Under the Banner of Heaven- A Story of Violent Faith by Jon Krakauer

2.5 (2)
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Product details

Web ID: 15624535

NATIONAL BESTSELLER, From the author of Into the Wild and Into Thin Air, this extraordinary work of investigative journalism takes readers inside America's isolated Mormon Fundamentalist communities. Now an acclaimed FX limited series streaming on HULU. Fantastic.... Right up there with In Cold Blood and The Executioner's Song. San Francisco Chronicle Defying both civil authorities and the Mormon establishment in Salt Lake City, the renegade leaders of these Taliban-like the ocracies are zealots who answer only to God, some 40,000 people still practice polygamy in these communities. 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.

  • Product Features

    • Suggetsed age range- Adult
    • Format- Paperback
    • Product dimensions- 5.13" W x 7.92" H x 0.91" D
    • Genre- Religion, inspiration
    • Publisher- Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, Publication date- 06-08-2004
    • Page count- 432
    • ISBN- 9781400032808
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Ratings & Reviews

2.5/5

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11 months ago

Worth reading, but time is sometimes choppy.

Despite being well-researched, Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer does not deserve a five-star rating. There is too much jumping around the timeline. As described on its cover, Under the Banner of Heaven focuses on the murder of a young woman and her young child. The murder takes place against the backdrop of modern Mormon fundamentalism and the practice of polygamy. Krakauer traces the history of Mormons and its initial leaders’ endorsement of polygamy. Some of that history is not pretty, and Krakauer doesn’t pull any punches.” Like accurately detailing incidents of police brutality doesn’t make one, per se, “anti-police” accurately depicting some ugly truths about Mormon history doesn’t make one “anti-Mormon.” Still, a Mormon might get uncomfortable reading Under the Banner of Heaven. While, for Barnes and Noble, I identify as a “non-fiction buff,” I don’t usually read true crime. However, despite an occasionally choppy timeline, Under the Banner of Heaven was well worth reading.

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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com

3 years ago
from Washington, D.C.

Absolutely terrible and flawed

Under the Banner of Heaven takes the most basic elements of “Islamaphobia” and applies them to Mormonism, the one religion most Americans agree it’s okay to hate. The author decontextualizes the book by engaging in pop-psychology and attempting to paint the Lafferty Brothers as representative of the LDS faith, rather than mentally Ill deviates who failed to uphold basic tenants of Mormonism. I would only recommend this book if you needed an example of how hate speech is crafted and public prejudice is promoted. Otherwise, it’s garbage.

Customer review from barnesandnoble.com