Under the Banner of Heaven A Story of Violent Faith
Jon Krakauer's literary reputation rests on insightful chronicles of lives conducted at the outer limits. He now shifts his focus from extremes of physical adventure to extremes of religious belief within our own borders, taking readers inside isolated American communities where some 40,000 Mormon Fundamentalists still practice polygamy. Defying both civil authorities and the Mormon establishment in Salt Lake City, the renegade leaders of these Taliban-like theocracies are zealots who answer only to God.
At the core of Krakauer's book are brothers Ron and Dan Lafferty, who insist they received a commandment from God to kill a blameless woman and her baby girl. Beginning with a meticulously researched account of this appalling double murder, Krakauer constructs a multi-layered, bone-chilling narrative of messianic delusion, polygamy, savage violence, and unyielding faith. Along the way he uncovers a shadowy offshoot of America's fastest growing religion, and raises provocative questions about the nature of religious belief.
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars not anti-Mormon
This is a fantastic book. Krakauer does an incredible job of merging history lesson with compelling narrative with probing inquiry into the sometimes contentious balance between sanity and religious belief.
Krakauer does NOT equate the Laffertys with mainstream LDS; rather, he details the history (and let's face it, it's a nasty, violent history) of LDS to show that the originators of religions– those heterodox souls who claim direct revelatory experience (whether they be Laffertys, Joseph Smith, Mohammed, Jesus, Jim Jones– you name it)– ALWAYS live on the razor's edge between the keenest perception and sheer lunacy. Can't we all, relgious and non-religious alike, just admit this?
5 Stars It definitely changed my idea about Mormons
I new very little about Mormons before reading this book and I did not know at all that they often practice polygamy.
Besides, it was not clear to me which implications the polygamy can bring in mixing up the women's role in that large families. At least when it is practiced by taking and leaving wives as they do.
While reading this book I discovered a new and shocking world I never imagined.
The writing style of Jon Krakauer is the same fascinating mixture of Into Thin Air: novel and investigation, more novel and historical background.
Very, very effective.
I already mentioned this book to many friends: absolutely worth reading.
5 Stars Understanding a modern tragedy by revisiting the past
I really couldn't put this one down. The mix of history and its effect on modern, tragic events, is brilliantly written. Some here have complained of Krakauer writing "two books", but I think they miss the point. The gruesome Lafferty story is told at the same time history is retold to show how one influenced the other. The stories are intertwined with great precision, so that as the reader sees the modern events unfold, he is able to project them on the backdrop of history.
I cannot give credence to the LDS-faithful's charge of anti-Mormon bias in Krakauer. What was presented did not cause me to look negatively at the Mormon's I know (none of which are FLDS, however). In fact, Krakauer does not even implicitly condemn the FLDS, just states the facts and let's the reader draw conclusions. Only in his Appendiceal response to the official LDS leadership's retort of his book does any negative light fall on the modern LDS, but even that rests solely upon the high-ranking leadership for all its secrecy and desire to conceal the past, not the day-to-day members.
5 Stars Insight To LDS Church
This read goes fast and is a very interesting book. The insight into the Mormon Faith is accurate and concise. If anyone has any interest in the evolution of the Mormon faith this book is a very good referance to get started with.
2 Stars My kingdom for a point…
Much like the Mormon faith, Under the Banner of Heaven has an infrastructure of oatmeal. This book, at best, strengthens the resolve of those who love and those who loathe the LDS movement.
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