No, Juanita Brooks was not excommunicated from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).

She maintained a strong commitment to her faith, balancing her dedication to historical accuracy with her personal beliefs.

Juanita Brooks and Fawn Brodie shared a complex, respectful relationship rooted in their shared commitment to historical truth, yet shaped by significant differences in their approaches and experiences with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Fawn Brodie, author of No Man Knows My History (1945), wrote a controversial biography of Joseph Smith that argued he was not a prophet but rather a charismatic figure who created the LDS Church from personal ambitions. This book led to Brodie's excommunication, as her conclusions diverged sharply from church doctrine. Brodie’s work was highly critical and took a secular, psychological approach, while Brooks' work focused on documenting specific historical events and avoided theological critique.

Brooks admired Brodie’s bravery and dedication to her research but was uncomfortable with Brodie’s conclusions, as Brooks remained committed to her faith and took a more cautious approach. Brooks believed in historical transparency but also respected the church’s foundational beliefs. She avoided directly criticizing church doctrine, a choice that contributed to her staying in good standing with the church.

While they respected each other, their differing approaches to LDS history led to a professional distance. Still, they are often linked as two groundbreaking female historians who advanced a more honest, if sometimes difficult, exploration of Mormon history.

Juanita Brooks was progressive for her time regarding issues of race, particularly within the context of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ (LDS) racial policies, including the restriction on Black members holding the priesthood, which lasted until 1978. While Brooks did not frequently write on the subject, she privately voiced her discomfort and disapproval of the church’s racial restrictions and felt that they contradicted the teachings of equality and justice that she valued.

Brooks believed in fairness and was known for her compassion toward marginalized groups, evident in her treatment of Native American histories in her writing and her sensitive approach to difficult aspects of Mormon history. She quietly but firmly hoped for change within the LDS Church regarding racial policies, though she generally avoided public statements that might put her at odds with church leadership. Her stance reflected her overall approach: advocating for reform and historical accuracy while remaining within the church and respecting its authorities.

Under great adversity she acquired a bachelor's degree from BYU and a master's degree from Columbia University.

Brooks kept the ironing board out not out of fear of shame, but simply to ease conversations with her fellow sister saints. The church's primary response to her book's publication was mostly silence, and overall, at both local and institutional levels, she was more likely to encounter disinterest than hostility.

Juanita had one son when she married widower Will Brooks in 1933. He brought four sons to the family and together they added a daughter and three more sons.