David O. McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism, by Gregory A Prince, Wm Robert Wright, is a biography of David O. McKay, a president and prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, based on the extensive diary and record kept by his personal secretary over his tenure as a General Authority.#

This book contains many insights on a particularly formative time in the Church's history. I will try to quote some parts that I find most interesting and/or inspiring.#

Once when McKay was getting gas at a pump station, a kid who was not quite on the right track had an interesting interaction with him:#

He had the temerity to say, "When was the last time you talked to God, President McKay?" No properly brought-up LDS kid would ever do that. You might wonder, you might think about that, but who would say that? This kid came back to the service station really quite shaken and shared this story with the other kids. [...] President McKay said, "It was last week." Now, he left everybody wondering what he really meant by that, whether he was praying, talking to God, or whether it was another kind of experience. But the way it was said, it really left this kid shaken up [... and] it really turned him around. [p. 26]

All of Chapter 2 is amazing.#

Chapter 7 on what exactly `correlation' was is interesting. I personally find it to be very sensible and a good idea.#

The chapter on temple building is very interesting. I thought the idea that Mark Garff, chairman of the Building Committee, offered, about a temple-ship was quite incredible. Imagine what that would've been like! (p. 273)#

I found all the discussion of Ezra Taft Benson quite inspiring. I got a strong feeling that when Benson dropped his politics as he became president that it was a very spiritual experience, whereby he realized the importance and impact of his earthly work.#

A great quote related to LDS chaplains in the military:#

President Johnson said, "Listen here, these Mormons, from the minute they are out of their mothers' womb, have been praying and teaching and leading one another, and then they go out on missions." He said, "I would rather have one of their boys than one of the preachers you get out of the seminary, so you fix it up so that they can get their chaplains." [p. 357]

The story of McKay's final days was very faith-promoting, as he was able to garner enough strength for conference speeches and advisory discussion, but generally was in rough shape.#