Gary Topping

I loved reading and viewing the information and pictures about my home city. I recognized several of the buildings. I work at the City and County Building, which was featured in several of the pictures and descriptions. It was a very informative and evocative book for me and I reflected upon my family that has grown up in the city city, and their experiences - my knowledge and understanding of them was enhanced because of this book.

History professor, Gary Topping examines the work of the most prominent historians of Utah in the past century: (1) Bernard DeVoto http://www.media.utah.edu/UHE/d/DEVOTO,BERNARD.html (2) Dale Morgan http://www.signaturebookslibrary.org/dalemorgan/daletitle.htm (3) Juanita Brooks http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juanita_Brooks (4) Wallace Stegner http://wallacestegner.org/ and (5) Fawn McKay Brodie http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fawn_M._Brodie A few decades ago this would not have been a book that show more I would have sought to read, but today it held my attention and expanded my understandings of Western history. I am likely interested because I have read several titles by these authors. The unique stories of Utah history also intrigue me. This well-researched volume looks at each subject's life and their writings and does not gloss over any limitations and failings. The historiography combines historical, biographical, and cultural analysis to provide a grounded appraisal that combines criticism and admiration. (lj) show less