward Zion (with James W. Lucas, 1995) has earned a prominent place on my desk. I love his work on poverty and microfinance. Radiant Mormonism is an excellent little book that highlights some of Woodworth’s charitable work over the years and uses it to showcase the most Radiant parts of Mormonism.
Courtesy of Ardis Parshall - The Burning Book, Jason Olson and James Goldberg.
The Burning Book was so good I shared my copy and gave it away! PLEASE enjoy Ian T. Davidson’s excellent review of this amazing book!
- Dwelling in the Promised Land as a Stranger by Scott Abbot.
This book is so good; I will share two wonderful reviews. If you click on the title of the book, it takes you to Julie J Nichols well written review. If you click here, you get to read a thoughtful review by Amanda Ray who places Abbot’s very though provoking essay collection in context “with Hulu’s “Under the Banner of Heaven” and Netflix’s “Keep Sweet: Obey and Pray”” and the other “parts of the current discourse on Mormonism.”
- Spin, John Bennion
Click on the title to read Rachel Helps review. Click here to read what John Bennion had to say about his novel! Read this book, its excellent and will have you spinning round just like a record baby!
- Heike’s Void by Steven Peck
Peck’s A Short Stay in Hell scared the hell out of me. It was so hauntingly good that I finished it in about two hours and would have finished it faster if possible. Its ending still haunts me. Heikie’s Void continues Peck’s tradition of excellent prose. He starts with these intriguing words:“There are those God hates. He just does. It is as inexplicable as his love. He hates them passionately and with all his heart – which is an immense heart loaded with both the spaciousness, transcendence, and the closeness of infinite imminence…One person God hates is Elder Holmberg of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I will introduce him below, but remember just because God hates him, does not mean you must too.”
How’s that for a teaser! Read Kevin Folkman’s review above and then go get Peck’s novel and enjoy!
- The Corianton Saga, ed. by Ardis Parshall
Ardis Parshall has been bringing hidden history to light for years. Her social media posts and Keepapitchinin blog have long been favorites of mine. They are filled with fascinating stories of Mormon history about regular people that you will find nowhere else. Through the BCC Press and Koford Books she has edited and published several lost novels and stories about Mormonism from the 1800’s and early 1900’s. The Corianton Saga restores a fun and unusual bit of Mormon history and storytelling.
Courtesy of Ardis Parshall and her beloved Rocket - The Darkest Abyss, by William Morris.
Mormonism has always been a little strange to most people, so a collection of strange stories by William Morris is a perfect fit into the Mormon canon of literature! The link above will take you an excellent review by Liz Busby, herself an author of some amazing fiction! OR check out this review by Theric Jepson (author of Byuck!), or this review by Rachel Helps!
- East Winds, by Rachel Ruekert.
Dan call provides an insightful review of Ruekert’s penetrating volume above, this link will take you to her post about her profound book
- Home Yesterday, by Emily January.
As I am writing this post, this is one of BCC Press’s newest books, so I have not read it yet! But the link above will take you to January’s post introducing her book. It starts with this intriguing hook:“I carried a secret with me for most of my childhood, and it took a toll on the way I viewed myself and the world. The secret was that my dad is gay…”
- Byuck, by Theric Jepson
ALSO hot off the BCC press. As I write, my copy is in the mail! Jepson originally published Byuck about 10 years ago and the BCC is producing an updated edition. It even comes with Matt Page cover art! The above link takes you to Conor Hilton’s brief review of the original edition! NOTE – THIS IS NOT A KISSING BOOK!
The BCC Press is doing really AWSEOME work, and they are all volunteers! They do this for the love of literature, something we here at the Association for Mormon Letters are HUGE fans of! They are giving authors who might never otherwise be published a chance and, while doing so, are providing us with brilliant and insightful books of essays, prose, poetry, history, and more. I highly encourage you to support them and purchase some of their books. BCC Books are available at Writ and Vision in Provo, Benchmark Books in Salt Lake, and on the web from Amazon.