Margaret Blair Young

Many outside the LDS church, and more than a few within, know very little about the stories of the Black LDS pioneers who joined the church in the early days and crossed the plains to start lives in the land of Zion. Unfortunately, their lives were made more difficult by the racial stereotypes they faced even among their new brothers and sisters in the gospel. This is a retelling of some real historical figures, most notably Elijah Abel, freed slave and first black member of the church, and Jane Manning, a free woman who traveled 400 miles on foot to join the Saints in Missouri and became a personal servant in the Smith household. Both were intimately acquainted with the Joseph Smith and his family.

Their stories are interesting and reasonably well told. Each chapter concludes with a few notes on the real historical facts. However, these accounts are not really woven together and it remains several different stories instead of one. I would like to read the next book in the series, but it wasn't quite as good as I had hoped. 3.5 stars… (mer)