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Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith | 
 enlarge | Author: Jon Krakauer
Publisher: Anchor
Category: Book
List Price: CDN$ 22.95
Buy New: CDN$ 7.37
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Rating:  393 reviews
Sales Rank: 5301
Media: Paperback
Edition: Reprint
Pages: 432
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 5.1 x 1.1
ISBN: 1400032806
Dewey Decimal Number: 289.33
EAN: 9781400032808
ASIN: 1400032806
Release Date: June 8, 2004
Availability: Usually ships within 1 - 2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: From our American Warehouse - Delivery in 7-10 days
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From Amazon.co.uk
Under the Banner of Heaven is a riveting read. The Lafferty boys were brought up in a squeaky clean All-American family. So what made two of them follow revelations from God to slit the throat of their ex-beauty queen sister-in-law and her infant daughter? The problem was that they got involved in the fundamentalist, survivalist wing of the Mormon Church. Author Jon Krakauer expertly jumps from the immediate horror of the Lafferty boys to the context of Mormonism and the wider questions of religious violence. In the process we are taken on a house of horrors ride through the badlands of fundamentalist Mormon religion. Krakauer introduces us to red necks with more than 30 "wives"--many who were "married" in their early teens. It's a story of fraud, child abuse, incest, physical violence and spiritual and emotional rape at a deep level. The contemporary story is lurid and shocking, but as Krakauer relates the picaresque story of Joseph Smith--the founder of the Mormon religion--you realise that present day fundamentalist Mormons are far closer to their founder in spirit and behaviour than the more squeaky clean manifestations of modern Mormonism. This well researched and tightly written account gives a great potted history of Mormonism and illuminates the psychotic fringes of religious mentality. In doing so it reveals the wild dangers of spiritual free wheeling and the need for caution and restraint in religion. --Dwight Longenecker
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| Customer Reviews: Read 388 more reviews...
 Interesting Read, Very Informative August 2, 2008
V. Abbott (Saskatoon, Sask., Canada)
Having read Jon Krakauer's "Into Thin Air" I was pleased to find another book by him.
"Under The Banner Of Heaven" is a window into how men will use God as their "Commander" or "Ally" in committing heinous crimes, when in fact He had no hand in it. In fact this book brought some of the memories of the books on Jim Jones and his "People's Temple"....adultery, murder, mayhem and secrecy, an armed camp.
Jon is a superb writer, and I learned a lot from this book, and have recommended it to others.
Jon had no grudges when he wrote this book. He was simply straight forward and informative.
I'm looking forward to reading "Into The Wild".
A Riveting Account of the Power of Religion December 12, 2007
J. Stephen Conn (Loveland, Ohio)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Many books have been written about the power of God. This one is about the power of religion. True fundamentalist believers are capable of doing things that are unfathomable to those outside their faith. As a person who grew up on a very fundamentalist religion of another stripe, I was able to identify with that religious tug which borders on insanity.
Jon Krakauer is a writer's writer. His power to captivate and hold a reader is unsurpassed. I have never been a Mormon - not even close - but I have been a student of Mormonism for more than forty years - having visited numerous Mormon historical sites throughout the United States and read countless volumes both by and about Mormonism in its various expressions. That said, Krakauer's research is very thorough and well documented. The bibliography is extensive and his use of quotes at the beginning of each chapter adds interest and breadth to this remarkable work.
This book is not an attack on anyone's faith. It is a truthful investigation and an eloquent retelling of the power of a faith that goes over the edge. Be forewarned, once you start reading "Under the Banner of Heaven" you'll have a very hard time putting it down.
A chilling story of religious fundamentalism October 26, 2007
Linda Bulger (Avon, Maine)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book is entirely absorbing, which is no surprise coming from this fine author.
There are two strands woven together throughout the book -- the shocking 1984 murders attributed to fundamentalist Mormons, and a historical perspective on the origins of the Latter Day Saints. The skillful way in which Krakauer weaves the strands together holds the reader's interest and is very effective.
The book includes extensive interviews with fundamentalist Dan Lafferty, incarcerated in the Utah State Prison for the murders of his brother's wife and daughter. The interviews, along with the recounting of the murders, are chilling in their details. Just as chilling is the the historical perspective on how the polygamous fundamentalists splintered from mainstream Mormonism, claiming their religious direction to be directly received from God. The facts of this frightening phenomenon were probably not widely known before this book was published.
Knowing very little about the Church of the Latter Day Saints, I came away from this book with much more knowledge about the religion. The distinction is clearly drawn between the mainstream LDS and the fundamentalist sect, giving the book a balanced feel when it could have been pure sensationalism. Krakauer seems to stand aside and let the story tell itself without interpretation or judgment; only the best writers can give that impression.
Well written and well researched April 25, 2005
NorthVan Dave (North Vancouver, British Columbia Canada)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
This book represents a great overview of the Mormon religion. Jon Krakauer, probably best known for this book Into Thin Air, does an excellent job of presenting a well documented and well researched book focusing around the Mormon faith. And while it would have been easy to turn the book into a text filled with educational ramblings, Krakauer managers to convey the thoughts and ideas about the history of Mormonism in an easy to read novel.The book is written around two members of the fundamentalist off-shoot of the Church of Latter-Day Saints and their involvement with a murder in July, 1984. Krakauer manages to weave a deft history of Mormonism into what would normally be a standard news clip on the 6pm news, by presenting the full history Mormon faith. His writing also touches on the individuals that have been responsible for leading the church and its followers, and Krakauer goes to come length to identify why followers empathize with their leaders charisma. I found this book to be a very entertaining read, and I managed to get through the entire 400 page book in just over one week. For anyone who has an interest in religion, the settling of the American West, and true life murders, then thiis book is one you shouldn't miss.
Compelling and well-written account of religious extremism November 21, 2004
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
John Krakauer's "Under the Banner of Heaven" is a compelling and well-written account of Mormon fundamentalism.Krakauer examines the murders of Brenda and Erica Lafferty by Ron and Dan Lafferty in an attempt to understand the history and theology of Mormonism. The author is particularly adept at outlining how and why the Mormon Church moderated its theology to move closer to the mainstream of American life, and how this accommodation moved some Mormons to extremism and bloody violence. The appendix alone is worth the price of the book. Krakauer easily refutes attacks on the first edition of "Under the Banner of Heaven" by Mormon elders. He then challenges them to open Mormon archives to non-Mormon scholars so that a full critical history of the church can finally be written. We need more books like this one!!!!!
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