Publisher's Synopsis
The book traces Elison's youth growing up in Blackfoot, Idaho, to his graduate education at Harvard Divinity School. It covers experiences at Brigham Young University and on a Mormon proselytizing mission in Atlanta, Georgia. It highlights influences from older bull riding brothers to film. It's filled with bull riding, wrestling, ballet, theology, literature, philosophy, and it's all accessible. It's bound by the meaning of the life and death of Elison's mother. He pulls the covers off Mormon's holy concept of the eternal family, the god Mormon's worship, and the Book of Mormon. And he returns them as something even more substantial. The book is narrative driven by events in his life and mixes essays on topics ranging from the Apostle Paul's harm to individual flourishing to Mormonism's greatest and unknown philosopher, who accurately conjectured dark energy was a major composition of the universe before any modern day physicist. It also discusses the purpose of the author of the Book of Acts not unknown to the readers of his day but to the readers of today, until now. The book is overwhelmingly positive in its aim to never stop questioning. While it is critical of everything under the sun, from religion to education, the intent is to examine foundations and build from them to a better approach with the world we experience. It delivers an unparalleled view of Mormonism, and is also a lot of fun.
