Day of Defense: Book Review

"How many moms do you have?" "Are you part of a cult?" "Do you have horns?"

These are all questions I have been asked as a teenager when people found out I belonged to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, or am a Mormon.   Growing up in Illinois where being LDS made me a minority definitely had its interesting times.

During the last presidential election, Mormonism and all it's misunderstood ideas were once again in the limelight. When Scott Thormaehlen asked if I would be interested in reviewing his upcoming book Day of Defense: Positive Talking Points for Latter Day Saints I was happy to take him up on the offer.

In the introduction Scott says:

 "The primary goal of Day of Defense is to act as a guide to help Mormons and those interested in Mormonism be aware of common misconceptions and negative commentary that create a wall between the world and the truth of the Restoration."

The book is broken into chapters based on the different misconceptions about Mormons.  He begins each chapter with the red flags or misconceptions about Mormons.  He then addresses each of these flags using the Bible, religious history and modern day revelation.  The first chapter gives a brief overview of Western faiths-Judaism, Christianity, and Islam and shows some of their shared origins. 

  In one of my college classes, we had a section entitled 'world religions' and so the first chapter immediately caught my attention.  I appreciated that even though the first few chapters are mostly history, he writes them concisely and just in-depth enough to be informative but not overwhelming.

  In college I loved studying things more in-depth, but at this stage in my life as a mom of young kids I have a hard time taking the time for something like that, so I appreciate that it is written in a concise and precise style.  The entire book is less than 150 pages; it really is a quick read.

  I also like that he took the controversial issues head on.  He is showing that we do not have anything to hide and that there is reason and truth behind the things that members of the LDS church practice, and no we do not practice polygamy (he does address this in chapter four).

  I feel like this book would be great and appropriate for both members of the LDS church, especially if they want to help their friends or anyone with questions understand what Mormons believe or for anyone who is just curious about Mormons.  This book does not get deeply indepth about the different areas and some may wish for more information; but for most who are just curious or want to know a little more this is a great start.

  The book does not have a preachy overtone but almost more of a scientific or matter of fact, here are the facts, here is the reason behind it style all while flowing quickly.   I am glad I had the opportunity to read it.

To answer the questions from the beginning of my post:
 I only have one mom.   I am not part of a cult.  I definitely do not have horns.

You can find out more about the book on Scott Thormaehlen website found here.   You can pre-order the book here.

Disclaimer: I was provided a pre-release copy of Day of Defense to review.  I was not given any other compensation.  All feelings and opinions are my own and truthful.