books about Utah

For those who grew up in Holladay as a non-Mormon, this tale of coming of age in Utah in the '80s, which is intertwined with the painful reality of coping with the death of a parent, will resonate in ways that might make you flinch or cry but will also make you laugh. Uproariously. Dan grew up with a pack of siblings in a sprawling house in Holladay set squarely in the center of a heavily Mormon neighborhood. His father was a prominent newspaper figure and was not Mormon. Nor was Dan’s mother. She was, however, fierce, to put it mildly. Her stratagem for coping with disapproving neighbors? Open all the windows and drop among many other expletives, the f-bomb—at the top of her voice. Her big boisterous family gleefully followed her example. When the book opens Dan, who is in LA working in PR, learns that his beloved father has ALS and that his mother is again battling recurrent cancer. Dan goes home, and the ensuing tale of fart jokes, profanity and death, laced with hilarity and howling pain, is raw, honest and profound. Had Dan never moved away, the anger which is part of growing up as an outsider here might have dissipated at least in part. Salt Lake has changed as we all know. But he left and his memories evoke a time that may have passed but which we all remember. His mixing of those cultural memories with family pain and family hostility and family love hits home. Ouch. – Betsy Burton

When a polygamist leader and his bodyguard are murdered, the anti-polygamy squad of the Salt Lake Police Department faces the mixed messages which come from the police, the politicians, and powerful polygamous leaders. Art Oveson, deputy sheriff, is caught in the middle of these forces.  He has strong feelings about the evils of the polygamous sects and takes it upon himself to care for a young mute girl found at the scene of the crime. She seems to be at the center of the conflict. Oveson attempts to solve the crime and thwart the dealings of the various sects who are now moving down to the Utah-Arizona border. He is passionately opposed to plural marriage and the illegal actions of the groups. His passion puts him into danger along with his friends and the young people he tries to protect. Andrew Hunt may live in Canada but his knowledge of Salt Lake City, Utah, and Mormon history makes the mystery come alive.  Those who live in Utah will enjoy the picture of the state in 1934 and those who know nothing about Utah will read this as a picture of a curious place and curious people. An action novel, it is also a discerning look at the violence that can result from religious extremism and a warning to those who ignore that violence. – Wendy Foster Leigh

When a polygamist leader and his bodyguard are murdered, the anti-polygamy squad of the Salt Lake Police Department faces the mixed messages from the police, the politicians, and powerful polygamous leaders. Art Oveson, a Salt Lake City deputy sheriff caught in the middle of these forces, has strong feelings about the evils of the polygamous sects. He takes it upon himself to care for a young, mute girl found at the scene of the crime who seems to be at the center of the conflict. Oveson’s passion for justice puts him in danger along with his friends and the young people he tries to protect. Andrew Hunt may live in Canada but his knowledge of Salt Lake City, Utah, and Mormon history make the mystery come alive. Those who live in Utah will enjoy the picture of the state in 1934 and those who know nothing about Utah will read this as a picture of a curious place and curious people. It is an action novel that also looks at the violence that can result from religious extremism and offers a warning to those who ignore that violence. – Wendy Foster Leigh