Book Review: Trials: Understanding and Overcoming by Brian C. Hales

Title: Trials: Understanding and Overcoming
Author: Brian C. Hales
Place: Springville, Utah
Publisher: Bonneville Books
Published 2002
First Edition
211 Pages, including bibliography and index
Price: $14.95 (Retail)
ISBN: 1-55517-660-7

When trials come our way, as they always do, is there anything we can do to endure them better or to avoid them altogether? Trials: Understanding and Overcoming by Brian C. Hales explores the topic of trials from a scriptural perspective while educating the reader as to the 'silver lining' inherently contained within them.

From beginning to end, my copy of this book is thoroughly marked up. I found many great things to consider, as well as answers to unrelated questions contained within the text of this book. The author, Brian C. Hales, relied heavily upon scripture and upon the words of prophets and apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to explain his thoughts and beliefs about trials.

Though I already understood much of what he covered, there were also some things I did not know or had not considered. By the end of the book, I had been given a new way to view particular aspects of trials, and a much-renewed sense of hope. One statement that jumped out at me comes from Elder Richard G. Scott, "Just when all seems to be going right, challenges often come in multiple doses applied simultaneously. When those trials are not consequences of your disobedience, they are evidence that the Lord feels you are prepared to grow more." Another profound thought was in the statement, relating to examples from the scriptures, "that even godly men and women are not blessed with lives of ease."

The book covers several aspects of trials with the intention of helping the reader understand so they may therefore handle trials better and 'short-circuit' or minimize their trials.

I think anyone undergoing especially trying circumstances, or anyone who seeks to better understand the nature of trials so they may thereby handle them better would be well-served by reading this book.

I will not give away the ending or go into all of the details, but I do think this book is a worthwhile read. It is certainly not a 'quick read' as it is loaded with great stuff; and something to really be studied and pondered. Fortunately, there is room in the margins for note-taking people such as myself who routinely mark up books.

I think the book being so heavily geared for LDS people weighs against its helpfulness to non-members who will not understand all the concepts and those who are less active or newly joined members. They may feel it is more about preaching LDS gospel doctrine than truly helping those with challenges as they will be unfamiliar with some of the terminology or may feel uncomfortable with such blatant 'LDS' concepts.

For that reason, I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars rating.

Author background: Brian C. Hales is an anesthesiologist and a published author with multiple titles to his credit. He is also a member of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. His other titles include The Veil, The Priesthood of Modern Polygamy: an L.D.S. Perspective, and Modern Polygamy and Mormon Fundamentalism: The Generations After the Manifesto.