Come with me to Burma of pagodas and forests, to 1853 where the Second Anglo-Burmese war has just ended. A couple of Mormon missionaries end up in the heart of the conflict zone hosted by a recent convert, Matthew McCune. Taken from primary sources, this unique history intertwines the trauma of Burmese who've lost their sacred Shwedagon pagoda, Mormons, who've experienced the loss of their own temple and being driven from their lands, and a mid-ranking British magazine sergeant trying to make the best of the situation.

Drawing from experts of South Asia, Mormons, and the British East India Company, I analyze each perspective uncovering an almost imperceptible competition of social hierarchies. Little did I know it would become the most popular piece I have written to date. The analysis centers around an encounter of working class Mormons, a young British lad, and his South Asian servants on the deck of the Monsoon, anchored in the river Hooghly a rowing distance from Calcutta. The research for Baggage on the Hooghly is part of a larger work covering the entire journey of one of the men aboard the ship.

The problem with associating Mormonism and Americanism is that people expect Mormons to behave like Americans. Of course viewing Mormonism in the context of the United States and its influences upon Mormonism is valid and enlightening. While researching in the British Library recently, I passed Patrick Hughes' optical illusionary book shelves, entitled Paradoxymoron, hanging on the wall exemplifying his invention of 'reverspectives' where what is nearest to you appears furthest away. Viewing Paradoxymoron from new angles allowed it to morph and move. Scholars of Mormonism study America and...