Reviews
"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, "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, "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 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
