Joseph Smith founded the Mormon Church in 1830, declaring it different from other sects in that it received God’s ongoing revelation. But Mormonism also echoed the Pilgrims’ quest for religious freedom and was part of the country’s later westward expansion, with all its privations, vigilantes, and conflicts with Native Americans. In his powerful account of Smith’s successor, Brigham Young (Harvard Univ., $35), John G. Turner not only profiles a unique and complex individual, he also chronicles events deeply rooted in the American mythos. Young converted to Mormonism in 1833; in 1844 he assumed leadership after Smith’s assassination. The Church, one of many recently sprung up and struggling, was fractious, impoverished, and besieged. Yet by 1852 Young had resettled some 20,000 followers in Utah. Strong-willed and as attentive to economic as to spiritual well-being, Young was complex and contradictory: a saint, he often used benevolence to manipulate. Governor of Utah Territory, he was at odds with the federal government—to the point of treason. Fiercely devoted to Smith’s vision, he was also domineering, profane, and belligerent. Turner has a sure command of this material, lucidly navigating Mormonism’s intricate doctrines and hierarchies.