Before getting to the content of the book, I must comment on its physical appearance. I must admit to being a bit surprised. The cover material is a heavy cardboard stock, quite unlike anything I've seen from Deseret Book. The pages themselves are likewise a somewhat heavier paper stock, the entire production less glossy than other titles from this publisher. There is a dark feel to the cover art, very surprising given the content of the book.

Now, to the content. Zeezrom, as you will remember, was a lawyer in the Book of Mormon story who tried to cause Alma and Amulek to stumble in their preaching. His efforts failed, and he experienced a change of heart and became a teacher and defender of the teachings of Alma and Amulek. The author traces the little we know of Zeezrom and demonstrates a progression, from outright rejection and rebellion to a sort-of "born again" experience, transforming and renewing the person.

Vessels describes himself as a "recovering lawyer," suggesting he, and others in his profession, have had to make compromises in their work, going against the convictions they had been taught as Latter-day Saints. He uses his own experience as a model for understanding the experience of transformation, confessing that others may not have had to sacrifice their beliefs for their profession.

As might be expected of an attorney, Vessels is methodical in his approach to the question. He suggests the process is three-stage: what a person is like prior to awakening to the urgings of the Spirit, the event that marks the beginning of the awakening, and what the person is like after the awakening. While the Zeezrom story forms the backbone to the entire book, the author integrates the conversion stories of other Book of Mormon characters, including King Lamoni, the wife of King Lamoni, Corianton, and many others.

At times I thought the author was being particular hard on himself. Without knowing him personally, I really can't tell how much was honest soul-searching and breast-beating. I understand the value of a self-effacing look at one's spiritual progress, but I thought he may have spent a little too much time reflecting on his own faults, perhaps a product of guilt and regret. After all, if the awakening is genuine, then the past surely can be healed. Maybe Vessels is still working on that.

But this book can be a gold mine for those preparing talks and studies, and desire a systematic look at the idea of regeneration and repentance. By tightly integrating the lives of Book of Mormon characters, the lessons provide a good framework for study and teaching. Others may want to read this book if they detect a bit of the Zeezrom Syndrome in themselves.

-----------------------------------

Jeff Needle
June 16, 2005