It's the Maxwell Institute podcast. I'm Blair Hodges. In a new book called Kingdom of Navu,

historian Benjamin E. Park argues that the story of the Latter-day Saints is essential to understanding

the bigger story of early American history. Park writes, the question Mormons posed to the young

American nation was not just about the boundaries of religious liberty. It concerned the very

limits of democracy. And with the Mormons, the process of democracy broke down.

Dr. Park visited the Maxwell Institute earlier this year to talk about his new book and about

the Latter-day Saints and their kingdom on the Mississippi. His guest lectures available now

on the Institute's YouTube channel, Questions and comments about this and other

interviews can be sent to me at MI Podcast at BYU.edu.

Benjamin E. Park joins us today. Welcome to the Maxwell Institute podcast again. Absolutely

thrilled to be here, Blair. What's good to have you. This time we're talking about your new book,

Kingdom of Navu, the Rise and Fall of a Religious Empire on the American

Frontier, a book which came out this week by the time people hear the episode, they should

have already heard about it. Hopefully, it'll be in everyone's home, correct? Yeah, everyone

will already have a copy by the time the episode comes out. But you're on a pretty busy tour right

now. You're talking to a lot of different audiences. Before we dig into the book

itself, I just wanted to quickly ask what that process is like preparing to talk with a lot of

different types of people on a lot of different levels about a scholarly book. Well, first of all,

it's just thrilling to have a rapt audience that has to listen to what I'm saying. As a parent and as a

teacher, I often have people who have to

listen to me not by their own choice. So it's quite exciting that people are choosing to come hear me.

But there is an expectation for me to try to be informative, entertaining, because I know Navu

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