Joanna Brooks (born September 29, 1971) ^[1] is an American author and professor of English and comparative literature at San Diego State University. ^[2] Brooks is currently the associate vice president of faculty advancement and professor of English and comparative literature. ^[3] She is a frequent media commentator on faith in American life, particularly in relation to her own Mormonism. ^{[4] [5] [6]} Politico named her one of 2011's "50 politicos to watch" for her Twitter feed, @askmormongirl. ^[7]

Mormonism

Brooks writes extensively about Mormonism and Mormon feminism and is often quoted in the media related to issues regarding the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Huffington Post writes, "Brooks specializes in explaining the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to non-Mormons, and in presenting a different way to be Mormon to those steeped in its orthodoxy." ^[8] She wrote a question-and-answer blog from 2010 to 2014 ^[9] called "Ask Mormon Girl" with the tagline "unorthodox answers from an imperfect source". She also wrote as a senior correspondent for Religion Dispatches from 2011 to 2014, frequently addressing Mormon issues. ^{[10] [11]} In early 2012, she self-published a memoir called The Book of Mormon Girl: Stories from an American Faith, which was later picked up by Simon & Schuster and published by them in August 2012. ^[12] Brooks was noted as one of "13 Religious Women to Watch in 2012". ^[13]

Brooks sits on the board of directors for Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought. ^[14] Brooks is described as a feminist and liberal Mormon, in contrast to the predominantly conservative culture of Mormonism. ^[15] In 2017 Brooks was among and ten co-authors publishing "Shoulder to the Wheel: Resources to Help Latter-day Saints Face Racism" ^{[16] [17]}

Personal life

Brooks is married to David Kamper and has two daughters. She holds a bacherlor's degree from Brigham Young University and a PhD from UCLA. She is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. ^[2]

Works

• "Face Zion Forward": First Writers of the Black Atlantic, 1785–1798 (Editor, with John Saillant). Northeastern, 2002. ISBN  978-1-55553-539-1
• American Lazarus: Religion and the Rise of African-American and Native American Literatures (Author). Oxford, 2003. ISBN  978-0-19-533291-9. Winner of the Modern Language Association William Sanders Scarborough Award.
• The Collected Writings of Samson Occom, Mohegan: Literature and Leadership in Eighteenth-Century America (Editor). Oxford, 2006. ISBN  978-0-19-517083-2
• Transatlantic Feminisms in the Age of Revolutions (Editor, with Lisa L. Moore and Caroline Wigginton). Oxford, 2012. ISBN  978-0-19-974349-0
• The Book of Mormon Girl: Stories from an American Faith (Author). Free Press, 2012. ISBN  978-1-451-69968-5. Winner of the Association for Mormon Letters memoir award.
• Why We Left: Untold Stories and Songs of America's First Immigrants (Author). Minnesota, 2013. ISBN  978-0-8166-8125-9
• Mormon Feminism: Essential Writings (Co-Editor). Oxford, 2015. ISBN  978-0-19-024803-1
• Saving Alex: When I Was Fifteen I Told My Mormon Parents I Was Gay, and That's When My Nightmare Began. (By Alex Cooper, with Brooks). HarperOne, 2016. ISBN  9780062374608
• Mormonism and white supremacy: American religion and the problem of racial innocence. New York: Oxford University Press, 2020. ISBN  978-0-19-008176-8.

References

External links

• Official website
• Ask Mormon Girl blog
• San Diego State University faculty profile
• Articles at Religion Dispatches
• Profile at Mormon Scholars Testify
• Joanna Brooks papers at the University of Utah library