The Undaunted by Gerald N. Lund
Title: The Undaunted
Author: Gerald N. Lund
Publisher: Deseret Book
Genre: Historical fiction
Year Published: 2009
Number of Pages: 802
Binding: Hardcover
ISBN10: n/a
ISBN13: 978-1-60641-191-9
Price: $34.95
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Reviewed by Jeffrey Needle
No, it’s not a typo. 802 pages. Whatever would possess a person to read a book this big?
Lund has never been shy about putting pen to paper. His magnum opus, the multi-volumed “The Work and the Glory,” continues to sell and garner attention as a way of entrance into the world of Mormon history. In fact, when I met Lund this last August, he said to me, “The greatest compliment I’ve ever received was from a person who told me that, after reading ‘The Work and the Glory,’ he was inspired to study Church history more deeply.” Indeed, if reading the many volumes of Lund’s series leads a person to actually study history, then he’s done his job.
The problem, of course, is when folks think they’ve studied Church history after reading the nine volumes.
Lund’s fascination with history continues in this latest volume. Those familiar with Mormon history will remember that hardy group of trailblazers known as the Hole in the Rock pioneers. Men, women, children, all at great risk to life and limb, set out to establish a Mormon outpost in an area thought to be unreachable. Their story is riveting, and Lund tells it very well.
Early in the book we meet the Dickinson family, a hard-working clan with the father toiling in the coal mines of England. Although it is taken for granted that their son, David, would follow in his father’s footsteps as a coal miner, David’s mother is secretly hoping to save enough money to enable her family to emigrate to the United States and give her son a chance at a new life.
When David’s mother dies, he and his father are committed to making her dream come true. But Dickinson is in debt to his bosses, and they’re not about to allow him to leave without settling his debt. He and his son must flee in the cover of night. To protect themselves, they decide to change their last name to Draper. They recognize they’ll come up short financially if they choose to sail, but learn that the Mormons are sending their own people to the United States at a reduced fare. In a cynical move, they decide to become Mormons. No testimony, no commitment, just an opportunity to make it to the United States and fulfill Mrs. Dickinson’s dream for her son.
Clearly the most attractive character in the book is David Draper. Upon his arrival in Cedar City, he reveals himself to be a charming and somewhat seductive fellow. Handsome and strong, the ladies find him to be quite a catch. One family in particular, the McKennas, adopt David as one of their own. Mr. McKenna ultimately hires David to be their guide after they accept the call to become pioneers.
Lund’s colorful description of the Drapers and the McKennas is, well, delightfully captivating. I found myself getting lost in David’s natural charm, his sharp wit, and his utterly human fallibility. In fact, there are few characters in this grand work who aren’t flawed in one way or another. Yes, there are some characters who seem too good to be true, but they are few and far between. David personifies everything we love about the roues in our midst. A righteous roue is our David, if that’s even possible.
Lund has made every effort to portray the characters, and to tell the history, as factually as possible. There are exceptions, of course.
Reading the call from the brethren to leave hearth and home and set out on this perilous journey, I wondered that more people didn’t balk than those described by Lund. I don’t think I’d have the courage to obey the call as these rugged people did. But obey they did, and the result is a heart-rending tale of courage, faith and the American spirit of adventure.
In particular, the McKennas exemplify the kind of hardy soul that initially settled the Utah territory. Giving up nearly all their wealth (considerable, given the time and place), they set out to follow the inspired counsel of Brigham Young. Nothing would keep them from fulfilling their vows to obey the Lord and go where he sends them. They understood their duty, and willingly went forth to fulfill this assignment. To be sure, not everyone in the McKenna family was sold on the idea of leaving the comforts of Cedar City to explore an untamed wilderness, but they ventured out and, in the process, found not only a new home, but perhaps they found themselves as well.
Some familiar names emerge in the story. Jacob Hamblin makes an appearance as a peacemaker between the settlers and the Indians..
Sadly, scant mention is made of America’s mistreatment of the Indians, and the shameful event known as The Long Walk is mentioned only in passing, without any comment on how horrible it was. More of an inconvenience, I suppose, than anything else. Yes, Indian enmity toward the white man is a part of this story, but Lund fails to take this opportunity to really speak out about the white man’s inhumane treatment of the Native Americans.
From time to time, especially in the last quarter of the book, Lund seems to get lost in the details of the action. I’m not surprised.
When you try to describe every turn of a wagon wheel, every bump and scrape, every challenge, in detail, you risk losing the reader’s attention. I found my mind wandering from time to time. But he interweaves enough of the backstory — of emerging love and the coming of age of the McKenna’s young son — to keep the story moving.
All in all, this is a readable and very enjoyable book, if a bit overlong. When he’s describing the rakish David or the coquettish McKenna girls, Lund is at his best. From an early age, David shows himself to be a rascal, but a moral and faithful rascal. He does work for a spell in the mines in England, but he finds ways even there of getting into mischief. His antics are sure to delight — some of it laugh out loud, some less amusing and a bit sobering.
There’s a new hero in Mormon literature. His name is David Draper. Now please, don’t go running off to the temple to do his work. Much like the Steeds, David Draper is a fictional character. But he personifies real people who lived real lives and demonstrated real courage. Such faith is hard to find these days.
Lund has crafted a very good tale around the story of the Hole in the Rock pioneers. Fans of Lund will find this book enjoyable; others will, I think, be caught up in the adventure and the excitement.
I’m fairly sure Lund isn’t done writing. My fondest wish — next book, keep it under 500 pages, please!
