Item Detail
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26235
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0
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0
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English
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Behind Salamander : A Homespun Tragedy
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Honoring Juanita Brooks : A Compilation of 30 Annual Presentations from the Juanita Brooks Lecture Series, 1984-2014
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St. George, UT
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Dixie State University
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105-118
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For Utahns, the events described in Salamander: The Story of the Mormon Forgery Murders are as homegrown as sagebrush, seagulls, and secrecy. This dark story is embedded in Mormon psychology, history, and culture. Mark Hofmann is a product of that psychology, history, and culture in both outward and inward respects, as are many of the other participants in this drama; but he is an extreme who role-played the norm. The drama enfolding him extends from the highest offices in the LDS Church to anti-Mormon outposts along the kingdom's borders, and is reflected in a secular shadow play among eastern experts, prestigious dealers and national institutions. Tragedies, sometimes violent or bizarre, come and go here but are often attributed to offenders outside decent society or Mormon culture. This darkness rises from home ground and to some degree has touched us all; only by penetrating and understanding the darkness can we find light. [From the text]