The Book of Mormon - At Face Value

I have really enjoyed reading Grant Hardy's book "Understanding the Book of Mormon."  I am not finished yet, but one great thing about it is that he doesn't set out to prove or disprove the books authenticity, such as whether it was written by Joseph Smith himself or if it is an ancient text given to him by God ~ Hardy takes apart the book at face value for what it is by just looking at the text of the book itself.  From page 11 and quoting Daniel Walker Howe:

"True or not, the Book of Mormon is a powerful epic written on a grand scale with a host of characters, a narrative of human struggle and conflict, of divine intervention, heroic good and atrocious evil, of prophecy, morality and law.  It's narrative structure is complex.  ...  It tells a tragic story, of a people who, though possessed of the true faith, fail in the end.  Yet it does not convey a message of despair; God's will cannot ultimately be frustrated.  The Book of Mormon should rank among the great achievements of American literature, but it has never been accorded the status it deserves, since Mormons deny Joseph Smith's authorship, and non-Mormons, dismissing the book as a fraud, have been more likely to ridicule than to read it."

page 27:

"Rarely is the divide between communities as great as the one that separates insiders and outsiders when they pick up the Book of Mormon.  To non-Mormons, the book is obviously a fiction or a hoax.  The idea of reading it as an actual history of a lost Christian civilization in the ancient Americas is so preposterous that it is hard to imagine how otherwise educated and rational people can take it seriously in this way (tales of angels, gold plate, and seer stones do not help).  for Latter-day Saints, accustomed to a community that unquestionably accepts the text as history, the complexity and beauty of the book--in addition to what they see as profound religious truths--would seem to make it impossible for thoughtful, open-minded people to doubt (especially those willing to listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit).  My goal is not to move readers from one side to the other but rather to provide a way in which they can speak across religious boundaries and discuss a remarkable text with some degree of rigor and insight."

Hardy examines the Book of Mormon through seeking to discover the thoughts and intents through it's three main narrators: Nephi, Mormon, and Moroni.  It's been a fascinating read and has brought many ideas and insights to my attention.  Such as noting things that are omitted.  Did Nephi receive a blessing from his father, Lehi, before Lehi passed away?  I believe so, and if so, why is that not in the record?  Lehi's greatest desire was for the family to be united, and perhaps he left that charge to Nephi in his blessing.  To Nephi, who had already seen the separation of the family and his own posterity's eventual destruction in a prophetic vision, might have found this charge too painful to record, given his failure in achieving it.  So details and thoughts like that - it's been so fun to read, I highly recommend it!  I'll try to write up other of my favorite parts in future posts.