Description: What do Americans think about Mormons, and why do they think what they do? J.B. Haws reveals the dramatic transformation of American thought about Mormons over a period of forty years, showing how a surprising range of personalities, organizations, and events -- the Osmonds, the Olympics, the Tabernacle Choir, Evangelical Christians, the Equal Rights Amendment, Sports Illustrated, and even Miss America -- helped to shape the American public's understanding of Mormon history.
Review Quotes: "An important contribution to Mormon historical studies...This book provides a rich resource for those interested in the ongoing tension between Mormons and non-Mormon America."--Mormon Studies Review
"This is an excellent source for scholars of Mormonism or cultural studies, and would be useful for students of Protestant Christianity in America as well."--Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions "J. B. Haws's recent study The Mormon Image in the American Mind: Fifty Years of Public Perception is a welcome addition to the field [of Mormon history]... While some elements of his narrative have been treated at length in other works, his perspective in dealing with their effect on public opinion is fresh and useful... [A]n accessible study of the last fifty years of Mormon history through the lens of media coverage and popular opinion." --The Association for Mormon Letters"An engaging account of Mormonism's 50-year journey out of the wilderness. J. B. Haws presents a lively story of a modern church's transition from 'building bunkers to bridges.' Thorough and judicious." --Terryl Givens, Professor of Literature and Religion and James A. Bostwick Professor of English, University of Richmond"The book is well cited, and its conclusions and commentaries are well supported....Haws has made an important contribution by pulling together into new configurations a large body of previous research from diverse sources about particular historical events."--BYU Studies Quarterly"The Mormon image in the American mind is, as J. B. Haws so eloquently demonstrates, an ever-moving target ranging from hostility, to invisibility, to grudging acceptance, to Broadway musicals. Of particular interest and value is Haws's careful nuancing of the image of Mormonism as refracted through the presidential campaigns of Mitt Romney. This smart, provocative book invites a wide and attentive readership." --Harry S. Stout, Jonathan Edwards Professor of American Religious History, Yale University"The Mormon Image in the American Mind breaks new ground in the fields of American religious history and Mormon studies. J. B. Haws has done remarkable historical spadework to uncover and overturn new sources and unconventional evidence to tell the recent story of the Mormon experience in America. A gifted writer, Haws helps connect and reconnect stories that have not been told or need retelling." --Reid L. Neilson, Managing Director, LDS Church History Department