Ford Prefect said:
As another side note, I've been reading Fawn Brodie's biography (non-hagiographic, of course) of Joseph Smith, and it's pretty neat. She's a great writer, but I can't help but think that I might be better spending my time (it's a big book; I'm a slow reader) reading about an original thinker, or someone who actually did something worthwhile and important with his life...
I always wanted to read Fawn Brodie's book, but I ran out of religious-book-reading-steam before I got to it.
A few other interesting books include
Joseph Smith and the Origins of Mormonism; its written by an active Mormon guy who is also a professor of history at Columbia. Its very short and talks a lot about the immediate Smith family, Hyrum, etc. Though, if you're already plowing through the Brodie book, this will probably be regurgitating a lot of the same info, depending on how far you are.
Mormon America is comprehensive, it was written by Time Magazine writers who did a cover story on Mormons in the 90s. It has a lot of info and is a quick read.
If you really want the interesting shit, read
The Mormon Heirarchy: Origins of Power by Michael Quinn. He is a former BYU History professor and was one of the intellectual giants in the LDS Church, but they finally banished him because he wouldn't censor his research, (they told people they booted him because he's gay, but thats just the cover up). This is a beastly and comprehensive book, but the information is incredible.