My husband and I both thoroughly enjoyed your book—it’s truly remarkable.
In the interview, you mentioned that the book was made possible by your access to materials that have never been available to scholars before. Does this signal a broader shift in the availability of restricted LDS historical documents to researchers, or is it more likely an exceptional case due to your unique relationship with those holding the materials? I’m curious about how you navigated the process of requesting access to such sensitive resources.
Great question. General Authority papers since WWII are not available. However, by the grace of church archivists, I was able to get access to certain diaries and papers from the apostles. For other papers, including the Spencer Kimball and Marion Hanks Collections (among others), I developed a relationship with the family. But no, sadly, the papers of GAs since WWII are not available. I’m glad you liked my book!
My husband and I both thoroughly enjoyed your book—it’s truly remarkable.
In the interview, you mentioned that the book was made possible by your access to materials that have never been available to scholars before. Does this signal a broader shift in the availability of restricted LDS historical documents to researchers, or is it more likely an exceptional case due to your unique relationship with those holding the materials? I’m curious about how you navigated the process of requesting access to such sensitive resources.
Great question. General Authority papers since WWII are not available. However, by the grace of church archivists, I was able to get access to certain diaries and papers from the apostles. For other papers, including the Spencer Kimball and Marion Hanks Collections (among others), I developed a relationship with the family. But no, sadly, the papers of GAs since WWII are not available. I’m glad you liked my book!