American Massacre: The Tragedy at Mountain Meadows, September 1857
AuthorSally Denton
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
SubjectMountain Meadows massacre
GenreNon-fiction
PublisherKnopf (Hardcover)
Vintage (Paperback)
Publication date
June 17, 2003 (Hardcover)
September 14, 2004 (Paperback)
Media typePrint (Hardcover) & (Paperback)
Pages336
ISBN0-375-41208-5

American Massacre: The Tragedy At Mountain Meadows, September 1857[1] is a non-fiction historical book by investigative reporter and author Sally Denton, released by Alfred A. Knopf in 2003.

Synopsis

The book is the historical account of members of a California-bound wagon train and the plundering of their possessions in Southern Utah Territory and the Mountain Meadows massacre of 140.[2]

Critical reception

The New York Times described the book as, "A gripping account of the ambush in southern Utah that claimed the lives of some 140 members of a California-bound wagon train, and of the evidence pointing to its probable perpetrators.[3]

Publishers Weekly, in its June 2003 review, wrote, "At times, she overreaches her sources, asserting as fact what is not attested to in the historical record, e.g., that Brigham Young struck a deal with a prosecuting attorney to fix the conviction of John D. Lee, the only attacker convicted of murder. She also wrongly claims that Brigham Young became fatally ill six months to the day after Lee's execution (it was five months later) in order to make Young's death fit a prophetic legend." Still, the review noted, "Although not as nuanced a historian as Brooks or Bagley, Denton is a marvelous writer who keeps this work of popular history as fresh and engaging as any novel.[4]

Awards

2003 New York Times Nonfiction Notable Book[3]

2004 Western Heritage Award Literary Winner for Outstanding Nonfiction Book[5]

References

  1. ^ Rasmussen 2003
  2. ^ Sally Denton (2003). American Massacre: The Tragedy at Mountain Meadowns, September 1857 (New York: Vintage Books, ISBN 0-375-72636-5) p. 136
  3. ^ a b "NOTABLE BOOKS". The New York Times. 7 December 2003. Archived from the original on 21 October 2019. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
  4. ^ "Nonfiction Book Review: AMERICAN MASSACRE: The Tragedy at Mountain Meadows, September 1857 by Sally Denton". Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on 2017-10-16. Retrieved 2017-10-15.
  5. ^ "Western Heritage Awards". web.mnstate.edu. Archived from the original on 2017-10-16. Retrieved 2017-10-15.

Notes

  1. Rasmussen, Cecilia (June 29, 2003), "A Shameful Chapter in Mormon History", Los Angeles Times, archived from the original on May 20, 2011, retrieved October 24, 2008
  2. Bain, David (September 7, 2003), "The Great Utah Mystery", New York Times, archived from the original on October 22, 2016, retrieved February 5, 2017.

External links


Mountain Meadows Massacre
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