My Review of, "The Stories from the Life of Porter Rockwell" by John W. Rockwell and Jerry Borrowman

This weekend I read, "Stories from the Life of Porter Rockwell" by John W. Rockwell and Jerry Borrowman. I have never read a book about Porter Rockwell before and I have always wanted to. This book is a great one for those, like me, who want an easy, quick-read about Porter Rockwell.

I have read that some people who have reviewed this book did not like it. They said that this was not a very good biography of Porter Rockwell's life. I do not think that the authors would ever claim that this book is a true and full biography. It says right in the title, "Stories from the Life of Porter Rockwell". I felt it gave a wonderful insight to Porter and his relationship with the Prophet Joseph Smith.

Porter met Joseph Smith when he was six years old and Joseph was fourteen. They became instant friends and remained close until the Prophet Joseph Smith's death. Most people have only heard about him and the role he played as Joseph's bodyguard. He also sacrificed much for the church with his time and talents.

Porter was thrown into jail at Independence, Missouri and was there for nine months. The story goes that they thought they could bring Joseph Smith out of hiding to come and rescue Porter. Joseph never came, but the miracle behind his release is one that you must read. I also liked the chapter when he tried to make a jailbreak.

According to the author,when Porter came back to Nauvoo, the Prophet Joseph gave him a blessing. He placed his hands on Porter's shoulders and promised him in absolute and unmistakable language, that as "long as he was true and faithful to his covenants, to the church, and to his God, that no bullet or blade would ever harm him." As a token of his acceptance of this promise, he was never to cut his hair again. The author goes on to say that, this was a sacred and solemn pledge and one that would change Porter's life forever. It would give him the confidence to face the many life-threatening situations that would present themselves to Porter and the Saints.

I loved this book and I bought it for my dad for Father's Day. The amazing thing is that my dad, a non-reader, read this book really fast and wants to read it again.

I recommend this book to those who want an easy, quick read and for those who want to learn more about Porter Rockwell. I can assure you that you will be amazed by the man who was not only a loyal friend to the Prophet Joseph Smith, but also a true and faithful Latter Day Saint.