There Were Giants in the Land: Episodes in the Life of W. Cleon Skousen

There Were Giants in the Land: Episodes in the Life of W. Cleon Skousen by W. Cleon Skousen, Jo Ann Skousen and Mark Skousen

W. Clean Skousen's family members assembled an autobiography from his journals. Skousen was born in Canada, then served a church mission in Europe and then came to live in the USA. He spent time working for J Edgar Hoover in the FBI. He was later a university professor and a police chief before focussing on his National Center for Constitutional Studies. The organization advocated a conservative focus on the study of the constitution and it's religious basis. In addition to the political writings, he also wrote parenting works and a "thousand years" series of books on the Old Testament. He was very devoted to his organization and his brand of conservative principles. However, he had trouble with others that differed in the way to run things. His anti-communist beliefs were perfect for the cold war mentality and seemed to reach the mainstream peak during the Reagan era. After the end of the cold war, his relevance appeared to wane.

Insights from a Prophet's Life: Russell M. Nelson

Insights from a Prophet's Life: Russell M. Nelson by Sheri Dew

This book is a "fun events in the life of somebody that I know" biography. It goes through the life of Russell M. Nelson and even references another biography. However, it also pulls in other personal experiences that the author had with him. Russell was a precocious child. He skipped a grade in school and graduated early. He went to undergraduate and medical school during the time of World War II. He was dedicated to learning and serving in his church. His family came from a multi-generational Mormon background, but were not active members of the church. He went to church on his own, and worked to bring his family along. He married and lived a student pauper's life of medical training. He served in the military during the Korean war. He was on the forefront of the nascent field of heart surgery. He also had a knack for foreign languages and learned Chinese and later spent time in China. He became more involved in church service, even turning down a post at University of Chicago to remain in Salt Lake to be able to take more church callings. He was later called to be an apostle and had to wind down his surgical practice. (Though he did keep the appointments he already had.) He had some interesting experiences, including significant footwork to get church recognition behind the Iron curtain. He also experienced an armed robbery and attempted kidnapping in Africa. His wife passed away (due to a heart issue). His CPR was unable to save her. He later remarried (through somebody he met be somewhat of a chance meeting.)

As a church leader, he was older than those ranked above him and was not expected to become president of the church. However, a number of passings in quick succession left him as president. He announced a number of significant changes, including restructuring of meetings and ministering and made a large number of visita around the world. He did have to give up skiing, though. This anecdotes work to bring out the history of his life.

Prayer

Prayer by Karen Dixon Merrell, illustrated by Dick Brown, Gary Kapp, and Bob Reese

This was a tough one to find. The book was missing a couple of pages, including the copyright page. It also had a one-word title, with a common word. Eventually, google lens image search helped. An etsy listing had some photos with details. The book is s short introduction to the process of prayer and the purpose and application of prayers. It is nicely illustrated and simple and to the point.