James Goldberg introduces The Burning Book: A Jewish-Mormon Memoir, co-written with Jason Olson. It is the true story of Olson’s conversion from Judaism to Mormonism and his life spent reconciling the two cultures and religions into something beautiful, coherent, and whole.
Some of my favorite memories from years of work with the Church History Department are of doing oral history interviews with people. There’s just something magical about sitting down with another person and taking time to really reflect on their experiences. All our lives were more wild and intense than we can remember at any given time, so in a good interview you both end up sharing this sense of discovery.
I never had an introductory interview with Jason Olson as we worked together on The Burning Book: A Jewish-Mormon Memoir. He and I met years ago as student research assistants for the Joseph Smith Papers Project, as part of a team led by the legendary Kay Darowski. Catching up over a decade later, Jason and I shared a lot of long, wandering conversations more than traditional interviews.
I hope–and think!–that sometimes I managed to capture the feel of those conversations and store it on the page for you. I hope the book feels like Jason is an old friend you’ve already talked about hopes and fears and philosophies with, and that you’re coming back around now for the stories you never got before. The wonders and tragedies and complexities that only come up when you’re looking back on it all, each worn with experience and just a little more open to tiny bursts of awe.