Valeen Tippetts Avery. From Mission to Madness: Last Son of the Mormon Prophet. Champaign: University of Illinois Press, 1998. xii + 357 pp. $52.00, cloth, ISBN 978-0-252-02399-6. Reviewed by Ronald Helfrich Published on H-AmRel (February, 1999) David Hyrum Smith (1844-1904) was a poet, narrative. Chapter two (1844-1850) relates David's painter, singer, hymn writer, missionary, theolo‐ birth, childhood, and adolescence in Nauvoo, Illi‐ gian, naturalist, traveler, husband, father, son, nois. Chapter three (1851-1865) explores how and madman. Perhaps he is most remembered, David, and his brothers Alexander and Joseph however, as the last born son of Mormon founder Smith III, like the many other Latter Day Saints and Prophet Joseph Smith, Junior. who did not make the exodus to Utah with Valeen Tippetts Avery's new biography of Brigham Young, coalesced into what would be‐ David Smith vividly portrays each of these aspects come the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of of "Sweet Singer of Israel[s]" fnally tragic life, but Latter Day Saints (RLDS) or "Josephites". Chapter not in an entirely successful way. Avery, a histori‐ four (1866-1868) continues the tale of David's spir‐ an at Northern Arizona University and co-author itual development as he becomes a successful of the seminal biography on David's mother, missionary in Iowa and Michigan. Chapters fve Emma Smith, draws on an impressive array of (1869) and 6 (1869-1871) narrate Smith's mission‐ sources--letters, poems, theological writings, ary journey to Utah and California, a mission that songs, naturalistic writings, travel writings, hospi‐ would end in mental sickness, David's return tal records, reminiscences, diaries--to tell David's home to Illinois, and Smith's marriage to Clara tale. Hartshorn. Chapter seven (1871-1872) fnds Smith on another Midwestern mission and details his Avery's biography proceeds in traditional heretofore unknown and unauthorized (by the fashion. After a preface and introductory chapter Church) quick trip to Utah. Chapters eight (1872), (1830-1844) setting out the contexts in which she nine (1872), and ten (1872-1873) recount David's wants to place David's life--the contexts of Ameri‐ second mission to Utah, his firtation with Spiritu‐ can Religious History, Mormon History, Smith alism and Liberal Religion (in the form of the God‐ Family History, and the History of Madness--Avery beites), his growing certainty that his father prac‐ allows Smith's life course to set the pattern of her ticed what his mother preached he didn't, namely, H-Net Reviews polygamy, his return to Nauvoo, his confrontation Avery is not attentive solely to the family rela‐ with his mother over the issue of his father's prac‐ tionships that both supported and troubled Smith tice of polygamy, and the reappearance of his throughout his life. She also explores David's rela‐ madness. Chapter eleven (1873-1877) follows tionship with his best friend, Charles Jensen. In Smith's further descent into insanity and para‐ Chapter twelve Avery suggests that while Jensen noia. Chapter twelve (1872-1877) excavates the may have viewed his relationship with David in nature of David's relationship with his closest homosexual terms, David certainly did not. Recog‐ friend, Charles Jensen (was it fraternal or homo‐ nizing how Charlie viewed their relationship, sexual?). And fnally, Chapters thirteen however, did not force Smith to abandon their re‐ (1877-1880) and fourteen (1880-1904) follow lationship. Rather he tried to help his friend deal David to the Northern Illinois Hospital and Asy‐ with his feelings in ways that from a contempo‐ lum for the Insane in Elgin, Illinois where he was rary vantage point, seem both humane and com‐ incarcerated and eventually ended his days. passionate. There are many things to praise in Avery's There are problems with Avery's analysis of narrative. She seems frst of all to have made use the Smith-Jensen relationship, however. Chapter of every possible source for the study of the life of twelve, in which this relationship is detailed, David Smith. Particularly praiseworthy is her use seems an afterthought. Up to this point David's of Smith's poetry to provide access to David's in‐ life course has structured Avery's narrative. This ner feelings and struggles. Attempts at psychologi‐ chapter, however, disrupts the books chronologi‐ cal reconstruction are always fraught with diffi‐ cal narrative fow. It seems to be included primar‐ culty but Avery makes a plausible case that ily to fag the author's response to the current aca‐ David's poetry, for instance, is a mirror into his demic interest in the nature of male-male rela‐ soul. tionships than anything else. The data on the rela‐ Avery also nicely places David Smith's life tionship between the two seems, at least to me, into Smith family contexts. She sympathetically ambiguous. There is no clear evidence that the re‐ explores, for instance, the conflicts and loves of lationship was perceived in any but fraternal an extended family unit beset with many prob‐ terms. lems--poverty, close living quarters, family se‐ It is in this chapter that a fundamental prob‐ crets, jealousies, religious duties and expectations. lem in Avery's analysis becomes apparent. In the She does a fne job of detailing the complex and end, the discussion of the relationship between sometimes contradictory relationships David had Smith and Jensen could have benefited from a with his mother, his brothers, his step-father, and more thorough dialogue with the now immense his wife. Avery's exploration of these aspects of social scientific and historical literature on male- Smith's life impart a fesh and bones quality to male relationships. Particularly relevant here, for her narrative. Her David Smith seems almost example is Donald Yacovone's essay on fraternal alive. Perhaps nowhere is this more apparent discourse in nineteenth century America. Ya‐ than in Avery's exploration of the poverty that cavone has argued that there was a religiously in‐ dogged and troubled David all his life, a poverty fused discourse of fraternity, that parallels the fe‐ largely resulting from his missionary activities. male discourse of sisterhood and that was not ho‐ Again and again she utilizes source material in or‐ mosexual in nature.[2] Could Smith's and Jensen's der to reveal David's concern that he could not language be the language of brotherhood rather support his wife and son while being a missionary than the discourse of homosexuality or was it "without purse or script". something more complex and contradictory than 2 H-Net Reviews these two alternatives allow? This is an interest‐ struggle that centered around polygamy and au‐ ing and important question but unfortunately it is thority. Midwest Mormons denied that Joseph a query which receives no discussion in Avery's Smith had either taught or practiced polygamy. biography of David Smith. Despite this lack of in‐ They blamed "the Principle" on Brigham Young terrogation, this chapter remains, somewhat iron‐ and argued that they and they alone were the ically, the best one in the book because it steps rightful successors to "the Prophet". Young, on the outside the chronological structure of the book to other hand, proclaimed that he was teaching the investigate, albeit somewhat unsuccessfully, a "Restored Gospel" as Joseph had taught it. It was theme of theoretical importance in contemporary he who was the true leader of the Mormon com‐ historiography and social science. munity and it was only if the Midwestern Smith's This same dynamic is evident in other aspects came to see the central role polygamy played in of Avery's analysis as well. While Avery does a the Church that they could fulfill their prophetic nice job of placing Smith's life in the context of destinies and leadership roles in that Church. Mormon History, she fails to relate her insights to As Avery shows, this struggle over the issue of wider historical, social scientific, and theoretical polygamy was not only a struggle between two issues relevant to her analysis. For instance, Av‐ churches in nineteenth century America. It also ery shows that Smith became a lightning rod, a had familial and personal dimensions. David, like symbol, of the struggle between Utah Mormons his brothers, believed his mother's denial that his and Midwestern Mormons. It was during David's father had never taught and practiced "the Princi‐ missionary visits to Utah that this clash became pal" of plural marriage. During his second mis‐ particularly apparent. All Mormons, whether of sionary stay in Utah, however, he began to inves‐ the "Josephite" or "Brighamite" varieties, expected tigate claims that that his father did preach and great things of David Smith. Joseph Smith had, af‐ practice polygamy. Smith even went so far as to ter all, predicted a leadership role for his son in interview his father's close friends and polyga‐ the Church he had founded. For "Reorganites" mous wives in order to ascertain the truth about David's missionary work in Utah had an almost his father's relationship to polygamy. His growing messianic quality to it. "Josephites" believed that realization that his mother had been less than Smith had the ability to lead Utah Mormons out of forthcoming with respect to the issue of plural the sinful bondage of polygamy. "Brighamites", on marriage was one of the factors Avery suggests the other hand, expected the son of the Prophet to led to David's second mental breakdown. In other repent, join, and eventually lead their Church. As words, church and family wide debates had con‐ Brigham Young said, if only David would repent sequences in Smith's life.