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New Book Explores Church's Power in America's Fastest-Growing City
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA -- Mormons took a big gamble when they settled Las
Vegas 150 years ago. That bet paid off as the Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints helped plot the growth of America's gambling
mecca. Now, for the first time, the deep and symbiotic relationship
between America's fastest growing religion and the country's fastest
growing city is exposed in a book, "Saints in Babylon: Mormons and
Las Vegas'' (1st Books Library, Bloomington, Ind.). Through
never-told-before accounts and exclusive interviews, veteran
journalist Kenric F. Ward traces the guiding influences of a
conservative church in a city that deals in the wages of sin.
"It's a sociological odd couple. Las Vegas is eight hours and light
years from Salt Lake City. But amidst the bright lights and the
non-stop partying is a thriving Mormon community," says Ward, an
author and free-lance writer who has lived in Nevada for the past
decade.
From its first organized settlement in 1855, when missionaries built
a fort along the dusty Old Spanish Trail, Las Vegas and Latter-day
Saints have been inextricably linked. As polygamists and farmers gave
way to gaming executives and corporate attorneys, today's Mormons
shatter many of the religion's stereotypes. There is virtually no
corner of Sin City they do not inhabit.
Among the colorful cast of characters in Ward's work: a polygamous
patriarch who pioneered Southern Nevada with a collectivist plan that
would make Karl Marx proud; a banker who funded casinos and brought
them respectability; Howard Hughes' closest confidants; decorated and
controversial Vietnam War hero Bo Gritz; a tough-talking sheriff who
took on the Mob; and the U.S. Senate's second most powerful member.
In this fast-paced book highlighted with historical photos, Ward
tells the uniquely American story of a strict, sober Church that
found a way to co-exist with - and profit from - the gambling
industry. It's a testament to the adaptability of a people, a city
and a faith.
About the Author
Kenric F. Ward is an award-winning journalist and author who has
written and edited extensively throughout Nevada, California and
Indiana. Earning a bachelor's degree in political science from UCLA,
Ward graduated with Phi Beta Kappa honors. He was an editorial writer
at the San Jose Mercury News and editor-in-chief of the Columbus
(Ind.) Republic before moving to Las Vegas, where he served as an
editor with the Las Vegas Sun. In addition to writing weekly columns
for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Ward co-authored "The Insiders
Guide to Las Vegas" in 1997. Las Vegas correspondent for U.S. News &
World Report, Ward also has been published by the Los Angeles Times,
FoxNews.com and other Internet news sites. His investigative reports
and commentaries won first-place awards from the Nevada Press
Association, the Hoosier State Press Association and the Washington,
D.C.-based Center for Education Reform.
"Beautifully written. By far the best thing I have ever seen on the
LDS role in politics and the community. A great book."
-- A.D. Hopkins, Las Vegas Review-Journal.
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Source:
New Book Explores Church's Power in America's Fastest-Growing City
Ken Ward News Release 30Jan02 A2
See also:
More about "Saints in Babylon: Mormons and Las Vegas" by Kenric F. Ward at Amazon.com
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