her nurturing character. Her calling as a historian and writer was frequently at odds with her position as a believing Mormon woman. As a woman, she was expected to, and indeed, desired to devote her life to homemaking and motherhood. Her passion for research and writing was very unorthodox for her situation. As she wrote in an article for the Mormon studies journal, Dialogue, in regards to her writing, she "did not talk about it and did not work on it while they were around". She then described how she would always keep a basket of ironing work nearby, so that if a neighbor dropped by, she could cover her typewriter and appear to be doing housework. Tension with the LDS Church Despite her loyalty to and love for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Brooks anticipated excommunication upon the publication of The Mountain Meadows Massacre book. She greatly hoped for some sort of acknowledgement on behalf of general authorities, but she received none. In fact, such notable church authorities as Steven L. Richards, LeGrand Richards, and Harold B. Lee discouraged Brooks from pursuing her study of the Mountain Meadows Massacre and questioned her motives and research. No disciplinary action was taken against Brooks by the church, but an atmosphere of disgrace descended upon her and her protective husband. For a time, she was ostracized from both her local congregation and Church officials for her investigations on such touchy subjects, and she was no longer published within official LDS Church periodicals. While she would state her opinion fearlessly, she often felt conflicted and guilty in her choice to oppose church leaders. She was confronted with two conflicting forces- the good name of the Church and her own faith on the one hand, and history she knew to be true on the other. Juanita chose truth, no matter the cost. In Brooks' letters to general authorities who criticized her, she affirmed her intentions. She famously stated that "This study is not designed either to smear or to clear any individual; its purpose is to present the truth. I feel sure that nothing but the truth can be good enough for the church to which I belong." Brooks has often been compared to Fawn Brodie, another Mormon historian who wrote No Man Knows My History, a similarly notorious biography of Joseph Smith. In fact, the two became good friends through