8 Must-read Books on Mormonism

We’re church history junkies. We’re also lucky enough to live in the age of the internet, where information on Mormonism is far more available than it was when the Tanners were talking about it in the 70s! To help you figure out what’s really really worth reading when it comes to Mormonism, we’ve put together a list of our top 8 must-reads. Some of these are 100% “church-approved” (aka no one can accuse you of reading “anti-Mormon” literature”), and some of them aren’t — we believe in open investigation. So whether you’re Mormon, ex-Mormon, or just interested in Mormonism, here are our suggestions!

(P.S. These are Amazon affiliate links, so if you buy through them we get a small percentage of the profit. If that makes you uncomfortable, feel free to buy them on your own terms. But if you’d like to support our site and help us with our #TakingBackTithing mission, then we’d love it if you clicked these links! 🙂 Happy reading!)

1. Rough Stone Rolling by Richard Bushman

2. In Sacred Loneliness by Todd Compton

3. An Insider’s View of Mormon Origins by Grant Palmer

4. No Man Knows My History: The Life of Joseph Smith by Fawn Brodie

5. Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith by Linda King Newell

6. The Mormon Hierarchy: Origins of Power by Michael Quinn

7. The Mormon Hierarchy: Extensions of Power by Michael Quinn

8. David O. McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism by Gregory Prince

Further reader recommendations:
(Books our readers have also suggested to us)

Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by Jon Krakauer

The Korihor Argument by Joe Rawlins

(Great if you want a hilarious but insightful read!)

Zina Jacobs-Smith-Young

Zina Jacobs-Smith-Young would have been a millennial blogger, but she died in 1901. The wife of Brigham Young, and prior to that Joseph Smith, and prior to that Henry Jacobs, who was sent on a mission by Brigham before he married her, Zina loves writing, long walks on the beach, and playing the field.