Eliza R Snow is one of my personal idols. She was born into a comfortable middle class home and given a relatively good education. When she first heard the LDS missionaries, she was not instantly converted, but once she joined the church she was faithful to the end. She became a polygamous wife of first Joseph Smith and then Brigham Young. She endured the persecution of the saints in Missouri and later Illinois and eventually migrated west to the Salt Lake Valley. Although she didn't have any children, (or maybe because she didn't have any children) she used her talents as a writer and as a social organizer and became one of the most prominent women in the LDS Church in the late 1800's. This is an interesting biography that looks at Snow's life through the lens of her poetry. She was a amazingly prolific poet and wrote and published hundreds of poems for all different occasions. A lot of her poems sound kind of prudish and punctilious today, but a few of them are very nice and show a depth of thought and sensitivity of spirit. More importantly, her poems chronicle her life and the experiences of the Latter Day Saint people. The book is nicely formatted and is illustrated with color photographs of historical artifacts from her life. As a near descendant (great-great-great niece) of Ms Snow, I really enjoyed seeing the pictures and learning more about this amazing woman. Thanks to a dear friend who gave me the book for Christmas. (2013, 164 p.)
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