Mormon Stories #366: Joanna Brooks and "The Book of Mormon Girl" Part 1 of 2

In this episode we interview Joanna Brooks -- author of the newly released The Book of Mormon Girl: A Memoir of an American Faith published by Simon & Schuster.

Joanna is the Board Chairman of Mormon Stories, has keynoted at Mormon Stories Conferences in Salt Lake City, Boston and Boise, is the author of the popular Ask Mormon Girl blog at Feminist Mormon Housewives and AskMormonGirl.com, blogs at ReligionDispatches.org and is a professor at San Diego State University. She will be featured on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart this Thursday.

In conjunction with Joanna's podcast, we are announcing the new Mormon Stories Book Club allowing Mormon Stories community members to easily find resources to supplement the books featured on our podcast. Use the links below to find a book discussion guide, join a Facebook group where you can discuss The Book of Mormon Girl with Joanna herself, or even to schedule a time to Skype Joanna in to your local book club meeting!

The Book of Mormon Girl is a story about leaving behind the innocence of childhood belief and embracing the complications and heartbreaks that come to every adult life of faith. Joanna's journey through her faith explores a side of the religion that is rarely put on display: its humanity, its tenderness, its humor, its internal struggles. In Joanna's hands, the everyday experience of being a Mormon—without polygamy, without fundamentalism—unfolds in fascinating detail. With its revelations about a faith so often misunderstood and characterized by secrecy, The Book of Mormon Girl is a welcome advocate and necessary guide.