Beating a dead horse

Recently, several other bloggers have sparked a discussion about Mormon literature (ie, books written by, for, or about Mormons) and whether it's "good" or "bad". Many people who have weighed in on the discussion have admitted to being literary snobs who have a very negative view of this genre. The truth is, I am a literary snob and have been for a long time. But, I'm getting to be less of one and thought I'd add some of my thoughts to the conversation.

I think my journey out of snobishness actually began shortly after Master Fob and I got married. I convinced him to take a Young Adult literature class with me, and we luckily (or predestinately) got a class with Chris Crowe. I still don't really remember why I decided to take YA lit. During my teenage years, I read some YA lit, but mostly historical fiction. I shunned most things that were more contemporary, anything "boyish", and anything fantasy. But, this class really opened my eyes and got me reading lots of different things. And I discovered that I actually liked most of that stuff that I had shunned before. Now I do sometimes read contemporary stuff, and books about boys and sports and I even read fantasy (I did Lord of the Rings last summer).

So, the next semester Master Fob took a class on Mormon literature. I was unable to take the class, but participated vicariously through him. We also got involved with AML and started reading things like Irreantum and Dialogue. Consequently, I discovered a whole new world of writers that I had never heard of before, many of whom were quite good. (Many of whom were quite crappy, I must also add). Before this point in my life, I don't remember much exposure to Mormon ficition. I do remember enjoying many of the short stories that used to be published in the New Era, before the church magazines decided that fiction was evil. My mom actually won their annual creative writing contest, back in 1973. Someone lent me a book by Anita Stansfield during my freshman year, and I mainly remember thinking "what the hell is this?" while I was reading it. But, since then, I 've discovered quite a few other really, really good books.

The thing that I've realized, is that all genres have crappy books and good books. And everyone's definition of what makes a book "good" differs. In my opinion, about 90% of books out there are crap, no matter what the genre. So it doesn't make sense to me to throw out everything in one particular category because most of it is crap. Also, "Mormon" literature is really only about 100 years old, at most. And the more modern stuff is really only a 30-40 year old phenomenon. There's still lots and lots of time for things to get better. And if no one reads any of the good stuff, it won't stick around and all we'll be left with is Gerald Lund and Anita Stansfield. (Of course, the whole publishing and marketing thing needs major work too, but hopefully at some point that will change). My only other complaint about the genre is that it's still focused primarily on the Intermountain West. Most of it is just as much "Utah" literature as it is "Mormon". I can sort of deal with that, because even though I didn't grow up here, my family is "pioneer stock". But still, many members of the church can't really relate to what's being written, so we need to expand our topics a little more.

Whew! OK, now I will post some of my personally recommeded books and authors. And, I would highly recommend checking out Dialogue and Irreantum if you want to know more about Mormon literature. That's where I've found out a lot about these books. And both magazines (journals?) are full of poetry, essay, and short story. It's a good way to start testing the waters. If you're up to it, here are a few of my recommended picks:

Anything by Virginia Sorensen:
Where Nothing is Long Ago
This one is actually a collection of autobiographical essays about her childhood in a small Mormon town during the early 1900s. They are beautifully written; I think "First Love" is one of my favorite pieces of short writing ever.
A Little Lower than the Angels
I like to think of this as the "Anti Work and the Glory". It's about a family that moves to Nauvoo and then the dad gets commanded to take on a second wife. Very different treatment of early Church history than we usually get, but very subtle and not purely "anti" at all.

Heresies of Nature by Margaret Blair Young
Mom gets Multiple Sclerosis, the family prays, and everything is wonderful. Um, not. This is another very realistic, complicated novel about the effects of severe trials on a family. Well written and true to life.

Falling Toward Heaven by John Bennion
A missionary jumps off the bandwagon on the day he's supposed to be coming home. An interesting novel about leaving and coming back to the Church (more or less).

Vernal Promises by Jack Harrell
This one needs a better cover, but it's still a very good book. Another one about dealing with trials and finding your way.

Um, I just noticed that most of the books I listed are kind of about the same thing. But they're all really good, I swear. Here are a few more:

Edgy has already listed quite a few other authors that are definitely worth checking out. There are several YA authors that write for a national audience but whose work is obviously influenced by being Mormon. Among them I recommend Louise Plummer (A Dance for Three), Kristen Randle (Slumming) and Kimberly Heuston (The Shakeress).

Also, a plug has already been made for Dean Hughes, but his books are great. If you like historical fiction (and even if you don't), you've got to read the Children of the Promise Series and the Hearts of the Children. They are both excellent.

Another more light-hearted book is Angel of the Danube. If you served a mission in Europe you will particularly like this book, but I think anyone could get into it. It manages to be both funny and serious and do both things quite well. And it's refreshing to read a missionary book where the Elders admit that sometimes they'd rather go play pinball than prosylyte (plus they don't get struck by lightning for doing so).

Um, so there you have it. Many of the best books I've found within a genre that 5 years ago I wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole. "Try them, try them, Sam-I-Am. You may like green eggs and ham."