David Archuleta, Stephen Covey, Harry Reid and Steve Young have had to defend their religious beliefs on a constant basis in their musical, scholastic, political and athletic careers. Being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was a choice they made that shapes how they talk, spend their weekends and live in a sometimes dark and dreary world.
Joseph A. Cannon, editor and compiler of “Why I’m a Mormon,” tells the personal experiences and conversion stories of 53 individuals — including authors, entertainers, sports figures and successful business leaders.
“[This book] will reinforce the faith of Latter-day Saints,” Cannon said. “Anybody who is looking for a window … [can see] into the lives and faith of Latter-day Saints.”
Cannon said each person he interviewed had significant experiences in their life where they had to choose whether or not they would be consistent with their faith.
After each interview, Cannon said he felt spiritually uplifted.
“For my own testimony, it was a strength,” Cannon said.
Karly Nelson, an employee at the BYU Bookstore, from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., studying exercise science, said she would highly recommend the book. Nelson previously served a mission and was always interested in her investigators’ stories.
“It’s always good to see why people believe what they believe,” Nelson said.
Nelson has seen somewhat similar books to “Why I’m a Mormon” in the past, but said she feels this one will be more notable because of the variety of well-known figures, great advertising and mass production.
Cannon said he believes this book was written at the right time. He said he thinks there were too few Mormons in the past for the book to become recognizable and in the future, Mormons will not stand out as much since the population will have most likely expanded.
“‘Why I’m a Mormon,’ is the first title ever published under the Ensign Peak imprint, which seeks to offer content regarding Latter-day Saint topics to a broad national audience,” as stated in a press release from Dave Kimball. “As the former editor in chief of Salt Lake City’s Deseret News and former U.S. Senate candidate, Cannon holds unique insight into Mormons on the national stage.”
“Why I’m a Mormon” is sold at Deseret Book and other retail bookstores, including the BYU Bookstore.
