Title: In the Hands of the Lord: The Life of Dallin H. Oaks
Author: Richard E. Turley, Jr.
Publisher: Deseret Book
Genre: Biography
Year Published: 2021
Number of Pages: 408
Binding: Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook
ISBN-13 Hardcover: 9781629728766
Price: $32.99
Reviewed by Richard Ji for the Association for Mormon Letters
It seems common for historical figures and even some personalities of today, to be considered “complex.” This is typically a term used when there are glaring contradictions between the person’s actions and society’s normative (or even the person’s stated) values. However in, Richard E. Turley Jr.’s new book, In the Hands of the Lord: The Life of Dallin H. Oaks, it is apparent that the life of President Dallin H. Oaks has been one of remarkable congruity to his values while also achieving greatness.
In the Hands of the Lord numbers 408 pages, including some notes and an index. It is comprised of 30 chapters that span President Oaks birth through his call to the First Presidency in chronological order. It is accented by a number of black and white photographs. Much of the material comes from a retrospective personal history President Oaks wrote in 1980. From 1980, much of the material is derived from his daily journal, talks, speeches, articles, correspondence, interviews, as well as from Turley’s own impressive experience.
Turley’s life experiences have overlapped with President Oaks beginning with Turley’s time at Brigham Young University as a student when President Oaks was President of BYU. Quite early in Turley’s career as an attorney, then Elder Oaks recruited Turley to Church employment. Turley served in the Church History, Family History, and Church Communication Departments while Elder Oaks provided oversight over them. So, Turley has had a number of years of first-hand experience working closely with the subject of his book.
Because President Oaks’s direct words are pervasively quoted, we are hearing his voice directly throughout the book. So, in many ways, it felt autobiographical. Up until 1980, it is a retrospective voice with a perspective marinated with time and experience. From there, it seems we hear more of his present tense voice. Throughout the entire book, President Oaks’s characteristic dignified, efficient, and perhaps restrained voice is apparent. At times, this distinguished tenor presented moments of comic relief in the book. One example is when he describes a spanking by his father gave him for some adolescent transgressions of his. Here he says his father “gravely removed an old leather belt from a pair of slacks in the closet, bent me over, and administered it to my backside a few times” (p. 8, emphasis added). In an age where informalities such as “lol” are in everyday jargon, I especially laughed out loud when reading such an Apostle-like euphemism. Another example was when he was describing his whirlwind (1-2 months) courtship to his wife Kristen McMain, two years following the passing of his wife June. He describes the activities of this courtship such as chaperoned dates and meetings with his family as “preliminaries” (p. 244). So, it seems his methodical mind is active even when describing his dating events.
The tempo of the book keeps a brisk pace. President Oaks’s incredibly rich life story is presented in a series of anecdotes and thumbnail sketches. Collectively, this high-level survey of his achievements and experiences forms a clear picture of the man. But at times, I wished more details were provided. It seemed that some cliff hangers of sorts were left throughout the book – ones where, I as the reader, yearned to know more. Much of these are trivial in nature. Questions such as: What kinds of practical jokes referenced did the young Oaks play? Why did he and June name their older daughters with such unique names? And how did he not know the name of his wife (she was a twin) until the end of their first date? As fate would have it, one twin had another date that evening, so this date led to his marriage to June.
Some questions I had were more meaningful. President Oaks has endured through formative challenges throughout his life, beginning at a young age. He lost his beloved father to tuberculosis when he was 7 years old, he endured through extended absences of his mother due to mental illness and other pursuits, he was bullied, and his living arrangements and locations changed much. Later in life, he had some disappointments as well as severe opposition. For instance, as an Apostle, President Oaks waded into controversial matters including LGBTQ related issues. These challenges were alluded to but not delved into in any level of detail in the book. He has received vitriol on social media in response to his talks on these subjects, but the book is relatively silent on what he was feeling and thinking in response to such hostility. Turley does record Kristin Oaks’s feelings of being hurt and of “tears, fears, and frustrations” when speaking of the attacks on her husband (p. 319 and 329). But the impression I had from the book was that President Oaks will seek the will of the Lord, speak it, and not look back. I wondered if it was that simple or if he grappled with such conflict as most of us do.
With his retrospective voice, I would have enjoyed reading his reflections on perhaps how his heritage (he is three-quarters English), upbringing, and/or his adolescent trials may have shaped his stoic tendencies. His family notes how much fun he is personally. His wry sense of humor is quoted in several places throughout the book and his smiling face on the cover of the book defies his formality to a degree (he is still wearing a suit). But more depth on this side of his personality would help balance his portrayal.
Turley notes that due to privacy, confidentiality, as well as the sacred nature of experiences, some details are omitted. He further notes that President Oaks normally assumes a tone consistent with the sober nature of his calling in public, but from the book, it seems apparent that his stoic nature carries even into his personal writings.
Two especially poignant moments in the book revolved around June’s (his first wife) death. About a week after her passing, his emotions bubbled up to the surface. He records, “I ran into Dr. Reilly and burst into tears as I tried to express my appreciation for his tender professional care of June. I was embarrassed at my lack of control” (p. 234). About 6-7 months later, as President Oaks was writing June’s personal history, “he broke down and sobbed for 5 minutes.” He then wrote, “this was my first at that. I hope this is a watershed, not a trend. I am lonely for June and miss her terribly” (p. 236). Even with these heart-rending moments, President Oaks reflects his serious and restrained nature.
Interestingly, President Oaks was engaged in “social justice” matters before those words became part of our modern-day jargon. He spent years advocating and supporting the poor, looked after the legal rights of blacks, and while President of BYU, was staunchly active in ensuring the equal opportunity and pay for women. He did so not because it was in vogue, but because it was the right thing to do.
As I learned more about President Oaks, I excitedly shared some of what I had been reading with my wife. Her reply surprised me at first but also rang true. She said that she tends not to read biographies of great people like President Oaks because it always seems to make her feel badly for not measuring up. Admittedly, my experience in reading much of the book was comparable to her perspective. However, I later came across a passage where Turley shares that President Oaks “bore up the weight of his new calling [Apostle] as he had borne virtually every challenge of his adult life: by striving mightily” (p. 179). In another chapter, Turley writes that:
a former BYU student wrote to then Elder Oaks admiring his many achievements and coming down hard on himself for not achieving his own “lofty goals.” Elder Oaks encouraged the writer to focus on “strivings rather than accomplishments,” observing that “strivings are better indexes of accomplishment than any worldly measure, such as position, power, or prestige. (p. 335)
Such counsel served as a balm to the twinges of comparison. We each can strive mightily just like him.
It is obvious from the book that President Oaks gave mightily to all he chose to pursue. His exceptional intelligence, work ethic, and his continual reliance on the Lord, resulted in him achieving greatness in each of his endeavors which included success in radio, military, academia, scholarship, career, and Church service. After reading Turley’s book, In the Lord’s Hands, I came away with a sense that the life of this mighty man of God has been understated in the circles of the Church. President Oaks tends not to draw attention to his past achievements and career, yet, he was contemporaries with and close with a who’s who of his day. These dignitaries included Antonin Scalia who later became a Supreme Court Justice, John F. Kennedy, Chief Justice Earl Warren (who had become a father figure to President Oaks and was quite fond of him p. 70), President Gerald Ford, and many others…and this is prior to him becoming a General Authority which enabled him to build relationships with many more dignitaries of the world.
But despite the incredible nature all of President Oaks’s accomplishments, I considered them to be prosaic (which is a complete understatement) compared to the motives that drove him. Throughout his life, his pattern of seeking the Lord’s counsel and direction in all his career decisions is where I saw the greatness. Undoubtedly, he was inspired. In most cases (save his calling as an Apostle), he received premonitions of what was coming. Sometimes these advanced insights were amazingly specific. Other times, they were more general but nonetheless distinct. The Lord’s involvement with his life is readily apparent. He, along with his devoted and supportive spouses, have truly submitted themselves in all things into the hands of the Lord.
Ironically, as his success continued upward, his earnings regressed. His wife June “teased him about his sequence of jobs – from big firm lawyer through other roles to now state court judge [and next Apostle] had left him with progressively smaller salaries and earning potential. Wasn’t it supposed to be the other way around? she chided” (p. 160 italicized remarks added). Throughout his career, President Oaks turned down more lucrative, prestigious, and powerful opportunities that he did not feel were consistent with the Lord’s plan for him. Most notably, he legitimately had a pathway to becoming a Federal Supreme Court justice but shied away, trusting in the Lord’s direction. But earning power, prestige, and power were never motivators for President Oaks.
As mentioned at the outset of this review, President Oaks, whose character is moored solidly in the Rock of the Gospel, is not a ‘complex’ person. He has consistently sought the Lord’s will and aligned his actions to it. It does in fact seem that simple. He has shown that he seeks to be aligned with the Lord even if it means compromising his personal popularity. His fellow Apostles describe him as fearless. Elder Bednar closes Turley’s book, In the Hands of the Lord, by saying:
President Oaks, is a man of integrity. His beliefs and behavior are grounded in gospel principles, and he lives what he believes. Expediency is never an option for him because he is determined to do what is right, even if a course of actions does not advance his personal reputation or viewpoint. There are no shortcuts in his life – do things right or not at all. (p. 377)
I thoroughly enjoyed Richard E. Turley Jr.’s book In the Hands of the Lord: The Life of Dallin H. Oaks. When I received the book, I was enthusiastic about reading it. I was not disappointed. As one may judge from the length of this review, there is so much worthy of discussion from the life of this exemplary servant of God. I have only commented on a few points. I wholeheartedly recommend this biography of the man who “upon my [President Nelson’s] demise,” will be “the next President of the Church” (p. 345).