Rating: 
Summary: Great Book!
Review: This is one of the most thought provoking books I have read in a long time. I could not put this one down! The pure detail that Krakauer went into was fascinating. Without all of the history that went into this book, most readers who have not lived or looked into the history of the Mormon religion, would be lost as to what motivated these men to commit this crime. Reading this book, as a member of the Church,(although inactive), inspired me to look into Mormon history even deeper. Some of the things I have found are fascinating. I give Jon Krakauer thumbs up!
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Book!!!
Review: It's about time someone wrote about the Fundamentalist Mormons! I found the book to be well written and informative.Krakauer did a wonderful job telling the appalling story of the duplicities of the Mormon origins. It's obvious that Joseph Smith was a consummate con. And the Lafferty Brothers, what a shame!
Rating:
Summary: well written and enlightening
Review: Brings many important issues about polygamy to the forefront, things that we as a society should be aware of. Certain may find the book offensive, but I believe Krakauer was simply bringing important and controversial issues to the forefront in a reasonable and compelling way. Well written and, even if you disagree with some of Krakauer's arguments, I think everyone can agree that this book is worth reading.
Rating: 
Summary: The book seeks to fill many roles
Review: There are a number of things going on in this not always well organized book. It is a history of the Mormon Church. The author gives a somewhat detailed history of the Latter Day Saints from its founding by Joseph Smith in 1830 in New York, to its various moves across the country until the Saints finally settle down in the Utah territory, often leaving carnage in their path. It is a history of various splinter groups from the LDS Church. A number of former LDS members were excommunicated for their stance on polygamy and founded their own sects (and towns in some cases) that developed into mini-theocracies. It is from one of these groups that the Lafferty family arises. It is an analysis the Lafferty murders and how the faith of the murderers is involved. The author uses these elements and violence surrounding them to tie the brutality of the murders to their faith. It is not always an effective treatment as the constant jumping back and forth between settings is occasionally jarring, causing a reader to lose his or her place. The LDS were somewhat radical when founded and their even more conservative splinters even more so. The book is not an indictment of the Latter Day Saints, but of relgious fundamentalism in general. That these groups can produce people capable of the brutality committed by the Laffertys is reason enough to give pause, whatever the religion. There is much information in this book. Pay careful attention when reading and you will get a lot out of it.
Rating:
Summary: More than a murder story
Review: This book was initially picked up because it dealt with a murder that took place under the guise of the Mormon religion. What it was , was an indepth historical discussion of the Mormon religion. As a person who questions the validity of the Mormon religion -- I look at it as more of a cult than anything else, it was an indepth study of how the church was started (by a person who was essentially a scam artist), how it progressed and now how it is trying to rewrite its history. The book provided addtional resources that I am pursuing, especially the biography of Joseph Smith.
The Mormons will try to downplay the significance of what happened by their followers -- but in actuality they were only pursuing the teachings of their founder.
Rating: 
Summary: too much history caused this reader to lose interest
Review: Though Jon Krakauer subtitled UNDER THE BANNER OF HEAVEN 'a Story of Violent Faith', he left this reader lost in the middle of the book, literally. Krakauer introduces the crime that was the brutal murder that should've formed the focus of the book, within the first two or three chapters. Then, in the middle of the book, he drags the reader through a hundred-page-plus condensation of the beginnings of the Mormon faith and its founder, Joseph Smith. The true crime side got lost in this 'history lesson" Krakauer threw into the mix. By the time I got to the end of the book, the murder seemed to have taken second place to a cursory review of the beginnings of Mormonism. Krakauer wrote it like a term paper or essay: as if he had a read a book and was regurgitating what he thought were the most important events. Overly long and lacking in focus.
Rating:
Summary: A Revelation!
Review: Krakauer has identified and documented what we former-Mormons have known and kept silent about for years (173 to be exact). This book should be required reading for anyone looking into the religion from any basis. Krakauer is adept at using exactly the right words to perfectly describe the intended feelings of the dual story being told. My jaw is now permanently locked open from the awe I felt reading some of the details I already knew, and discovering others, through the journey on which this masterpiece takes you.
Rating: 
Summary: Into thin History
Review: I grow tired of pseudo-historians using second and third hand references to support a weak and ill-defined theory. No, I am not a Mormon who lives in Utah, but I understand why they would find Jon Krakauer's latest offering disappointing, if not deceitful. It seems as if Mr. Krakauer set out to write a story about two brutal murders and ended up in a morass of religion he neither understands nor fully contemplates. I am not terribly interested in Mr. Krakauer's unsubstantiated history. And because so much of the book grows on this poor foundation, the real tragedy and story of the murders become nothing more than macro conjecture. Avoid.
Rating: 
Summary: A Little Disappointing
Review: I had not read any books by Krakauer before, but had heard great things about "...Thin Air." I was disappointed with this book. This book tried to tackle too many subjects. I am a huge fan of true crime and he didn't nail the genre. He should have tried to do a book about Mormanism or about the crime - but not both.
Rating:
Summary: The American Religion
Review: Mr. Krakauer has written an interesting account of Mormonism and it's various fundametalist off shoots. I purchased this book thinking that it would be a true crime account of a mother/daughter murder. It was not. Mr. Krakauer successfully weaves the story of these murders with the history of the religion. I found it both fascinating and disturbing. A recommened read.
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