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Blood of the Prophets
- Brigham Young and the Massacre at Mountain Meadows
- Narrated by: Charles Henderson Norman
- Length: 20 hrs and 17 mins
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Publisher's Summary
The massacre at Mountain Meadows on September 11, 1857, was the single most violent attack on a wagon train in the 30-year history of the Oregon and California trails. Yet it has been all but forgotten. Will Bagley's Blood of the Prophets is an award-winning, riveting account of the attack on the Baker-Fancher wagon train by Mormons in the local militia and a few Paiute Indians. Based on extensive investigation of the events surrounding the murder of over 120 men, women, and children, and drawing from a wealth of primary sources, Bagley explains how the murders occurred, reveals the involvement of territorial governor Brigham Young, and explores the subsequent suppression and distortion of events related to the massacre by the Mormon Church and others.
Critic Reviews
What listeners say about Blood of the Prophets
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- TERRY A DELBENE author of 'Dem Bon'z
- 08-31-15
Will Bagley Hits Another One Out of the Park
Would you consider the audio edition of Blood of the Prophets to be better than the print version?
No
Who was your favorite character and why?
Brigham Young
What aspect of Charles Henderson Norman’s performance would you have changed?
He needs to learn how to pronounce words like Lemhi.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
I liked Will's handling of the background to the massacre.
Any additional comments?
Will Bagley is the best historian of the Western Trails since Dale Morgan. This is a very important book and lays to rest many of the myths perpetuated about this historic event.
5 people found this helpful
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- Peter
- 01-08-19
Uncomfortable History
Thorough review of an unfortunate historical event that happened when the LDS church was young. Bagley offers conclusion to answerable questions, and possible solutions to the, thus far, unanswerable questions. Unreachable evidence exists, behind locked doors.
4 people found this helpful
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- Gordon
- 09-01-16
The Mormons are shown to be complicit in the execution of the Mountain Meadows massacre.
This book goes into great detail to help the reader understand many of the facets of the Mountain Meadows massacre.
This book is very well done.
The Narrater has a strong and very strident voice, it was hard to listen to the book entirely done in this strong strident voice.
3 people found this helpful
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- LizB
- 02-03-20
Great subject, ok performance
The subject matter is absolutely fascinating this is the third book I have read on the topic. The performance is a bit lackluster. The narrator has a monotonous voice with very little inflection that makes portions of the book hard to get through. The biggest fault is the mispronunciation of pretty basic words. I found myself wondering why they didn’t go back and correct the errors. I will be listening to this again and again despite these difficulties with the performance.
2 people found this helpful
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- Ashley A
- 07-26-17
Subject matter is intriguing, narrator miscast
Narrator was a bit too "folksy" and made the book seem less academic. He also mispronounced "Kanab."
2 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 07-17-16
balanced and fair
I enjoyed the book. the narrator miss pronounced some of the distinctly Mormon words (Limhi and others) but I love his tone and accent. the author seemed to include all the facts at hand at the time and explained them in plain terms without an attempt to divert blame.
2 people found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 10-14-19
Critique
Good. Reader mispronounced some names, i.e., "Moroni", "Nephi". Would like to see footnotes. Quite informative.
1 person found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 01-06-17
Excellent work and very interesting end chapters
Good follow up on the modern aftermath of the massacre by Mormons of the Francher wagon train. Why good people do terrible things for lies.
1 person found this helpful
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- Jami L
- 07-09-15
Great book about a sad story
If you could sum up Blood of the Prophets in three words, what would they be?
damn crying shame
What did you like best about this story?
The fact that so much of it takes place in the area that I live.
What does Charles Henderson Norman bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
His narration was really good, and made it seem first hand.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
no, not really
Any additional comments?
This is such a sad story that more people should know about. It was especially interesting for me, as I live in this area. It was something I had always heard of, but didn't know many details about. I learned so much about this area, and the history of my town.
2 people found this helpful
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- Michelle
- 07-04-15
Good story, so-so narrator
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
The story itself was very interesting. I have read other books on the subject and I thought Bagley's book was well researched and well written.
Did Charles Henderson Norman do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?
Norman didn't really differentiate the characters at all. I had a hard time listening to the book because of his accent and pronunciation.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
For the story yes, but not with this narrator.
2 people found this helpful
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- Shaun V. Hewitt
- 11-06-20
I don't like being shouted at !
I have only listened to half an hour of this and I can't take any more. I don't mind being talked to, but I won't take being lectured at in a hectoring voice for 20 hours. I will be returning the book and buying something I can listen to without feeling bruised.
1 person found this helpful
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- Kindle Customer
- 10-02-20
Fascinating analysis of a concealed atrocity
A harrowing but timely reminder of the ever present dangers of zealotry, bigotry and arrogance. Mr Bailey has done AN important service for the USA and the world in presenting this harrowing event and it's continuing resonance. A catalogue of "fake news" and "alternative facts" from 9 / 11 (1857) laid bare for all to shudder at.
1 person found this helpful