BOOK NOOK REVIEW

WOMEN of the BOOK OF MORMON
by Heather B. Moore


Only a few woman are named in the Book of Mormon. A few more are noted in regard to their husbands, sons and lovers. Despite their anonymity, no one can deny that the powerful men of the the Book of Mormon had equally noble women by their sides, comforting them, bearing and raising their children, and waiting for their return from war. What lessons do their lives hold for us in our day?

Heather B. Moore is a prolific author of scripture-based historical fiction, but her newest book, "Women of the Book of Mormon," is a scholarly piece packed with splendid research and astute analysis on these oft-forgotten scriptural women.

I consider myself fairly well-versed in the scriptures, but Heather B. Moore has again done what she does so well--humanizing her subjects with cultural and historical details that illuminate their lives, making them real to us in ways this reader never before considered. Moore draws from the research of anthropological and scriptural scholars to recreate the locations and times in which these women lived. We weigh their sacrifices and feel the burden of their struggles, while the power of their influence for good or evil is also powerfully felt.

For example, Moore's depiction of the privileged life a wealthy matron in Jerusalem helps us empathize with the changes that likely occurred in the women's lives of Lehi's and Ishmael's households once they headed into the wilderness. Their lives of luxury were over, their beautiful clothing, jewels and household goods were now gone. I understood this, but Moore goes on to explain that without the benefit of servants, the responsibility for cooking, cleaning and serving the men fell to these once-privileged wives and daughters. The nomadic lifestyle required their pampered hands to set up camp, raise tents, toil, spin and weave. According to tradition, the women would have walked the long distances from site to site while the men rode. I saw brave, noble Sariah through new eyes.

The chapter describing the wife of Mormon also moved me deeply. Moore reminds us that Mormon's wife was alone most of her married life, raising at least one noble son while her husband led a fallen, depraved people in battle. I had just finished reading Moroni nine when I reached this chapter, recalling Mormon's horrific details of depravity and torture, and then Moore connected the dots, reminding readers that these were the times and circumstances under which this hero's wife likely lived and died. The heroism and courage of this this unnamed woman leaped off the page at me.

Moore also notes that one fallen women has the distinction of being named in the Book 0f Mormon--the harlot Isabel. Moore again pulls in fascinating research to explain why this woman's actions likely warranted her name being held in remembrance.

"Women of the Book of Mormon" is filled with wonderful insights that make these women and their stories come alive. These were women who understood sacrifice and who had their eyes fixed on eternity. As I read each chapter my mind kept drifting to Relief Society General President Sister Julie Beck's recent conference talk about the need for women in the Church to "live so that we qualify for, receive, and know how to follow the Spirit." Heather B. Moore's book is filled with such women . . . strong, tender, remarkable, and under-considered women.

"Women of the Book of Mormon" is a treasure to add to any family's library. Though the research is solid, Heather B. Moore wrote the vignettes simply, making this book a comfortable, easy read that will satisfy young readers as well as Gospel Doctrine students.

You will learn, and readers will never again gloss over the contributions of these great women. But more than that, careful consideration of this volume could improve one's overall scripture study habits, reminding us to pause as we read, to draw lessons from each character's life and circumstances. This is a book I'll refer to often. Bravo, Heather B. Moore!

"Women of the Book of Mormon" is available wherever LDS books are sold.

BOOK NOOK REVIEW

SECRET SISTERS

by

Tristi Pinkston

Fill your thermos with hot cocoa, stuff some chocolate chip cookies into a Baggie and grab a copy of The Bishop’s Handbook of Instructions. You’ll want easy access to all three as you begin your raucous romp with the dysfunctional Relief Society presidency in Valor Publishing’s new release, Secret Sisters, by five-time author Tristi Pinkston.

Pinkston’s heroine, Ida Mae Babbitt, a well-intentioned bulldozer of a Relief Society president, is a “git-er-done” kind of woman, and when ward and family stresses spike the Omni Ward bishop’s blood pressure, Ida Mae knows just what to do. The how-to-do-it is another issue, however, and with a directionless techno-prodigy of a nephew and her wacky presidency in tow, it’s “Lucy and Ethel meets a McGyver-dude” as Ida Mae and company make a literal Federal case out of a Visiting Teaching report!

Pinkston has created a vivid assortment of over-the-top, multi-dimensional characters, while carefully adding enough depth to endear them to the reader. The plot is pure whimsy with an unexpected twist at the end that will keep you scratching your head until the final page-turn. Pinkston has done a fine job of hitting the comedy and drama buttons while tugging on the heartstrings as well.

You may not want these ladies running your Relief Society, but you’ll enjoy the mayhem they stir up as they “protect and serve” their ward. For a delightful escape with some good chuckles thrown in, “Secret Sisters” by Valor Publishing, fills the bill.

“Secret Sisters” is available at Amazon and in Barnes and Nobles.

IN THE THICK OF THIN THINGS?

There are always more things to be done than there is time to do them, and so proper prioritizing may be the single most important skill of life. I know that, but I often need a reminder.

I have a book launch this weekend so I'm eyeball deep in Key Lime Jelly Bellies, bookmarks, favor tags and promo stuff.

I was driving yesterday and I had a CD in the player from last October's LDS Church Conference. I heard President Monson's comment about how too many of us are "in the thick of thin things." It struck a chord. It really struck hard, and I wondered if the hours it will take to make Jelly Belly favors for the launch will matter in a week, in a month, or even on Saturday.

It's an obsession. We're over-scheduled, over-committed to "thin things." We all want to do our best at whatever we're doing--that Relief Society lesson or that dinner for the missionaries--so we kill ourselves to hit perfection when prayerful preparation will suffice. We want to invite the new family over for supper, but we wait until we get can get the rugs scrubbed and then the opportunity and the inclination slip away.

We should at least be finding joy in the "thin things" we choose, but how often do we postpone enjoying our life while we endure it, saying, "As soon as I get past this event or that I'll. . ." What a sad thought. I don't want to "get past" my life in order to enjoy it. I want to enjoy whatever I'm doing, whatever my circumstances . . . right now.

So many seemingly essential things that seem urgent today do evaporate in an instant when an emergency arises--a call from a worried child, a notice of an overdraft in your bank account, a health alert, or a few inches of standing water in the basement. What absolutely had to be handled today suddenly seems less important, and a fully-packed schedule suddenly opens wide. What if the call were to meet at the park? What if the emergency was that the sunset was spectacular? Would we push the calendar back for those?

That dreadful winter of a hundred inches of snow gave way to this magnificent spring. What a shame it would be to miss this momentary glimpse of heaven, one which I dreamed about all winter, because I was over-progammed or too engaged in "thin things."

I'm still going to make those favors, because right now I have the time-luxury to be invested in a in fun thin thing while I sit with my daughter, basking in this beauty, and watching my grandson try to steal jelly beans.

It's all about priorities.

ENOUGH and MORE

My trip to the Storehouse, mentioned in the post below, was enlightening in other ways as well. A senior missionary couple runs the Storehouse with the help of a senior service mission couple and other local volunteers. At lunch time, the sister missionary in co-charge cooked us a wonderful lunch, all from basic items that came from the storehouse shelves. And it was gourmet quality!

The point here is two-fold. First, the Lord asks that we help Him provide for the needs of his children not with cast-offs and crumbs, but with the best of what He has created. And secondly, when we know what to do with what He has provided, we can do very nicely on basics.

I've been blogging about food storage down in the right corner. Each week, I'm posting an item we should buy and add to our storage. In 52 weeks, if we follow the list, we should have a balanced, inexpensively-acquired supply of food storage that can be incorporated into our menu planning and therefore, easily-rotated. We don't need to store only vacuum-packed or freeze-dried food. We just need to rotate what we buy by incorporating it into our daily meals.

The reasons for having a food supply are many. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have been doing this for decades, responding to the counsel of living Prophets who have warned us to lay in store for times of need. But any person who reads the papers or listens to the news can surely see the wisdom is storing extra food against times when storms prevent us from getting to the store, or as a hedge against inflation, a bridge between jobs or when extra bills upset the family budget. By having some storage, we can wait to purchase items when they are on sale because we can do without until the price comes down. And when reports of tainted foods are raised, we can fall back on food that was packed before the outbreak occurred.

Tom and I pull from our storage regularly for this or that. But we have relied on our food storage exclusively a few times when we were between jobs and what little cash we had was needed to meet the mortgage and utilities. I canned back then--a hundred quarts each of peaches, pears, applesauce each summer, and a freezer stocked with vegetables put up from a summer garden. We ate well, and because we had the foresight to also store five pounds of chocolate chips and nuts, there were delicious cookies and cakes to make the meal special. Instead of a poor man's diet, we were still dining. And I believe that made a major difference in my husband's attitude as he headed out the door to apply for work. He was down, but he was not out, because he knew he was still providing for his family from our previous abundance.

There is peace in preparation. I don't can the way I once did. We buy cases of what we enjoy now, and buy in bulk when things are on sale. But we don't need to have a Costco in our cellars. A few basic items, paired with the skill to prepare them, will be enough to weather the storms that threaten our families.

The Lord sets patterns. All we need to do is see them and follow. The Storehouse showed me yet another pattern of preparation, that storing simple foods and having the skill to prepare them will see us through.