Dale Van Atta

I received an ARC of this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Initially, I thought this book might be on the dull side since it’s nonfiction, but I was wrong. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

First off, I’m a big fan of Marriott hotels. Whenever I stay in a hotel, it’s usually a Marriott. However, I had no idea just how big the Marriott company actually is.

This book is jammed packed with information. I could tell that the author did a tremendous amount of research. I learned so much about Bill Marriott and the company. Like I had no idea that Marriott built Great America, which is an amusement park in my hometown. I also did not know that Marriott almost bought Disney. Or that the Marriotts were friends with the Romneys (Mitt Romney is actually named after Bill’s father). My mind was blown.

The book also discusses Bill Marriott’s faith. Bill belongs to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The discussion o his religion never gets too overpowering or preachy, but instead gets woven throughout the book. It was interesting to see how his faith influenced his business decisions and his way of life.

Overall, this was an insightful book about an incredible man and his company. I’m so glad I read this book because now I love staying at Marriotts even more since I know all the history behind it.… (meer)

Very detailed discussion of the Ervil LeBaron "Church of the Lambs of God" fundamentalist polygamist Mormon cult from the 1970s. Exceedingly well-researched; recommended both for insight into the LeBaron cult itself, and as a case study of religious violence.

Note: One should compare Prophet of Blood / Ben Bradlee & Dale Van Atta (1981) with The 4 O'Clock Murders / Scott Anderson (1993) and Cult Insanity / Irene Spencer (2009), all of which cover the Lambs of God from their beginnings through their various murders in the 1970s. The 4 O'Clock Murders is largely derivative, and generally more superficial, with the material covered in Prophet of Blood -- that is, the beginnings of the cult through Ervil LeBaron's death. For the best journalistic coverage of that time (roughly through the end of the 1970s), it makes sense to read Prophet. Spencer fills in the exact same time period as Prophet of Blood, but with more personal detail and insight, and more of a sense of the role of polygamy in the Lambs of God and the Church of the Firstborn. To understand what happened with the cult after LeBaron's death, however, Anderson is important and is the only complete account. Spencer's book, written 16 years after Anderson's, unfortunately stops at the same time as Prophet of Blood -- with Ervil LeBaron's death. She updates Anderson only insofar as she updates the Ervil LeBaron offspring chart with updated suicides, murders, and imprisonments. (Grim.)… (meer)