Rating: 
Summary: A MUST-READ!
Review: Jon Krakauer seeks to tell not just the immediate story of the Lafferty murders, but of the story behind that story - the story which allowed the murders to happen, and allows Lafferty to believe in his own innocence. Krakauer is a mountain-climber - his last book Into Thin Air was a gripping account of a catastrophic ascent of Everest which he participated in - and he approaches this story as a mountain-climber would. An understanding of the Lafferty murders is merely the summit. What Krakauer does is navigate himself, and the reader to that summit - or at least the closest possible approximation of it. This is indeed a mountainous story - the story of a religion (Mormonism, aka the Church of the Latter-Day Saints or LDS) and a corresponding extremism (Fundamental Mormonism or FLDS) each bred almost entirely in the United States, entirely in an age of science and the printing press, that survives, and in fact, thrives today internationally and will no doubt continue to grow - a religion that paradoxically thrives even in the "rational" world of science, engineering and education. The story of Fundamentalist Mormonism (not to be confused with the mainstream LDS which finds Fundamentalism contemptible) is a biblical saga rife with war, mass exodus, banishments, betrayals, grandiose leaders, and bitter opponents, and Krakauer leads us up this mountain with his critical inquisitiveness and the epic stamina and level-headedness of a seasoned guide. The story is broken up into four parts, alternating between Mormon history and the contemporary story of the Lafferty killings and subsequent trials. Under the Banner of Heaven, like Krakauer's previous books, is a definite nail-biter, but he's not peddling easy sensationalism here. This is a book that was clearly a spiritual journey for its author, and in many ways, it can be for the reader as well. A terrific book! Also recommended: THE LOSERS' CLUB by Richard Perez
Rating:
Summary: Methinks they doth protest too much
Review: I really wanted to find fault with this book so that I might suggest the alternate title 'Into the Trash' but, fortunately, that was not the case. Contrary to what many reviewers would have you believe, 'Under the Banner of Heaven' is not poorly researched nor is it intended to be an attack on religion in general or the Mormon Church in specific. Krakauer's portrayal of early LDS history is well-supported, often by church records. In cases where he ventures into speculation he says so and limits his speculation to cases, such as the Powell expedition murders, where supporting evidence exists. Krakauer showed restraint in these chapters by choosing not to include the murder of the U.S. Survey party of John W. Gunnison and other suspicious deaths in the area. What I found most fascinating, though, is the theological issues that this book brings up. Krakauer does not denigrate religion per se but poses the question of what is the dividing line between faith and fanaticism. If we can believe that God told Isaiah to kill his own son, why can't we believe that he didn't also tell Dan Lafferty to kill his brother's wife? It's an unpleasant question but it makes you think and that is something Jon Krakauer is very good at.
Rating:
Summary: Wow! A real eye opener.
Review: This was an outstanding inside view of a lunatic religion. It definitely points out the facts and explains a tremendous amount of mystery in the Mormon religion. If you are a Mormon, you might be offended. I challenge you to read it anyway and weigh the facts for yourself. If half of what Krakauer says is based in facts, then it would behoove any person to consider who and what they follow. While it focuses mainly on the Fundamentalists, it definitely sheds a light on Joseph Smith and the unorthodox life he lived as well as the people he controlled. Overall, it was great reading and very well put together. I found it very hard to put down. After Into Thin Air, Krakauer has raised the bar again.
Rating: 
Summary: useless, read 'into the wild' or 'into thin air'
Review: Krakauer used to be a respected adventure jurnalist for outside magazine. He first caught everyones attention by writing a book about a yuppie kid who dies in Alaska while trying to go 'into the wild'. His next book was a landmark account of the 1998 death season on Everest where about 20 people went 'into thin air' and never returned including the guide for the group Jon was with. Now Jon has put his sights on the radical Mormon settlements and critiqued religion in the process. Maybe Jon should visit Mecca to see some read fanatics or even the west bank and see some orthodox Jews(do they take the Uzi's off in the mikveh???). Jon K has drawn our attention to the many small settlements of Mormon radicals who dot the western hemisphere. He wants us to beleive these viscious religious people are somehow a threat to normalcy. Maybe they are a threat to the wine and brie crowd, but these religious fanatics dont want to stroll donw fifth avenue, they want to be left alone. Krakauer brings our attention to some guy who has 20 wives or something(and of course he must point out that Brigham Young had lots of wives, the last of which was a teenager). Yet Krakauer does not mention Henry the 6th or Mohommed who both had teenage wives among the many they had. Why is this? Is Krakauer afraid that He might be english and theirfore a descendent of Polygamous Henry VI or is Jon afraid of offending America's new privilidged class, the muslims. Polygamy is practiced in Islam after all. So why is bad when radical Mormons want to have a few wives? Eh Jon? Why is it ok for the Saudis, but not us Americans? Or is Krakauer just jealous he cant get more then one lady at a time. This book is a waste. it sopposedly bills itself as shedding some light on religous fanatics but in fact it doesnt. All fundamentalist religious people are mostly the same, they keep to themselves and they act strange(go visit some hasidic Jews and youll understand). But its strange to us and to draw such fire upon them and castigate them and then to imply that Mormonism as a religion is upsetting because these radicals exist is just a bad conclusion to a book that did no need to be written. Krakauer should have made this a magazine article and kept it at that, or he should keep to outdoor adventure writing, which is what he is good at.
Rating:
Summary: Another good one
Review: This was the best book I've read all year. This guy is such a good writer. The story just kept delivering and it was hard to put down.
Rating: 
Summary: Objective and well written
Review: Krakauer did a wonderful job of being objective and interesting. I think some of the other reviewers were a bit sensitive to Krakauer's criticism of fanatics (not Mormons). Lets face it, there are fanatics in every religion, and their beliefs as individuals do not represent any religion as a whole.
Rating:
Summary: Powerful and Moving
Review: Jon Krakauer continues to write brilliant, well-researched books that make the reader think long after completing the book. Following up Into Thin Air and Into the Wild with another terrific book seemed unlikely, but Krakauer has managed to do it. His look at a tragic double murder, and the Mormon Fundamendalist movement, will shock and outrage most rational people. He gives us an insight into a part of America that most of us will never see. As terrible as the murders were, the most horrifying aspect of the book is the disregard that these groups have for women, and their use of underage innocent girls in the name of religion. For someone who enjoys non-fiction, this is a terrific read.
Rating:
Summary: enlightening
Review: Excellent, provocative, and disturbing. A 'must read' for mature, rational beings. Krakauer does a fine job of researching a controversial topic. This book is about fundamentalism, but challenges religion in general. In my opinion, God=Nature and we had best respect Nature or we are sunk. I congratulate Krakauer for having the courage to write this book. Let us pay attention to what this means for our country and our world, particularly in the arena of politics. The irrational and simplistic view of 'good vs. evil' is an example of fundamentalism at its worst.
Rating: 
Summary: what's it all about
Review: What is this book? Is it a true crime story or a forum for Krakauer to put forth his anti-religion ideas?. Whichever it is, it doesn't seem to have resonance with readers as it is sinking like a stone. Down to 78.
Rating:
Summary: Hardly Objective
Review: I am a great admirer of this author. I found his books "Into The Wild" and "Into Thin Air" quite compelling reading; real page turners. In Under The Banners Of Heaven, when the author sticks to the facts of the horrendous double-murder, and the chronology of events, he does a great job.
However, I think that he over-reaches when he tries so hard to connect the actions of the criminals involved with the history of Mormonism. This is the area where, I believe, he loses objectivity and paints with an over-broad stroke. He tries too hard to make a moral and causal connection between the 19th century violence involved in the evolution of Mormonism (much of which was violence against the Mormons)and the acts of the criminals involved in the 1985 murders. The 19th century and the westward movement were filled with violence and lawlessness, one group against the other. One can hardly fault the early Mormons for fighting back. (One could just as well fault the Jews of Israel for fighting back).
Whatever the quirks and other unusual practices of modern day break-away,fundamentalist "Mormon" sects, one thing is clear: those groups are not Mormon, nor are they at all representative of the Mormon Church. Anyone who murders in the Name of God, (as the criminals involved herein claim to have done)is committing an evil blasphemy. These criminals murdered because they wished to murder, and they alone bear the responsibility. The Mormon Church vehementely condemned the actions of these criminals, and rightly so. For the author to paint these murderers as an inevitable outcome of Mormonism or the history of Mormonism is unbalanced and unfair(to the Church). I gave this book 4 stars because I think it should be read; when it sticks to the chronology of the crime, it is quite good. However, it becomes seriously unbalanced and unfair when trying to pin the actions of individuals (who have free will) on Mormonism.
| 
