Jon Krakauer: Under the Banner of Heaven

[Anamnesis]

I recently finished this. Anyone interested in Mormon theology/history may want to give it a go, as Krakauer spends quite a few chapters detailing the beginning of the religion and some of the struggles its early prophets went through. Although I was intrigued by these chapters at first, after a while I got bored and often wondered when he'd get back to the point (the book is mainly about a double murder committed by two fundamentalist Mormons in the summer of 1984).

But despite some rough spots, I was often thrilled and at times scared by what I read. When Krakauer wasn't in lecture mode he offered up an engaging and shocking true crime tale. Definitely one of the more memorable books I've read so far this year.

 

[BessTudor]

I've been wanting to read Under the Banner of Heaven for a while now, but I haven't gotten around to it. I'm really interested in religion (from an outsider's perspective), and especially things like the psychology behind fundamentalism.
Maybe I'll read that book next!

 

[aubstar]

I just finished this book and found it incredibly powerful. The one thing that has been nagging at me though is wanting to know more about Allen Lafferty, Brenda Wright's husband, and where he was during the trials of Dan and Ron. Was he implicated at all since he knew about the removal revelation? Based on Krakauer's account, Allen didn't seem all too shocked/sickened by the murders of his own wife and daughter and I found it odd that Krakauer didn't touch on Allen much at all.

Just wanted to get some people's thoughts on this to see if I'm not alone in wanting to know more about what happened to him and what his state of mind was over the years that his brother's spiraled out of control. You would think as a "loving" husband, he would have really been pushing for justice... or did he want them "removed" too?

 

[Disenthral]

I haven't read it yet, But ive noticed that in Into The Wild and Into Thin Air he would sidetrack for a bit to random parts that had little to do with the story and were just plain boring. Think he does that a lot before bringing it back.

 

[Sam Page]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. You can tell that Krakauer really spent some serious time and energy on it. Though the book may drag now and then, it is weighty enough in substance that it might still be worth reading in 100 years.

 

[justGina]

I finished this book a few weeks ago. I am fascinated by Fundamentalist religions in general and am reading everything about them that I can get my hands on.

If anyone knows any other similar books along the same vein I'd love recommendations.

 

[UglyFury]

I read the book a few years ago and really enjoyed it. I like the way Krakauer weaves his books between story/information. I've read some of his other stuff, and the stories are always intriguing alone, but I really appreciate the time he takes to educate his reader about the topic related to the story.