Category: Latter-day Saint History

Carry On is the first extended scholarly history of the Young Women organization in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The book was written over a decade, coinciding with Young Women President Emily Belle Freeman’s desire to understand the organization’s history better. It documents how the name has changed since 1870, demonstrates how leaders like Ardeth Kapp impacted the church, and identifies God’s love for His daughters as a prevailing theme. In this interview, Lisa Olsen Tait discusses her new book, Carry On: The Latter-day Saint Young Women Organization, 1870-2024.

Early Latter-day Saints in Mexico faced many struggles as they accepted their new religion as members of Mormonism around the world. They persevered with faith and overcame, showing resilience and strength in the process. Yet, conflicts led to the creation of a schismatic movement called the Third Convention during the 1930s. In this interview, Fernando R. Gomez discusses the early history of the Church in Mexico, the three conventions of the 1930s, and the reunification of the Third Convention with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Historian Keith Erekson’s book teaches Latter-day Saints how to separate fact from fiction regarding faith-promoting stories. For example, he gives readers the tools needed to assess the accuracy of a purported photograph of Joseph Smith—or identify the myth about Brigham Young miraculously leaving space in the Salt Lake Temple for future elevators. In this interview, he explains how Latter-day Saints can gauge the accuracy of church history stories.