In UNDER THE BANNER OF HEAVEN, John Krakauer shifts his focus from extremes of physical adventure to extremes of religious belief within our own borders. At the core of his book is an appalling double murder committed by a pair of brothers, Ron and Dan Lafferty, who insist they were commanded to kill by God. Beginning with a meticulously researched account of this "divinely inspired" crime, Krakauer constructs a multi-layered, bone-chilling narrative of polygamy, savage violence, and unyielding faith. Weaving the story of ...
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In UNDER THE BANNER OF HEAVEN, John Krakauer shifts his focus from extremes of physical adventure to extremes of religious belief within our own borders. At the core of his book is an appalling double murder committed by a pair of brothers, Ron and Dan Lafferty, who insist they were commanded to kill by God. Beginning with a meticulously researched account of this "divinely inspired" crime, Krakauer constructs a multi-layered, bone-chilling narrative of polygamy, savage violence, and unyielding faith. Weaving the story of the Lafferty brothers and their fanatical brethren with a clear-eyed look at Mormonism's violent past, Krakauer examines the underbelly of the United States' most successful homegrown faith, and finds a distinctly American brand of religious extremism.
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Add this copy of Under the Banner of Heaven, Unabridged Edition to cart. $73.57, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2003 by Random House, Inc.
Under the Banner of Heaven is an excellent book; easy to read; a real page turner. It is written by a journalist and covers major stories in the history of the Mormon church.
Valliman
Jan 28, 2010
Shockingly informative
Don't read this book if you're looking for an objective view of Mormonism, but if you wish to learn about the extremist, fundamentalist branch, denounced by the mainstream, a group known as the FLDS, and their horrendous practice of polygamous marraiges to very underage girls, it's certainly an eye-opener.
Slscheff
Apr 24, 2008
Great book
This is an incisive look into the fundalmentalist mormon culture. I assume it was used to a great extent by HBO in the making of its series Big Love. Anyone wanting a better understanding of what is going on in El Dorado Texas should read it.
Johnny2read
Jun 24, 2007
A Real Thriller
John Krakauer is, I think, one of the very best storytellers of our time! In this book, he takes history and factual current events, and turns them into a spine-tingling thriller. He is concise, with an intelligent and interest-holding way with words, and brings the reader into the very heart of the subject he is writing about. I simply could not put this book down, although in the beginning, I picked it up more from a sense of duty to be informed, rather than expecting to be "entertained" by reading it. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in history, religion, the American past, or to anyone just plain wanting a "good read"!
FuriousStyles
Jun 10, 2007
Powerful as the 48 hour mystery TV series!
I was somewhat reserved in choosing to read this book at first, but at the time there was so much news going on (being televised) about Mormon Fundementalism and polygamy that I had to grab it. By covering a savage murder orchestrated by two brothers along with intertwining the profound yet evolving history of the Mormon religion kept me interested throughout the entire book. The author does a fantastic job in covering the foundations of early Mormonism along with disecting from it the extreme side of the religion being the fundementalist side where the murderers from this story evolve. I have read "Into Thin Air" by the same author which i enjoyed but not as much as this book. I recommmend it strongly to anyone whom wants a taste of what impast Mormonism has had in the past and what it deals with in the future as well.
