Skip to content
Main Street Plaza

A Community for Anyone Interested in Mormonism.

Main Street Plaza

A Community for Anyone Interested in Mormonism.

What should I do?: Johnny Townsend’s “Behind the Zion Curtain”

chanson, November 2, 2014

With all big problems in this world, it’s easy to feel small — like there’s nothing you can do to make a dent in any of them — and wonder whether your life has any value. Religion to the rescue, right? Well, not exactly. The CoJCoL-dS can provide answers to these problems, but can’t really promise they’ll be satisfying.

That’s where Johnny Townsend’s new book Behind the Zion Curtain comes in. He doesn’t offer easy answers, but he understands. In his signature style, with humanity and humor, Johnny Townsend offers portraits of a variety of people grappling with questions about who they want to be and what they want to do with their lives. The characters are at different places with respect to their Mormon roots and faith, and while Mormonism influences their perspectives, individuals have to direct their own lives.

If you’re looking for an interesting read that is thought-provoking without getting too heavy, I recommend picking up a copy of Behind the Zion Curtain.

Book Review

Post navigation

Previous post
Next post

Related Posts

No longer invisible: Latter-Gay Saints

August 27, 2013

They try to convince gay people that it’s in their best interests to be straight. In fact, they try to convince them that they’re already straight. (from “Ockham’s Razor”) The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has a gay problem. Specifically, the church has a plan for how to…

Read More

Mission Complete: Jacob Young’s “Harvest”

February 23, 2011February 20, 2011

An LDS mission strange and fascinating experience. Up until recently, though, it’s been tricky for people to get an idea of what a Mormon mission is really like without serving one. Part of the problem is that Mormon journals are supposed to be faith-promoting, in order to potentially serve as…

Read More

The Dangers of Obedience: Lawrence Pratt’s “Dark Deception”

July 13, 2013July 14, 2013

Imagine that a pair of fresh-faced young women show up at your door with a message of hope just as you’re trying to cope with the recent death of your baby. And they offer an idyllic community — a perfect Zion that seems too good to be true. And it…

Read More

Comment

  1. Donna Banta says:
    November 2, 2014 at 8:59 am

    Great cover for a great new book! Thanks for posting this review, chanson.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  1. Pam on Time to Vote for X-MoOTY and the Brodie Awards 2025!!January 10, 2026

    I have not watched even half of the content providers out there. I will be expanding my viewing now that…

  2. Juanita Hartill on Time to Vote for X-MoOTY and the Brodie Awards 2025!!January 8, 2026

    Was not aware of a lot of these different forums and things. Will be checking them out.

  3. Jeanny Nakaya on 2025 Awards Season ScheduleJanuary 8, 2026

    Awesome work!!!!

  4. chanson on Last Call for Nominations!!January 8, 2026

    Thanks for all of the great nominations, everyone!! Nominations are closed. Vote here.

  5. Tom on Collecting Nominations for William Law X-Mormon of the Year 2025!!!January 7, 2026

    I nominate Rebecca Biblioteca and Mormonish for their coverage of the Fairview Temple debacle.

8: The Mormon Proposition Acceptance of Gays Add new tag Affirmation angry exmormon awards Book Reviews BYU comments Conformity Dallin H. Oaks DAMU disaffected mormon underground Dustin Lance Black Ex-Mormon Exclusion policy Excommunicated exmormon faith Family feminism Gay Gay Love Gay Marriage Gay Relationships General Conference Happiness Homosexual Homosexuality LDS LGBT LGBTQ Link Bomb missionaries Modesty Mormon Mormon Alumni Association Mormonism peace politics Polygamy priesthood ban Secularism Sunstone temple

©2026 Main Street Plaza | WordPress Theme by SuperbThemes