5/5 Hardly Overerstated & Its Well Done
  by Scott H. Irving (Portland, Maine United States)
Denton has been accused of perhaps overstating or injecting things into her account of the Mountain Meadows Massacre. This is so far from the truth. In fact, Denton was and is remarkable for restraining herself when it is possible she should have been far more bold in the interpretation of facts and data. The amount of detail she has uncovered is also remarkable. I have recently watched a documentary on the History Channel and all I can wonder at is how they cold leave out so much and continue to support ideas that have no justification or support such as the idea that Mormons were persecuted without cause. Both Joseph Smith and Brigham Young were out of control cultic leaders with wanton sexual avarice, greed, power lust, who did not hesitate to kill "apostates" or outsiders who got in their way. This book opens up so many questions to be answered. I do believe the answers are there to be discerned if one dares.

This is now the only and absolutely essential reading on the early Mormons and the Mountain Meadows Massacre. Few outside the Mormons have trouble believing in the guilt of the group and B. Young, too. But what is staggering is how no one seems to be suspicious of the government's role in completely whitewashing and covering over this unbelievable atrocity. Why did the government favor this group. And not only the gov, but also notable prominent individuals such as Horace Greeley, editor of the New York Tribune, Thomas Kane and his father, whose connections with Presidents, several of whom seemed remarkably sympathetic to murderers. There is a Mountain of questions to be contemplated and answered in this book. But one would have to look deeper into the minds of cult leaders and cult followers to full do this subject justice. One last question I ask is, what was the relationship of the Mormons with the government, and upper circles of the highest social connections and influence. There is so much that has been ignored to date and it begs for explanation, exploration, and finally, resolution that befits the crimes committed.

Sally Denton has produced a superb work. It can only be hoped that more will give this subject a far greater look and consideration than it has received to date. For we can only wonder at how a group like the Mormons could so boldly and arrogantly threaten and attack US sovereignty and supremacy and not be made to account for it when so many other groups of far less consequence have experienced far greater attention and wrath from the government for far less. Don't ignore this book. One of the greatest mysteries in the history of the USA from its very founding. This is one conspiracy that seems to have been missed by all. I bought this thru Amazon used and was stunned by what I had found and had not anticipated.

5/5 A Little Update...
  by Michael Gooch (Texas, USA)
Written by an author with ancestors that were Mormons, I felt like I might be buying an apologetic tome of this horrid event. And if that was the case, then so be it. However, Sally Denton pretty much gives it to the Mormons with both barrels.

The book is very well researched with a good portion of it devoted to Mormon history and origins. The massacre is given a small space primarily due to lack of actual knowledge at the site. It does however present a compelling story of the events that transpired after the massacre.

This book was written in 2003. I think the potential reader should be aware that the governing body of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints issued a long-awaited apology in September 2007. While admitting the role of the Mormons in this massacre, it found that all responsibility was with the local leaders of the church. Interestingly, they found that Brigham Young's message "conveying the will and intent...not to interfere with the immigrants arrived too late."

Does this remind anyone of the `infallible' pope? Isn't organized religion just a fun group of people to hang out with?

Overall, it is a fascinating read especially for a person born and raised in Arkansas and now living in Texas.

I hope you find this review (opinion) helpful.

Michael L. Gooch, SPHR


5/5 A Real Page-Turner! Fascinating History of Strange Mormon Origins
  by Bryan E. Leed (Dayton, OH USA)
If you liked the 2007 film SEPTEMBER DAWN, then you will probably like this book, AMERICAN MASSACRE by Sally Denton, which takes you more in-depth into the real life characters and situations surrounding the Mountain Meadows Massacre. September Dawn

This book retells the stories surrounding the infamous Mountain Meadows Massacre of 1857, when a peaceful wagon train of settlers headed west were unmercifully massacred by Mormons disguised as indians. Why? How? Will the guilty get away with it all?

The author can be hard to quote because she seems to constantly quote other sources, yet, if you ignore the abundance of endless quotation marks, the reading is very smooth and highly interesting, even fascinating.

Early on, the book has a great origin of the Mormon religion, then spends the rest of the book leading up to the Mountain Meadows Massacre, and its aftermath. Strangely, the massacre itself does not get so much space in comparison to the before and after events. It is still a great read of a book.

I enjoyed the expose' about Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism. This book paints him as a showman and charmer who tricks his followers into believing his bizarre religious explanations and events. Between the strange beliefs and seedy activities of Joseph Smith and his followers, (revenge, murder, adultery and polygamy abound), it is a wonder how anybody could become a Mormon, under these circumstances. You would have to be not too bright to become a follower of Joseph Smith, at least, as portrayed in this book.

The greater bulk of the book concerns Brigham Young, the successor of Joseph Smith. Brigham is the focus of this book about the Mountain Meadow Massacre. How much did he know and authorize, before, during, and after the Massacre?

The book expands on characters seen in the film and also introduces many characters not even hinted at in the SEPTEMBER DAWN film. John D. Lee, the patsy and fall guy, is the only person sentenced to death for the massacre. His life and loyalties are explored in detail, as are also the key members of the victimized Fancher-Baker wagon train. Thomas Kane is a sort of un/official covert ambassador of the US government to coordinate tensions between the Mormons and the US. It seems that they came very close to having their own little war between Mormons and the USA, and the details are explained in this book.

This book reminds me of HELTER SKELTER by Vincent Bugliosi, in the way that it talks about the lives and beliefs of Charles Manson and his followers, I find a strange parallel with Joseph Smith, Brigham Young and the Mormons. What makes their followers so loyal to these unlikely, unlikable, yet highly charismatic leaders? Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders

I will leave it to others to defend the Mormons, if they so choose, but all that I know about Mormonism comes from this book, and I am left with a lack of enthusiasm for Mormonism, as a strange cult and a false branch/spin-off from the mainstream Judeo-Christian teachings and faith.

The Mormons are a self-described spin-off of the Old Testament Jews, but they have weird beliefs which do not jibe with Old and New Testament teachings as understood by Protestants, Catholics, and even Jews. At least, that is the perception that I have after reading this book.

This book reads like dishy gossip, at times, which should be avoided, yet it seems to equally warn of a false religious path to avoid, Mormonism, making it equally educational and edifying. I don't plan to spend any more time researching or going after the false religious teachings of Mormonism, but I enjoyed this book, which seemed to bring me up to speed about the dark origins and beliefs of Mormonism.

1/5 Zane Grey Wrote Better Fiction
  by A. Pulsipher
So this is "history"??? One has to ask because Denton's "investigative" skills are severely lacking...she self-righteously bludgeons the Mormons but can't keep her facts straight. Denton's only new "twist" is to hysterically proclaim the "true" motive for the massacre: Brigham's and the Mormon's greed. Wow...that's original...Will Bagley and Mark Hoffman didn't even come up with that...she must have been inspired by those Zane Grey westerns or old family wive's tales. The fact that thousands of emigrant parties (many of which were much richer than the Fancher Party) passed through Utah both before and after this Massacre with no incident to speak of certainly would clue our crack investigator to come to this conclusion. Further, the coincidence of the Fancher Party passing through Utah when a belligerent Federal Army was marching on a persecuted religious population (First Amendment??) in context of newspapers around the country calling for the extermination of the Mormons at that time couldn't possibly have had anything to do with it...

This book is a pathetic joke because it purports to be objective and historical but only achieves bias and bigotry. Thomas Kane was instrumental in stopping a genocide, but Denton attacks him probably because he did just that...those Mormons deserved to be PUNISHED!! Bagley, while biased, at least is not hysterical. Just another personal vendetta in the "Why I hate Mormon's" genre...I'm surprised someone had the bad taste to publish it. Don't waste your money...

5/5 well written, even handed, empathetic
  by W. Sullivan
A very interesting, fair-handed glimpse into the Mormon faith and its history, early theological foundations. I didn't get the sense this book is anti-mormon propaganda as a previous reviewer complained. In my opinion, it's a passionate attempt to assemble available data on what happened at the meadows massacre, for the sake of those who were murdered. Ms. Denton does a commendable job to maintain evenness while documenting the history of a tragedy. This book is worth reading.