Rating: 
Summary: Read it between the lines...
Review: Hmmmm...have some of these harsh critics actually read the book? I knew nothing about Mormonism before I read this story. But by the last hundred pages, I was thinking very emphatically to myself that Mr. Krakauer took GREAT PAINS to emphasize that the devil here were these two murderers, neither the Mormon religion itself nor even fundamentalist Mormons (although the latter are portrayed as being less blameless). I did not pick up this book intending to come away with a comprehensive history of Mormonism. I did not pick up this book intending to read a true crime story. No, contrary to some "misled" individuals who claim to have read this book, I picked up this book intending to read EXACTLY WHAT IT SAYS ON THE FRONT COVER, Einsteins. It states right on the cover, and I directly quote: "On July 24, 1984, a woman and her infant daughter were murdered by two brothers who believed they were ordered to kill by God. The roots of their crime lie deep in the history of an American religion practiced by millions..." What does this sentence mean to you? It doesn't say, "The Evils of the LDS Church" or "...two Mormon brothers..." For anyone reading those critiques that so harshly pan the book because it "wasn't what they expected," please read the quote that I have written here, and then tell me what you expect to read. I promise you that what you read into that quote is what you will get when you read this. These brothers' roots were indeed in LDS...that does not mean that LDS is wicked, and I never once saw it that way, even without any prior conceptions about LDS. And as for you critics who think that Mr. Krakauer is biased because he is agnostic, I find it hard to believe that you could forgive him his well-researched and well-balanced, conscientious manuscript, no matter WHAT his spiritual values. If he was Jewish, you'd find something "biased" about that. And ditto if he was Lutheran, Catholic, or Mormon himself. No matter what religion he was, because he's writing about religion, you'd say he was biased. Of course, the only "unbiased" person is the completely ignorant one. Everyone who learns something has an opinion about it. I dare any critic to tell me otherwise. But as far as this book is concerned, Mr. Krakauer has taken the utmost care to make the condemnation of this crime of which he writes as narrow and as specific as possible. Mr. Krakauer points out to us time and time again that these are resentful, looney-tunes, fundamentalist, ex-communicated-Mormon brothers who murdered their sister-in-law. So unless you are a resentful, looney-tunes, fundamentalist, ex-communicated-Mormon brother who wants to murder their sister-in-law, know in advance that this book does not set out to offend you. Read it to learn, not to judge, and ye shall be the wiser.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Study of Mormon Extremism
Review: An excellent book on Mormon fundamentalism and Mormon history. Some have complained about it jumping around too much, but I feel that all the topics relate well to each other and help the reader understand the roots of Mormonism and some of the problems that have resulted from its more radical followers. The chapters about the Lafferty brothers' descent into fundamentalism, and their terrible crime, are real page-turners. Also riveting are the first-hand accounts of those involved in the polygamist fundamentalist cults. The sections on Mormon history are very educational. Krakauer has done an impressive amount of research here. I had researched some of his sources prior to reading this book, and I found that his writing is accurate according to them. As expected, some Mormons are offended by this book. It is not an anti-Mormon attack. Mormon history contains many events that are troubling to church members--but that doesn't make them anti-Mormon fabrications. I applaud Krakauer for writing about things as they happened, and having the courage to deal with the backlash. Historical facts are not judged true or false based on whether or not they offend some people. Those of the mainstream Mormon faith who criticize Krakauer for painting a negative picture of church history should recognize that the Mormon church portrays a filtered, biased view of history that is highly favorable to them. These events happened, but the Mormon church is not honest with its members about them. And that's not Krakauer's (nor any other historian's) fault.
Rating:
Summary: A Little Unfocused, But Still Fascinating
Review: Once again, Krakauer has taken a situation that's slightly outside of most people's experiences and made it accessible. This time, he portrays the actions of Ron and Dan Lafferty, who believed they were told by God to slay their sister-in-law. His energetic prose brings to life the events and influences that led these men to murder. While the reader may not be able to fully justify the Laffertys' reasons for their actions, one will be able to understand how they came to their conclusions. Although the book is interesting, it does suffer from a lack of focus. Krakauer admits in the author's remarks that he had another book about Mormons in mind before writing Under the Banner of Heaven. This other book rears its head from time to time in the background material on Mormonism. Even though the material is informative, it prevents this book from having the laser-like focus that made Krakauer's other works so memorable. Overall, Under the Banner of Heaven is worth reading. Krakauer does a good job detailing Mormonism's history and the sad facts of the Lafferty case. It's in his attempt to link the two that the book comes up slightly short. While still having merit, Under the Banner of Heaven would've been better had Krakauer focused on the present and left history for another book.
Rating: 
Summary: flawed thesis
Review: You don't have to be a member of the LDS faith to recognize the flaw in Krakauer's thesis. To suggest that a belief in God or religion is responsible for the violence in this world is naive and dangerous. His thesis is not limited to fundamental Mormonism, he includes all religious belief in his narrow view. One might be able to make a case for orthodox ideology being a danger to world peace, but religion is certainly less to blame for violence committed in the name of dogmatic belief than say Nazism, Communism, or any other "ism" that binds a group of people together in common belief. More people suffered and died at the hands of regimes based on Godless ideology in the last century than in all of the conflicts of previous centuries combined. Mr. Krakauer needs to go back to the drawing board on this one. The reasons for the violence in this world is something that we should all be concerned with, but Krakauer's thesis casts a very small net. The real causes for suffering in this world can be detected in the person of Ron Lafferty, but it isn't due to any real religious belief. More likely it is due to the blow to his ego that was suffered when his finances fell apart and his wife left him than from any belief that God spoke to him through his computer. The loss of control over his life and the loss of face that he experienced are the reasons for his violence. He merely used God and his self-proclaimed beliefs as an excuse to act out his violent behavior and convince his equally affected brother to go along. Hopefully the talented Mr. Krakauer will return to his thesis next time with a wider scope.
Rating:
Summary: A Mormon Who Loved This Book
Review: As a Mormon, I know I'm wading into dangerous territory - especially as a Mormon who liked Krakauer's book. I obviously read this book from a very different perspective than most of the other Mormons who have posted reviews. Let me briefly sum up this book, then explain why I enjoyed it so much. Krakauer tackles the messy world of religious extremism by focusing on two ex-Mormons, brothers Ron and Dan Lafferty. The Lafferty's were active Mormons who fell away from their faith when they embraced ultra-conservatism and "Mormon fundamentalism", aka, polygamy. They became part of a group called "The School of the Prophets". After the Lafferty brothers began refusing to pay taxes, register their vehicles, and even force their wives to churn their own butter, Ron Lafferty's wife abandoned him and took their children to Florida. Shortly thereafter, Ron received a "revelation" from God commanding him to kill Brenda Lafferty and her infant daughter, Erica. (Ron blamed Brenda, his sister-in-law, for helping his wife leave him.) Nothing in this book is as chilling as reading about Ron and Dan Lafferty methodically killing Brenda and Erica, all the while claiming to have been led by God. Throughout the book, Krakauer includes chapters discussing violent episodes from Mormon history as a way to help explain where the Lafferty's got some of their ideas. Why did I love this book? First, I never saw this as an attack on the Mormon faith. In fact, Krakauer doesn't discuss today's Mormon church all that much. He focuses primarily on those on the fringes of Mormonism - particularly "fundamentalists" who practice plural marriage. There are plenty of positive examples of Mormons in Krakauer's book. For starters, two of the people on Ron Lafferty's "removal" revelation were his Stake President (the head of a Mormon diocese), and his bishop's (a congregational leader) wife. These were two people he also blamed for helping his wife leave him. These people had the sense to help Ron's wife escape, and who recognized that the Lafferty's were nuts. And they were not only Mormon, they were Mormon leaders. I was especially grateful for the natural questions Krakauer raised that might make some uncomfortable. This book forces all religious people to ask the question, "What makes one person's claim of revelation from God valid, and another's nonsense?" Some might argue that God wouldn't command someone to kill a woman and her daughter. Unfortunately, there are dozens of examples from the Bible and Mormon scripture of God commanding someone to commit acts of violence. The question remains, "Why is the Lafferty's claim that God commanded them to kill Brenda Lafferty crazy, while God's commmandment to Abraham and others to kill valid?" I'm in no way trying to defend the Lafferty's - I believe they are crazy and that in no way did God command them to kill anyone. But Krakauer raises some very important questions that most religious people have probably ignored. Krakauer also makes it abundantly clear throughout the book that the Lafferty's were on the fringes of Mormonism and had been kicked out of the LDS Church. I think there are a variety of reasons why most Mormons despise this book. First, it is more accurate than they may have anticipated. Had Krakauer botched several things, they could have simply dismissed it as nonsense. In fact, dozens of "anti-Mormon" books are published every year. Why is this one raising so much ire? Krakauer has clearly touched a nerve. Second, I think people misunderstand Krakauer's intent. This is not meant to be a comprehensive history of Mormonism. Krakauer uses selective history to prove his point that faith can lead to violence. When Mormons try and pretend that the Lafferty's, or Brian David Mitchell (Elizabeth Smart's kidnapper) have no connection to the LDS Church, who are they trying to kid? Mitchell kidnapped Elizabeth Smart so she could be one of his "plural wives." Mitchell got his ideas for polygamy from one place and one place only - his Mormon heritage. Does this make the Mormon church responsible for his crime? Of course not! But you can't pretend that the Mormon church doesn't have ties to polygamy. Third, I believe Mormons dislike this book because we are so focused on public relations. Mormons desperately want to be seen as "normal." We see ourselves as normal, and we wonder why others don't see us that way. When Mormons read Krakauer's book, they see someone on the outside seeing them differently than they see themselves. It's as if Mormons want to shout from the rooftops, "We're just like you! We're normal!" But the reality is Mormons have beliefs that ARE different. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it isn't fair to fault Krakauer when he points them out and we don't like the way they come across. Lastly, I believe Mormons are still in a "persecution" mentality. After enduring years of physical then cultural persecution, the Mormon church is finally gaining the respect it deserves. However, too many Mormons seem unable to accept criticism of their faith without automatically labeling it, "anti-Mormon." It's as if anyone who disagrees with us automatically earns the label. Yet most Mormons wouldn't consider themselves anti-Catholic, just because they don't always agree with certain tenets of Catholocism. We Mormons need to get out of our persecution complex and accept valid criticism and try and learn from it. Krakauer has done a masterful job in tackling religious violence and and extremism. There are a handful of errors only an "outsider" of Mormonism would make. But these aside, the book is an especially insightful look at the fringes of Mormonism. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: SexReligionPolitics and the Psychiatry of Fundamentalism
Review: Author/Mountain Climber Jon Krakauer (*Into Thin Air,* *Into the Wild*) says the genesis for his book was a desire to grasp the nature of religious belief. What it grew into was a riveting examination of the double murder of a Mormon mother and child by fractured (and excommunicated) former Mormon Fundamentalists who claimed to be On a Mission from God. Krakauer examines this in the context of the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and break-away cults. He also ponders the conundrum between zealotry and madness (sometimes it's in the eye of the beholder.) Many religions have deviants, rogues and/or stuff they'd rather hide: Muslims have Al-Qaeda; The Roman Catholic Church has the Inquisition, complicity in the Holocaust (Hitler was never excommunicated) and current Priestly scandals; Southern Baptists have Jerry Falwell and Jimmy Swaggart, and let's not forget Jim and Tammy Faye! This reviewer is tempted to whine that there are no pictures in Krakauer's book on miscreant ex-Mormon misfits, as photos are often a sine qua non of mine for a 5 Star rating of a True Crime book. But the book is not filed under True Crime (Dewey Decimal 364) but rather Religion (289.3.) Portions could also reside in the 900s (History: Euro-American expansion in North America - "Westward - Ho!")
Wherever one files it, it is a non-fiction book of important and panoramic scope and vision. Reviewed by TundraVision, Amazon Reviewer.
Rating: 
Summary: An Un-Biased Opinion
Review: Under the Banner of Heaven isn't Krakauer's best, but it's a good deal better than some customer reviews here tend to give it credit for. I don't think it's surprising it's inflamed the LDS faithful and that's clearly reflected in the one-star comments I've read here, and the occasional bad review in the press. On the other hand, reviewers who suggest we should all get the real truth about the history of the LDS from the Book of Mormon operate with a bias equal in size to that they ascribe to Krakauer. I'm not Mormon and I don't really give much thought to the LDS church. I've read Krakauer's book and found parts of it compelling, parts of it confounding, parts of it disturbing. In this, I suspect my reaction is similar to most readers outside the LDS church. Despite statements in some Amazon customer reviews, Krakauer takes great care to remind us that the Lafferty brothers were cast aside from the LDS church and that their peculiar brand of religion is the product of their own spiritual odyssey. At the same time, he underscores the key point in his book: that all religions, Mormonism included, give rise to extremists. Without their upbringing in the Mormon Church, Krakauer asks, would the Lafferty's be who they are today? Regardless of their ties to mainstream Mormonism, it's clear that in the Lafferty's case, a parade of oddball fundamentalist associates had an even greater impact on the brothers' spiritual awakening. Certain LDS tenants might be a part of the Lafferty's homebrew religion, Krakauer points out, but a cast of religious misfits contributed just as much or more. All the same, to ignore the Lafferty's LDS background, is to approach the Lafferty story with one eye shut. In response to critics, it's wholly inaccurate to argue that Under the Banner of Heaven presents an anti-religious theme. And those who defend that viewpoint based on Krakauer's admitted agnosticism or his statements about the irrationality of faith have turned three sentences in the book into an apparently overarching theme. It's the worst kind of criticism, intended, I suspect, to turn mainstream Christians away from the book entirely. Instead, since this attack comes largely from the LDS quarter, it gives the appearance that Mormon faithful have chosen to circle the wagons rather than engage in a thoughtful debate about the historical record, preferring instead to keep their secrets buried in the Utah soil. Consider for instance, the following portion of a September 4, 2003 Amazon.com customer review entitled "Nature Writer Clearly Incompetent in Religion/Psychology," penned by R. C. Barden, Ph.D., J.D: "Mr. Krakauer's best excuse for producing this incompetently researched, deceptive and misleading book is that he spent so many weeks at high altitude with insufficient oxygen." In reading this Amazon review, I'm left to wonder which is more disturbing - that R.C. Barden's review is largely an unsupported character assassination of Jon Krakauer, or that someone might actual seek to retain this individual for legal representation given his insufficient grasp of the simplest elements of argument. Sadly, an overwhelming majority of negative reviews of Under the Banner of Heaven follow a similar approach. I can't argue one way or another regarding the accuracy of Krakauer's history of the Mormon church, nor do I wish to, but it's clear most Mormon's don't come to the debate armed with any facts at all, choosing instead to attack Krakauer's integrity and credibility rather than any specific portions of the book. Under the Banner of Heaven is a difficult book, lent intrigue mostly by the fact that Mormon's are so unabashedly hateful of it. It's not Krakauer's best, but the fact it's gotten so much attention from the Mormon Church, just might mean it warrants some attention from you.
Rating:
Summary: These reviews are almost as interesting as the book itself
Review: After I finished reading this book, I came to Amazon looking for the official Mormon response to the book, which I suspected would be quite angry. I haven't been disappointed. The reviews here, especially by detractors of the book, are almost as entertaining as the book. The detractors to this book have a number of complaints, which boil down to three general themes: 1) it is hard to read, 2) it is inaccurate or sources biased accounts, 3) it is anti-Mormon or anti-religion. The first is somewhat true, but perhaps unavoidable. The second is hard to refute without an exhaustive investigation into Mormon history, but seems misplaced. The third is just absurd. HARD TO READ/UNREADBABLE
This book is harder to read than Into Thin Air, which I could not put down. That's why I gave it only 4 stars. But that may be unavoidable because there are multiple facets to this story: the Lafferty storyline, the FLDS storyline and the Mormon storyline. You can't really tell the first without the second, or the second without the third. I don't know if the book would be more or less readable if broken into three sections or told chronologically, but Krakauer doesn't try these approaches. Instead, he jumps back and forth between the three stories throughout the book. The result is that the book seems somewhat disjointed, and you can lose track of who he is talking about. To his credit, he repeatedly describes how different people are related to the story as he brings them up after an interlude, but even so, the story is not a "smooth" read even if it is an interesting one. INACCURATE HISTORY, NO FOOTNOTES
I cannot vouch for the accuracy of the facts on which Krakauer bases his book. But if you look for citations to specific inaccuracies in among the reviews of the detractors -- some of whom claim to be scholars in the LDS church -- you will be hard pressed to find them. Some of these reviews provide citations to other histories of the LDS church, but all are sanctioned by the LDS church itself. One of the points Krakauer's makes is that the LDS church has done everything possible to control its history, including by excommunicating those who challenge official accounts. (And the LDS church seems to have excommunicated just about anyone having to do with the FLDS church - a point made by several detractors in these reviews -- so its hard not to credit Krakauer's point here.) He also alleges that the LDS church has sought to rewrite, or at least soften, the original violent history of the church and some of the more extreme actions and beliefs of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young. If this is true, looking to the sources favored by the official church will hardly get you closer to the full truth. It would be interesting to see a debate between Krakauer and officials from the church over these facts, but I doubt that will happen anytime soon. BIASED AGAINST MORMONISM/RELIGION
You can't tar Krakauer with being anti-religion because he freely confesses in the author's remarks that he is an agnostic. Everyone approaches issues of religion and morality with some bias, whether you admit it or not. Frankly, I thought it was refreshing to have him admit where he was coming from. And I don't think you can fairly tar those who ask how to reconcile faith and reason with being anti-religion. If it bothers you to have to think about those issues, this isn't the book for you. Every religion asks its believers to believe in certain storylines which seem fantastic and inherently unreasonable. Many of these stories describe disturbing events which are used to illustrate a point. For example, the Old Testament story of Joseph about to sacrifice his son to God to show his obedience to God. We read that story today as a parable of religious devotion in a holy time, but taken literally it is quite alarming. Moreover, if Joseph tried that today, he would certainly be locked up (and would lose custody of his son). One of the interesting things about this story is that it all happens in the last 175 years and in the United States. That makes the claims of the original founders that much harder to swallow and makes the issues of religious fanaticism vs. devotion that much more real. After all, if it is true that even one person can receive instructions from God, and if those instructions necessarily override man-made laws, how can you deter any religious extremist, whether they started out Mormon or Muslim, Christian, Jewish, etc.? There are no doubt better books about LDS history, FLDS history and faith and reason and religious extremism. Perhaps there are even better journalistic accounts of the Lafferty murders somewhere. But Krakauer does a good job of distilling a lot of information in a short amount of space to provide a context for the murders and to ask the tough questions that they raise.
Rating:
Summary: A shocking true to life story of a violent faith
Review: A well written story about mormonism. Mr. Krakauer investigative journalism revealed unbiase/balanced report of the subject religion, mostly taken to previous publish report and people inside the congregation. LDS and its officials should read it with an open mind and an open heart to understand truly their origin of faith. But Jon forget to include some bible passages such as Isaias 34:16, 1 Timothy 3:1-16 and Matthew 26:51-52 that would strenghten his story that Joseph Smith is a FALSE prophet that lead millions of people today to follow blindly. An eye opener for those who believe they are God's Chosen people.
Rating:
Summary: Why the Mormons Hate This Book
Review: There is a reason why so many Mormons hate this book with a passion: It explodes their weakly constructed fantasy they are God's one true people. It's very comforting for Mormons to have this belief and hope. John Krakauer brilliantly tells the story of those believers who fell for the shennenagans of the charismatic Joseph Smith so many years ago and still do today. Having grown up in a cult myself, Jehovah's Witnesses, and having talked to Mormons who have knocked on my door, it is amazing to see how both groups gulp down fantastic nonsense without making sure what they believe stands the test of truth. The Mormons who knock on my door are massively ignorant of the origins, good and bad, of their own faith. Now I understand why. This book is rich in history and is written with a disciplined view of telling the truth as it happened and letting the reader judge for themselves. Highly recommended.
| 
