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Falling in Love with Joseph Smith: My Search for the Real Prophet Kindle Edition

by Jane Barnes (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 20 ratings
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When award-winning documentary film writer Jane Barnes was working on the PBS Frontline/American Experience special series The Mormons, she was surprised to find herself passionately drawn to Joseph Smith. The product of an Episcopalian, “WASPy” family, she couldn’t remember ever having met a Mormon before her work on the series—much less having dallied with the idea of converting to a religion shrouded in controversy. But so it was: She was smitten with a man who claimed to have translated the word of God by peering into the dark of his hat.

In this brilliantly written book, Barnes describes her experiences working on the PBS series as she moved from secular curiosity to the brink of conversion to Mormonism. It all began when she came across Joseph Smith's early writings. She was delighted to discover how funny and utterly unique he was—and how widely divergent his wild yet profound visions of God were from the Church of Latter-day Saints as we know it today. Her fascination deepened when, much to her surprise, she learned that her eighth cousin Anna Barnes converted to Mormonism in 1833. Through Anna, Barnes follows her family’s close involvement with Smith and the crises caused by his controversial practice of polygamy. Barnes’ unlikely path helps her gain a newfound respect for the innovative American spirit that lies at the heart of Mormonism—and for a religion that is, in many ways, still coming into its own.

An intimate portrait of the man behind one of America’s fastest growing religions, Falling in Love with Joseph Smith offers a surprising and provocative window into the Mormon experience.

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  1. Print length
    304 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    TarcherPerigee
  5. Publication date
    August 16, 2012
  6. File size
    721 KB
  7. Page Flip
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Jane Barnes’ startling, compelling book looks for treasure, much as the young Joseph Smith did, with the passion of a convert and the wild, sharp eye of someone determined to find it in the most unlikely places. This is a beautiful and utterly original book.”--Sara Miles, author of Take This Bread and Jesus Freak "This is a balanced and intensely personal biography of Smith, as well as an arresting memoir of a spiritual leader."
--Publishers Weekly

“This is a book about faith and irony, but don't let the title fool you. Hold on to your hats, because you're going to be falling in love with Joseph Smith, too!”--Dennis Covington, author of the National Book Award finalist Salvation on Sand Mountain “Jane Barnes offers a rollicking, visionary, and deeply personal exploration of the magnetic legacy of Joseph Smith and what his story can teach us about our own deeply American hunger for transcendence. In a moment when many Americans are realizing how little they know about Mormonism, Barnes shows us what non-Mormons can and should love about this uniquely American faith tradition.”
--Joanna Brooks, author of The Book of Mormon Girl, associate professor, Department of English and Comparative Literature,
San Diego State University “Jane Barnes’ fascination with Joseph Smith is an inward journey, an account of one person's attempt to articulate and to answer difficult questions about the mysterious Joseph, a man who puzzles and eludes her. Falling in Love with Joseph Smith made me think of one of my favorite hybrid books, Annie Dillard's For the Time Being.”--Ann Beattie, PEN/Malamud award-winning author, professor of Literature and Creative Writing, University of Virginia

About the Author

JANE BARNES, who has received fellowships from the NEA, NEH, and the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, has published two novels: I, Krupskaya: My Life with Lenin and Double Lives. Her essays and stories have appeared in MLLE, Mirabella, Prairie Schooner, Dialogue, and the Virginia Quarterly Review, among others. Barnes has written documentaries for American Experience, American Masters, and Frontline. She lives in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0087GZ1GW
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ TarcherPerigee (August 16, 2012)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 16, 2012
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 721 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 20 ratings

About the author

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Jane Barnes

Jane Barnes

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Customer reviews

3.8 out of 5 stars
3.8 out of 5
20 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Heyace
5.0 out of 5 stars Next to Brodie, my favorite work involving Smith
Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2013
Verified Purchase
I say "involving" Joseph Smith because Brodie's work was a beautiful biography, whereas Barnes' book isn't a biography per se - it's more of a memoir of her involvement with Joseph Smith and Mormonism.

I've read many books about Smith over the years. Brodie's was the first to cause me to connect with Smith on a human level. Barnes was the first to emulate my own experience (the experience of connecting), even through we found out about Smith in very different ways and have a different history (Barnes never joined a Mormon sect, whereas I was LDS for thirty years, and Reform Mormon for the past ten.)

Anyone who admires Smith (but doesn't put him on a pedestal) is going to love this book. Smith has always been an interesting subject to historians, but much more so in the past fifty years. This book recounts enough history about Smith to give you the story of his life, but centers more on the impact this charismatic genius still has on people today by illustrating how one can find Smith fascinating while not finding his modern church to be palatable. Barnes is not LDS, and this books tells how she tried to become LDS, but couldn't. Regardless, her admiration for Smith is evident.

In telling her own experience with Smith, she illustrates how a person can have a love for Smith's history without becoming a modern convert. This is an interesting testament to Smith's enduring attraction. The book is human, and full of moments anyone can relate to. It's also funny and endearing. Of the many books I've read about Joseph Smith, this one stands alone as the most poignant identifier of the human interaction with his history. I recommend it highly!
13 people found this helpful
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Shady reader
4.0 out of 5 stars Delightful
Reviewed in the United States on November 19, 2012
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Barnes' light romp through the inconsistencies and inspirations of the founder of the Mormons adds humor and genuine appreciation to the history of this group.
One person found this helpful
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Gregory A Martin
5.0 out of 5 stars Honest and Intriguing
Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2013
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This is a strange book in that, on the one hand, she seems to acknowledge and accept all the world's criticism of Joseph Smith and Mormonism while, at the same time, she is charmingly fascinated with Smith and easily forgives him of his many faults. Barnes even came close to converting to Mormonism but her barrier is, of all things, the idea of the atonement of Christ, not any particular Mormon doctrine. Still, the book is well written and it is refreshing to see honest respect for Joseph Smith, warts and all.
4 people found this helpful
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sunnydalebetty
2.0 out of 5 stars Meh
Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2014
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Hoping for something a little better than being told Joseph Smith was charismatic. Well, obviously. You don't get all the wimmin (including 14 year old girls and your best friend's wives, and oh... Woody Allenesque relationships with your adopted daughter unless you got some charisma.)

Pretty disappointing, with no real information. It was more of a memoir of this woman's life as she came to terms with her lesbianism by embracing the founder of a religion that rallies against gays.
4 people found this helpful
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E. Barry
1.0 out of 5 stars Dumb!
Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2013
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Very self-centered book. Thought the author didn't know who she was trying to become by the end of the book. Don't waste your time reading this book
5 people found this helpful
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Aaron P. Hart
5.0 out of 5 stars The Joseph Smith that I love! Finally.
Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2016
This is both a delightful read and also a difficult book to market. I want to tackle both issues and finally explain why I give Jane Barnes' memoir 5 stars.

Delightful read: Jane Barnes talks about her own spiritual walk and life and that of Joseph Smith, Jr., the Mormon prophet. Growing up in a WASPy community that was predominantly Episcopalian, it seems that Jane had spiritual longings that others in her community did not understand. Through Jane and Helen Whitney discovering Joseph Smith through Fawn Brodie's biography NO MAN KNOWS MY HISTORY, the two set to do a documentary for Frontline/American Experience about the Mormon faith. This begins a path of studying the American prophet and his Book of Mormon that would start both a love affair and a conversion. However, due to a rejection of the Atonement of Christ and the LDS Church's unwillingness to accept Joseph's irreverence, Jane decides not to join the LDS Church. Later, while talking to a Mormon Fundamentalist family, Jane finds others and see this prophet the way she does. Out of all of the spiritual journey memoirs I have read, I relate most to Jane's own experience. I too admire the prophet Joseph and his works. I also appreciate the fact that Jane acknowledges the problems the LDS Church tends to brush under the rug (Nauvoo polygamy, no historical veracity to the Book of Mormon or Book of Abraham). Basically, we would be part of the same church.... if it existed.

Difficult book to market: This would be a very difficult book to market. Most of the spiritual memoirs involves a westerner in a state of existential crisis taking a pilgrimage to India to discover themselves through meditation and Eastern mysticism (On a Razor's Edge/ Eat, Pray, Love). They don't travel to Utah to shoot a documentary about a prophet most consider an obvious con-man. So, that is one potential group that this book does not market well too. Also, how well received would a LDS Mormon like this book about Joseph? I read some of the reviews and it is obvious that they hate it. Many have slapped the "anti-Mormon" label on it because it openly expresses problems that the faithful LDS are suppose to put on shelf indefinitely. This is a huge problem for the book because this would be your largest source for readers.

Why I gave the book 5 stars: The book was overall delightful, different from what I have ever read, and made me appreciate Joseph Smith more than I had before. For Jane and I, Joseph is our prophet of God and we do not need the LDS Church to be inspired by him.
4 people found this helpful
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Dave Werman
4.0 out of 5 stars Worth Reading
Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2013
If you're interested in the varieties of religious experience, not to mention the human condition, this book is worth reading. The author has some interesting religious insights that alone are worth the price of the book. Her personal story, which she interweaves with the story of Joseph Smith, is also good reading. I bought this book on a whim and am glad I did.
2 people found this helpful
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J Burns
5.0 out of 5 stars Irreverent and insightful
Reviewed in the United States on September 27, 2012
A quirky and irreverent romp through modern spiritual life, blended with a historic tour of Mormonism and rumination about the LDS founding prophet. The author does not convert to Mormonism, but along the way she helped me understand why someone might want to. Although I'm fairly knowledgable about Mormon history, this was the first book that gave me a glimpse of its essence and an understanding of why it is among the world's fastest growing religions. It was also fascinating reading - I stretched it out chapter by chapter so I could let the story unfold. Worth a read if you are Mormon-curious or just looking for something different!
6 people found this helpful
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