The Lost Book of Mormon: A Quest for the Book That Just Might Be the Great American Novel [Paperback]

Is The Book of Mormon a Great American Novel? Avi Steinberg thinks so. In this quirky travelogue—part fan nonfiction, part personal quest—he follows the trail laid out in Joseph Smith’s book. From Jerusalem to the ruined Mayan cities of Central America to upstate New York and, finally, to Jackson County, Missouri—the spot Smith identified as the site of the Garden of Eden—Steinberg traces The Book’s unexpected path and grapples with Joseph Smith’s demons—and his own. Literate and funny, personal and provocative, the genre-bending The Lost Book of Mormon boldly explores our deeply human impulse to write books, and affirms the abiding power of story.“Powerfully resonant. . . . Steinberg masterfully interweaves his personal narrative . . . with the larger investigation. . . . A book about books, a story about stories, that sets out to explore why we tell them, how we craft them, and what makes some stand the test of time while others are forgotten.” —Chicago Tribune

“A funny, humane, surprisingly moving account of a literary pilgrimage. All scripture should have it this good.” —Kevin Roose, author of Young Money

“Vivid, honest and often hilarious. . . . It is as if [Steinberg] has managed to find a way of telling a Faulkneresque family saga through the form of a perfect sitcom.” —The Believer

“Steinberg’s epic voyage is one born of admiration, and it never loses the thrill of discovery. . . . [He] gracefully navigates the tricky line between fan and voyeur.” —The Boston Globe

“Part memoir, part travelol³÷