People of the Paradox (2007)
Oxford University Press
Winner of the MHA Best Book Award.
This book is an exploration of the Mormon cultural identity that Joseph Smith and, to a lesser extent, Brigham Young founded. At the heart of their thinking were a number of dynamic tensions—or paradoxes—that give Mormon cultural expression much of its vitality. Arguing that culture can be viewed as the result of a people’s efforts to accommodate such irresolvable tensions, Givens looks at the Mormon "habit of mind," and forms of artistic expression to trace consistent themes and ideas that constitute -or contribute to the formation-of a distinct cultural community.
“With his fourth book on Mormonism, Givens earns his place as one of the great LDS scholars of his time. ”
Viper on the Hearth (1997)
Oxford University Press
Focusing on nineteenth-century representations of Mormonism in popular culture, this book examines that faith's vexed relationship to mainstream religion, explores the nature of Mormon "heresy," and asks how such a category can operate in a pluralistic society.
“A well-researched and insightful book... an excellent example of both historical and literary scholarship”