The Book of Mormon

Though some may argue the fact, the truth is that the Book of Mormon is the best book on earth.

Even more strictly said, the Book of Mormon is the best book for young adults on earth. Through this blog, much has been said concerning young adult literature. Though any book any young adult reads is bound to provide something. A lesson, insight or just plain enjoyment.

The Book of Mormon, however, provides all of those things and more. Joseph Smith, former prophet of the LDS church said this:

"I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book."

Though perhaps this astounding book is not at the top of the ALA Teen Read Weekly list, the Book of Mormon should be at the top of our daily reading lists. The Book of Mormon is not only a book of stories and journals to be read, but an instruction guide to be studied and poured over.

It is a book that will, as Joseph Smith said, bring us nearer to God. And that will help us every day, any day, with whatever we are going through.

The Book of Mormon is everything! There is no book better for adults and young adults and even children alike. It will strengthen testimonies of the Savior, Jesus Christ, and will renew our faith in a God who loves us and cares about us.

As we study its pages and learn from its chapters, we will become the best forms of ourselves.

The Writing in Reading

"Reading, like writing, is a creative act. If readers only bring a narrow range of themselves to the book, then they'll only see their narrow range reflected in it." --Ben Okri

Often, the best readers are the best writers. When one comes to understand how to write well, one can understand how to read well--or how to find the best books to read.

There is such a need for writing in the world. Long through history, people have been writing, record keeping, and journaling.

Michael Schudson, in his book, Discovering the News said,

"I remember a friend saying that the best time in pottery is the moment, with the wheel spinning, just before you shape the pot--just before the infinity of possibilities becomes but one of the possible things."

There are so many different ways that one person can affect many peoples' lives. Books are incredibly important to the world. They teach, they lead explorations, they open eyes.

Writing opens our creative minds. It expands our imagination and opens doors that would otherwise be closed.

Learning how to write teaches us how to think critically; how to put sentences together to make language flow and be inspiring. It is impossible to appreciate good literature if we do not know what goes into creating such.

The only way to get better is practice. So while we're out there discovering new books and literature, let's discover new talents and possibilities. Write!

Vampires and werewolves and...Mormons? Oh my.

There is a scene that replays over and over on the campus of Brigham Young University--Idaho. It involves no words, only an image. A girl sits alone, in a setting anywhere from under a tree to a lonely lunch table. Her face is molded into something between intense concentration and absolute adoration. In her hands are one of those books. One with a red and black cover. The name Stephanie Meyer printed neatly across the bottom...

A Twilight book.

Although the craze over the Twilight saga has spread throughout the country--even the world, perhaps--it is no more popular than in the LDS community.

Since the author herself is Mormon, many of her LDS thoughts and ideals are shown through in her books. But many have argued that Meyer has completely missed the mark on a few very important doctrines of the church.

In an article by Tyler Chadwick called Reading the Mormon Gothic, he says,

"In an assembly of letters written to the editor of Meridian Magazine in response to the magazine's positive treatment of the Twilight saga, several readers wonder how we Mormons, "the children of . . . Light," can justifiably indulge ourselves by reading literary works situated in supernatural realms of darkness and touching the inherent sensuality of human experience. How have we, "the very Elect" of God, one asks, "been hood winked and dazzled by the Adversary" into thinking that Twilight and its sequels are "harmless" entertainment?"

While it is true that the books do not explicitly promote the Latter-day Saint faith, Meyer does her best to keep LDS readers happy and interested without going too far out-of-bounds.

Rather, as Chadwick points out, "Stephenie Meyer summons us, particularly as LDS readers, into this revisionary reading of the ungodly...by coaxing the vampire novel into the light, she gives us the opportunity to confront and come to terms with the implicit humanness of the uncanny as we grow into the fullness of our stature as embodied children of an embodied God."

For however much sense that statement makes, LDS youth are still reading, still obsessing, still soaking up all Twilight has to offer. And it's pretty certain that no amount of protesting or discussion will make that girl move from her tree or table. The book is in her hands, and she's going to finish. Mormonism, werewolves, vampire-life, and all.

Uglies. Wait---Uglies??

Near the top of the list for best young adult novels is a story that tells us we are all ugly. Every one of us. And the only thing we care about; the only thing we want, is to become pretty.

That about accurately describes society, right?

Many of the young adult authors out there have been writing novels about real issues. No longer are the popular books fluffy, fun, no-worries storylines. Now young adult novels deal with matters like sex, eating disorders, defiance and self-image.

The latter is something that is greatly affecting society--particularly the young girls who are reading these novels.

Beth Younger, in her article entitled Pleasure, Pain, and the Power of Being Thin:Female Sexuality in Young Adult Literature said this about recent young adult novels:

"Although these narratives portray an ethnically diverse group of young girls and women, they also reveal the difficulty many young adult fiction authors have been resisting the contemporary hyper-thin European ideal of beauty....The associations of weight...serve a purpose in young adult texts; they reinforce negative ideas about body image."

This idea that thinner is better is not new. The world tells us that to be beautiful is to be better. Their idea of beauty is not even real. The above link proves that.

While the story from the beginning, Uglies, does tell of a society bent on changing everyone into perfect, thin, gorgeous members of the community, the overarching theme of the book is to be who you are.

Wouldn't it be nice if the whole world could just grasp that concept?