Brodie earned a B.A in English literature from the University of Utah and taught at Weber College in Ogden. In 1936 she earned an M.A from the University of Chicago, and later taught history at UCLA.
In 1943 Brodie was awarded an Alfred A. Knopf biography fellowship.
She wrote biographies of Thomas Jefferson, Sir Richard Francis Burton, Thaddeus Stevens and Richard Nixon, but is perhaps best known for the 1945 publication of No Man Knows My History, her controversial biograpahy of Joseph Smith, Jr, founder of the LDS Church.
The biography made many claims contrary to official LDS Church doctrine about Smith's life and teachings. Brodie was eventually excommunicated from the LDS Church for apostasy which included refusing to edit or alter controversial material in her book.
As has Brodie's biography of Jefferson, No Man Knows My History has been criticised by historians as speculative and biased, but remains notable. An expanded edition was published in 1971.
Prominent LDS writer Hugh Nibley challenged many of Brodie's claims in No, Ma'am, That's Not History.
External Links
Excerpts from No Man Knows My History:
" class="external">http://solomonspalding.com/Lib/Brd1945b.htm
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0679730540/qid=1062306573/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-4183482-5314466?v=glance&s=books