Making our history one step at a time
Which LDS apostle Saved the University of Utah from going under. Blinded his kid brother with a rake Pulled out his microscope every. single. FHE. Had kids who referred to his as "the Inquisitor" when they brought dates over. A: James E. Talmage
Niebuhr wouldn't easily fit into an ideological box in these politically charged days. Written in the early Cold War era, The Irony of American History includes a critique of Communism alongside a humbling reevaluation of our own favorite self-delusions in American liberalism.
Your knowledge of the Muslim World was probably Disney's Aladdin before 9/11. Then it became limited to the daily news cycle of the "war on terror." How did such a rich and diverse civilization become relegated to the dustbin of history? Ansary does a masterful job of putting modern conflicts in their historical context from Babylon to the Six Day War.
Like playing Axis and Allies, but for real. I've always been OBSESSED with WWI/II, and what makes this book really shine is experiencing the war from multiple perspectives, whether it be emperor of Austro-Hungary, or a floundering and short-lived democratic Soviet Union.
The Mormon Jesus by John Turner, answering all the questions you've been dying to ask like, was Jesus a polygamist? or did Jesus have abs?
Hot take: If I were ever to apostatize, I'd become an Orthodox monk. But seriously, Orthodoxy has so many surprising affinities to the Latter-Day Saint tradition, you'd be surprised.
If she - whipped herself for fun as a child - doesn't need food to live - moves popes and kings to do her bidding she's not your girl. She's St. Catherine of Siena
Perhaps the statement "ideas have power" sounds super-obvious. But if that's the case, we had gosh darn take a moment to examine what ideas are driving us. A timely book considering the strong ideologies present in politics today.
Most accounts of secularization are pretty flat: the march of clear and virtuous reason against the suffocating faith of the Middle Ages. Charles Taylor gives much more detailed account than these over-simplifications-- and regardless of your background, Taylor's work is an engaging read.
