The Jaredites were unique among the nations that have been dedicated to God. At the time of the Tower of Babe, they were the only people whose language was not confounded. Led by God across a huge ocean to a promised land, they established a righteous nation. In the centuries following, they rose and fell, prospered and suffered, their fortunes always dependent upon their acceptance of God and their obedience or disobedience to his laws. Eventually, their wickedness locked them into a course of total destruction. ”Theirs was a suicidal history,” writes author Mark E. Petersen. “When at last they turned completely away from the Lord, they fell under his threat of certain destruction. Their fratricidal wars wiped out every family and every city, … leaving not a semblance of life to tell the tale.” Years later, other inhabitants of the land discovered the ruins and a record of the people. The Jaredites is an exciting presentation and analysis of that people’s history. Through it, we learn the consequence of faith, obedience, disbelief and rebellion. We become further acquainted with Jesus Christ and early prophets. We read of miracles and promises. But most of all, we are invited to see in their history our history and to avoid the tragic mistakes they made. The Jaredites captures the sweep of their majesty and the despair of their degradation and shows how the Lord preserved their record so that, in the end, we may learn to be wiser than they.