My name is Steve LeSueur. I am a historian who is interested in Latter-day Saint fiction in which missionaries (and mission life) play a prominent role. Do AML members know of any novels about missionaries and mission life? I would appreciate your listing titles you think are relevant and, perhaps, especially good?Related to that, I am also be interested in memoirs about missionary life. Again, I would appreciate your sharing titles of those you think relevant.
Rachel Ann Nunes’ wrote the “Ariana” series, which is interesting for depicting LDS life in Europe; book 5 has some good scenes from one of the main character’s Portuguese mission (though marred by a maudlin romance).
On your related question of memoirs, I recommend “Do Not Attempt in Heels” for contemporary view of sister missionaries. Also, Nicholas G. Smith’s diaries (published in 2015, I believe) provide a welcome antidote to the “all obedience all the time” formalism that has dominated missions since the 1960s. A future MP & GA — grandson, son, and half-brother of apostles– on his mission in Holland from 1902-1905 kept a diary where every day he wrote 1-3 sentences about what he did (a bit more very occasionally). From my notes, he avoided tracting and rarely did it more than twice a week; he often swam in local pools, took three weeks off to hang with his half-brother in Germany after being promoted to Conference Leader, bought “naughty postcards” at his first zone conference in Amsterdam, went to a burlesque in the red light district and two years later to another in Paris on his way home, sampled beer and wine several times out of curiosity, walked young women home unaccompanied at least twice a month, not arriving home himself until 1 am; attended museums, plays, and cultural events every chance he got (often four times a week), and took six weeks off the end of his mission for a grand tour. He was terribly homesick early in his mission, but even 15 months in reported “felt too blue to work today” so he didn’t.
What is most striking to me about this list is that he considered himself one of the most dedicated of all missionaries, going to great lengths to never use his lofty family connections for special treatment or rule-bending. He felt he was holding himself to the very highest standard of “obedience” to mission rules, and apparently his leaders agreed as he is praised and promoted by companions and President Cannon. Yes, he had to deal with some governmental persecution, fleas, uncomfortably foreign food, little language training, and occasionally slept on the floor (or bunked with a male companion). But I certainly would have traded a less desirable apartment for the option to take a mental health day and go to the pool occasionally.
It’s not a novel, but the 2003 film “Latter Days” (directed by C. Jay Cox) has an LDS missionary as one of its main characters; similarly Steven Shields’ history “From system of beliefs to way of life” traces the cultural change in the RLDS/Community of Christ to apostolic missions to Asia, where leaders realized they had nothing to say to cultures which reject the idea of One True anything. A Sunstone panel in 2008 (SL08133) discussed what drove LDS missionaries in Colorado to desecrate a Catholic shrine, then post photos of it on their own social media accounts. The biographical stories shared by panelists Stephen Carter, Troy Williams, Robert Kirby, and Michael Quinn provide useful comparisons to fiction.
This reminds me that there’s a nice film about sister missionaries in Austria. I can’t recall the name, but I’m sure someone else will. It’s a film by Christian Vuisa (sp?)
There’s a discussion happening on Facebook. One important source Andrew Hall brought up was Kjerste Christensen’s bibliography on the topic. It’s a decade old, but awesome up to 2013:
https://motleyvision.org/2013/07/23/mormon-missionary-literature
Thanks for all of your suggestions here, as well as suggestions posted on Discord and the AML Facebook page. Steve
The Romney bio that just came out has a great chapter on being a missionary, and Barney Madsen’s bio of his dad has a good chapter, too.
As for fiction, I think Levi Peterson’s short story, The Gift is the best that Mormon lit has to offer. Set in Belgium, it probably draws from his own experiences on a French-speaking mission. He has a few others, too. Check the short-story collection The Canyons of Grace.
Tim Wirkus has a book about missionaries in Brazil, I think it is. I can’t think of the name right now.
And I came across a really old one several years ago about a mission in England. I have a copy at home and can check when I get there in a few days. Let me know if you need that info.
There are others, too, but I can’t think of their titles right off.
Also, sometime in 1982, there was a great short story in Sunstone which compared missionary life with military basic training. As I recall, that was really good but I have only a foggy memory of it anymore today.
If I think of more stuff, I’ll come back and post it. Meanwhile, I’m hoping that others will have offered you suggestions.
Oh, and I just remembered there’s a film about missionaries in Holland. I believe the title of that one is The Best Two Years.
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Christian’s comments reminded me of the novel Hermana.