Rating: 
Summary: Inaccuracies
Review: As a casual historian of the period covered in Krakauer's book, I am dismayed, even insulted, that a fellow author would twist and omit crucial facts about any group--mainstream or not. Had he included a balanced overview of events from credible (not sensationalism-type) sources, he would have had no story at all. Now I wonder about inaccuracies in "Thin Air". I've lost all respect for the author. Apparently not what he's "Kraked" up to be. Sad how quest for notierity and money clouds integrity.
Rating: 
Summary: Under the Banner....truth!!
Review: Fantastic Book, COuld not put it down. As a former resident of Utah it was amazing to read!!
Rating: 
Summary: Good read but scary...
Review: THis is pretty easy to read. One can definitely finishes it over a weekend. It gives the reader brief history of Mormons. In addition to the comments by my fellow reviewers, I would like to add:1. The brothers have the fundamental belief and from the description of the book, pratice some kind of religious meditation that gives them the "revealation". This is the most dangerous part of meditation, IMHO. For as far as I know, no decent buddhist student are allowed to have religious meditation without a guidance of a buddhism master. Some of students may need to stay with the master for 10 years until the master finally "admit" one as student. So, an ad hoc group like those groups in this book are really dangerous without a formal guidance. 2. The author clearly is a not friend of Mormon but I will say he makes his disposition fair & square with little moral judgement. 3. I wonder how does a Christian solve the problem of faith in the scripture and the real life. Clearly, most people now abhor polygamy and surely, the main stream (reluctantly, as described in this book) dropped the teaching of polygamy. However, the scripture has implicitly say it and the prophet, Joseph Smith, did practice it.... The bible asked people to stone a woman if
she commits adultery. Will a Christian really stone a woman? But, it is against the temporal law in most country. So, what is the truth? How could you tell this we should which but that we shouldn't?
Rating:
Summary: disappointing, biased, poorly written
Review: Right off the bat, let's get this straight: Krakauer is not a writer; he's a reporter, and not a very good one. This story involved a cult that was an offshoot of Mormonism, but Krakauer manages to leave uninformed readers with a undeserved negative impression of the mainstream Mormon church. If he's going to report, he owes it to reader to research his subject well and report without bias. As a reporter, he's a hack. As a writer- well, there's no art here. I'm not a Mormon but I live in the epicenter of that religion, and have plenty of contact with both conventional and fundamentalist Mormons - and Krakauer's account has little if anything in common with either.
Rating:
Summary: Enlightening historical perspective
Review: My wife and I both just finished reading this book. We were first made privy to it while watching Dateline NBC a couple of months ago. I had grown up knowing some mormons that I went to school with, but not ever fully knowing what they believe or what their religion is based upon. My wife had spent some time in a seminary so she knew more of their history. I'll start off by saying I was amazed during the reading of the book on several levels. I was quite impressed with Krakauer's writing. It seems he made a great effort at keeping it for the most part a historical view, using the scriptures, tenets, etc that the church was built upon throughout the book. He also did a great deal of research into different interviews and the like using quotes from key people in the history of the faith as well as the people surrounding the Lafferty murders, which becomes a sort of focal point for Krakauer. My amazement came on a completely different level as I comtinued turning the pages and learning more and more about what the mormon faith is based upon and the history of its church/people. Even with consideration for the time period, it is difficult for me to believe people did not question more of what the "prophets" of the faith continued to bring forth as revelations, and thus foundations of the faith. Although, I am sure some of these tenets are no longer taught or ascribed to, I was shocked to know that mormonism was founded on such tenets as polygamy, biggotry (viewing white americans as superior), and such far-out ideals as blood shed to atone for sin. I don't understand why more within the faith today do not question why these tenets were the foundation of the faith long ago, and why some of them are now some sort of "hidden secret". I am sure this book has outraged the people of the mormon faith, but I am glad and find it interesting and intriguing that Krakauer has brought all he did to light.
Rating: 
Summary: Been there, done that.
Review: Jon Krakauer stoops to conquer in Under the Banner of Heaven. Except for the accounts of the Lafferty murders and the Elisabeth Smart kidnapping, very little here is new territory. Krakauer quotes from the same tired ex-Mormon gadfly, D. Michael Quinn, who is never quoted without mentioning his Yale degree. Quinn is a big fish in a very small pond, and he is "trotted out" here and there--as in last year's New Yorker article--and is fast becoming a re-tread. In the popular press, polygamy remains a lurid topic, and Krakauer knows this. My aunt, Ardyth Kenelly, made fun of it in her 1940's bestseller, The Peaceable Kingdom. Contrary to many of the reviews, many people do not separate fundamentalists from today's Mormon church--don't be surprised to hear this book quoted on "Focus on the Family," when they do their anti-mormon diatribes. Krakauer insists that he had Mormon friends growing up in Corvallis, Oregon. But clearly, his relationship with them was nothing compared to Wallace Stegner, who is quoted in his book. Wallace Stegner once said, after being raised with Mormons and attending their church, that he would only ever write about Mormons as a friend. This book may capture your interest--but believe me, it is the 21st century version of the 19th century's "Opium Eaters in the den of Brigham Young" and the 20th century's "The 27th wife." They sit on my bookshelf next to my latest addition--Under the Banner of Heaven.
Rating:
Summary: Another Great Book by Krakauer
Review: This book was easy to read, with enough detail to make it interesting, but not overwhelming. It went a long way in educating me about Mormons and their history -- things I never learned in school, and things the Mormons would obviously like kept quiet. It was also interesting that Elizabeth Smart's kidnapper was a Mormon, and that this fact was not widely reported. This book was the first time that I became aware of it. I was also surprised that the book did not address the "Sacred Salamander." Isn't that an icon of Mormonism?
Rating:
Summary: Well Done in the spirit of Into the Wild
Review: I really enjoy the writing style of Jon Krakauer. I have read all three of his previous books. To me, Under the Banner of Heaven contains all of the strengths of his other non-fiction narrative book, Into the Wild, about Chris McCandless (Into Thin Air, his other narrative, is my favorite book). Like Into the Wild, Under the Banner is an exhaustively researched work, complete with first hand accounts of the places mentioned in the narrative as well as interviews with available persons who lived the story. These elements, combined with Krakauer's rich vocabulary and straight but elegant prose make Jon Krakauer my favorite author. Like Krakauer, I have always found mormons to be fascinating, but knew little about their history. To me, he said many good things about the mainstream LDS Church and their history: I found the narrative of Brigham Young leading the LDS's to Utah totally amazing. A fantastic read!
Rating: 
Summary: Shocking and appalling
Review: This book deals with the history of Mormonism and Mormon Fudamentalism as a counter religion and it also explores and questions the pillars of mainstrain Mormonism. Ron and Dan Lafferty, both Mormon Fundamentalists who commit double murder insist they received a revelation from God commanding them to kill their victims. Beginning with a very well researched account of this crime, Krakauer constructs an appalling narrative of delusion, savage violence and strict faith. He even analyzes the abduction of fourteen-year-old Elizabeth Smart. They had her so brainwashed that she even denied being Elizabeth. These Fundamentalists believe that the mainstream church went astray when they renounced polygamy. After finishing this book, I'm still in a state of disbelief. John Krakauer is an amazing writer and I think that this is his best work yet.
Rating:
Summary: Just trying to make money
Review: The biggest problem with this book is the it was written by a person who does not believe in God. He trys to make us think that Joseph Smith and Ron Lafferty are cut from the same cloth. He makes huge assumptions such as all mormons know the day and hour that Joseph Smith was murdered. He also attempts to create the illusion that somehow Latter Day Saints believe that grass is sacred and says that at BYU no one ever walks on the lawn. I wonder if Mr. Krakauer has ever even been to Provo, Utah. Here is another bad book that can be added to the long list of books written in an attempt to demean the Latter Day Saints. It makes me wonder what everyone is so afraid of, the truth, perhaps?
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