BYU Studies published this review of Stanley and Violet Kimball's new book, Villages on Wheels. It makes me want to find a copy! Enjoy.
Villages
on Wheels: A Social History of the Gathering to Zion, by
Stanley B. Kimball and Violet T. Kimball (Salt Lake City: Greg Kofford Books,
2011).
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| Of course there are problems with the caption since this is not a daguerreotype: but it's better than a photo from our Stake Trek. |
With all that has been said and
written of the pioneer heroes of early Mormondom, Villages on Wheels beats
down the partition of dates and facts to channel the voices of those who were
“called to pass through it.” Uniquely organized to attract both the scholar and
lay reader, Villages on Wheels presents the unadulterated history of
the pioneers through hundreds of diaries, journal entries, and poems written by
those who blazed the trail. Unlike other works on the exodus, Villages is
a social history—a history of the common man told by the common man—independent
of the political and economic approach that is more commonly discussed in
academia. This characteristic makes the book accessible, educating and
entertaining readers of all interest levels and disciplines.
Villages is
clearly not a devotional work; the Kimballs include the good, the bad, and the ugly
to honor the reality of the journey and give human dimension to the experience.
The authors realize such human dimension in the book’s focal point: the daily
life of those on the trail. The title itself encapsulates the development of
community identity that grew among the Saints during the period of the
migration. No longer were these early members of the Church defined by their
individual heritage or nationality, but rather as a traveling faith-culture
united in purpose and eternal inheritance—a concept that is key to the book’s
thesis.
A distinguishing feature of Villages
on Wheels is its chapter entirely dedicated to the lives of the unsung
heroes of the trek—the draft animals that paved the trail with their hooves.
Explicating journal entries of those who owned and cared for the animals, the
Kimballs pay homage to the grit and resilience of these animals.
Featuring thousands of firsthand
records never before compiled, Villages reaches beyond the Sunday School
stories, strips away the romanticism, and sinks the reader deep into the
day-to-day experiences of the Saints. With copious references to these personal
accounts, the Kimballs step back and allow the Saints to tell their own tales
of suffering, love, humor, tragedy, and joy. Villages on Wheels is a
riveting compilation for any reader looking to discover this monumental and
defining experience in Mormon history through the accounts of the common
people who lived it.
—Haleigh Cole
