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Summary: Mormo-Jihad in a word.
Review: People are scared of the trueh about the violebnce of religion. Jihad in a word.I have read this book several times over the past ten years, and referred back to it after reading biographies by others who often slander Ms. Brodies work. It is an excellent portrait of what Mr. Jefferson may have been like, both flattering and not so flattering, but always fascinating. I always enjoy it because it captures so many people around Jefferson so well, such as his mentor George Wythe and his father-in-law John Wayles, both who took a slave concubine after becoming widowers. This book is about relationships and their social times. Ms. Brodie weighed in on Jefferson being the father of Sally Hemming's children when it was not popular to taint him with human emotions. She would be proved right on at least one of Ms. Hemming's children, Eston, being fathered by the same Y chromosome that Jefferson's own father carried. Unfortunately Ms. Brodie did not live to see the scientific vindication of her research and insight. The Jefferson family has long claimed that Sally's children who favored Jefferson were fathered by nephew Samuel Carr, Jefferson's sister Martha's son. But Sam couldn't pass that Jefferson Y chromosome! This book is a must read for everyone who is interested in understanding the Sage of Montecello. It makes the world of Jefferson come to life and allow the reader to walk in the times of his day, his friendships, enemies, depressions, joys, trials, and triumphs. Brodie takes the time to richly describe the other individuals in Jefferson's life, there by providing to the reader great scholarship that is immensely personal and interesting. No single book can capture Jefferson's philosophy and accomplishments; but this book is a must read for a study of the personality of one of the most complex and interesting men in the history of our civilization. It is the most fun book on Jefferson and his times that one can read.
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Summary: American Fundamentalism
Review: Framed around the vicious murders of 2 people in 1984, Krakauer examines the history of both Mormonism and its many splintered fundamentalist offshoots. He covers familiar ground in the early history of Joseph Smith's founding of the religion, and the trek by Brigham Young to Utah when the Mormon's hoped to settle in an area free from the interference of the Federal government. Less well known incidents include the Mountain Meadow massacre, where an entire wagon train of 'gentile' settlers was wiped out on orders of Brigham Young. He jumps back and forth, a technique which works when showing how the revelation filled delusions of 2 brothers who planned the murders derives from Mormon traditions; but the technique is more jarring when discussing current travels and histories of the polygamist heterodox sects of fundamentalist Mormonism. The most upsetting portions of the book are not the murder or trial sections, but the descriptions of the psychological and cultural pressures that prevent women from rejecting the demands of husbands and fathers that result in polygamy and incest.
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Summary: At least he was kind enough to confess his bias - in the end
Review: Krakauer so masterfully intertwines fact with fiction that it is impossible to distinguish one from the other unless you posess a substantial background with which to decode his effort. He attempts to explore certain religions from the perspective of those who engage in abborrant behaviour not espoused by any religion he investigates. In the final few paragraphs Krakauer finally confesses what has already becomes dissapointingly, painfully obvious - he has no understanding of the concept about which he is writing - people of faith - any faith.
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Summary: Controversial and thought-provoking
Review: In "Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith", author Jon Krakauer writes about the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints ("LDS Church"), Mormon Fundamentalism, and especially about Dan and Ron Lafferty. Dan and Ron Lafferty are two fundamentalist Mormons who cruelly murdered a young mother and her infant daughter, under the influence of real or imagined malevolent supernatural guidance. Krakauer writes well, and the book moves quickly. The author carefully researched the Laffertys and Mormon Fundamentalism. On those subjects, Krakauer relies on interviews with present and former Mormon fundamentalists and Dan Lafferty himself. Krakauer also studied transcripts of the criminal proceedings against the Laffertys. The author's history of the LDS Church has provoked controversy. I am previously familiar with LDS Church history only in outline, so I can't vouch for Krakauer's complete accuracy about that (acknowledging, of course, that complete confidence in historical conclusions is always perilous). However, the author takes apparent pains to be fair and balanced. For example, when he discusses historical atrocities committed by members of the LDS Church, he puts them in context of atrocities perpetrated against the LDS Church. When he discusses the supernatural inspiration of LDS Church founder Joseph Smith, he does so without irony or condescension. Krakauer discusses facts surrounding the origin of the LDS Church that outsiders might find peculiar and disturbing, but he also acknowledges the widely held opinion, which he shares, that Mormons themselves are fine and decent people. Members of the LDS Church might not like or agree with some of what Krakauer writes, but he has not written with a venal spirit. Far from it. Yet to say that the author took pains to be fair is not to say he is unbiased. In the last chapter of his book, Krakauer explains that he set out to write a book about the nature of religious belief. He ended up writing about the murderous Lafferty brothers. Brilliant author and fervent Christian G.K. Chesterton wrote about the venerated Saint Francis of Assisi, but Krakauer writes about men one can only despise. The subject selection reveals the bias. To be fair to Mr. Krakauer, he states that his work-in-progress detoured from the project he originally conceived. However, the final product is what it is. No one would expect a book that showcases notorious religious criminals to portray religion in a favorable light, and, indeed, it does not. Other reviewers have pointed out places where the author's anti-religious bias is explicit. In its broader implications, this book will be red meat for religious skeptics. It will be thought provoking, even challenging, to person who are comfortable in their religious skin, and they might be deeper for having read it. To persons of delicate religious sensibilities, it will be a 358 page justification for bringing back book burnings, unless they possess Mormon-bashing proclivities that blind them to the broader implications of the book.
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Summary: The Perils of Certainty
Review: There is a joke in Utah about tall tales: "It's a story so bizarre only a Mormon could believe it." There is plenty bizarre, and savage, and simply unbelievable but true, in _Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith_ (Doubleday) by Jon Krakauer. Krakauer, whose reputation is that of an outdoor adventure writer, might seem an unusual choice to write about the spiritual bizarreness of Mormon Fundamentalism, but it turns out that this is another fascinating and well-written foray into human extremes. It is not much of a step from _Into the Wild_ which had to do with a young man's deadly obsession to get into the Alaskan wilderness, or _Into Thin Air_ about the egomania of those climbing Everest. Krakauer's latest book has already been condemned by the mainstream Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS), although the polygamous, incestuous, and murderous contemporary prophets herein described are from offshoot sects. But the LDS has reason to take offense. Krakauer does not just tell the story of recent crimes attributed to fundamentalists, but gives a history of the mainstream church and how its principles could have allowed such sociopathic cultism. The central crime in the book is the horrific butchering of Brenda Lafferty and her infant daughter in 1984. Brenda was the wife of Allen, one of five Lafferty brothers who had left Mormonism to enter Mormon fundamentalism, and she spoke out against the change to polygamy. Ron Lafferty got a revelation from God which commanded him to "remove" Brenda and her baby, and he and his brother Dan followed the command. Krakauer shows it was Joseph Smith himself who inserted polygamy into the beliefs of his fledgling church, and he emphasized the importance of personal revelation for all church members. People liked getting revelations directly from God, and if those revelations contradicted the official church revelations, how could anyone tell the difference? Krakauer writes about other chilling examples of Mormon fundamentalism, like the abduction, "marriage," and rape of fourteen-year-old Elizabeth Smart, but he comes back in the end to the imprisoned Dan and Ron Lafferty, whom he interviewed. Dan proved to be a particularly intriguing source. He admits that he has wondered if the murder of Brenda Lafferty and her daughter was some sort of great mistake, but has decided no. He cannot figure out exactly how his acts fit into the imminent return of Jesus, who will welcome him and the faithful to "clear the dance floor for our thousand-year party" after all the nonbelievers are removed. But he is quite certain that he would do it all again: "I was guided by the hand of God." In his concluding remarks, Krakauer acknowledges the need to be open about his own religious persuasion, which is not emphasized through this fascinating book. He grew up in Oregon and had many Mormon teachers and friends. He is an agnostic, who finds himself praying "in times of great fear, or despair, or astonishment at a display of unexpected beauty." It seems to be more than self-justification when he writes, "... accepting the essential inscrutability of existence ... is surely preferable to its opposite: capitulating to the tyranny of intransigent belief." The tyranny of these particular beliefs, certainly. Mormonism is growing to be a religion that will rank among the biggest, and the fundamentalists it has spawned are not diminishing. We are all too familiar with what Muslim fundamentalists can do, and Christian ones like James Jones, and all the Mormon fundamentalists that are portrayed on these pages. I, too, am writing as an agnostic, and maybe I would simply like to have more people leaning toward my view, but it would not be too bad if those murderous believers all had a good deal more doubt.
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Summary: A respected author falls from grace
Review: Some authors, because of their previously published works, have gained the respect of their readers. I suspect that is true of Krakauer. Yet, those same authors can write something about which they know very little and can rapidly lose the respect of their readers. That has certainly happened to Krakauer. I, for one, will never read another Krakauer book. Krakauer fails with this book for several reasons. First, much of the information he writes regarding the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is either entirely false, half truths, and misleading. His research in those areas of the book is greatly lacking. For example, Latter-day Saints do not refer to Jews as Gentiles; the new and everlasting covenant is not used as a euphemism for polygamous marriages; the story of Joseph Smith and Emma going to get the gold plates is pure fabrication; Mark E. Peterson was never President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; women are not excluded from positions of authority in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; and the Laban in the Book of Mormon does not turn up in the Old Testament. Second, from an academic, scholarly perspective, this book receives an "F". It is NOT footnoted as another reviewer has claimed. Krakauer indiscriminately quotes and paraphrases statements without properly siting sources - that's an "F", cheating, plagerism, worthy of expulsion, no matter how you look at it. Third, he quietly leaves out information that uneducated readers would not know anything about, thus having to accept his tilted, fabricated version. Fourth, the work is strictly anti-Mormon, biased, and written in an attempt to damage rather than to inform. A good author would attempt some objectivity. You would think that Krakauer would be as objective with this account as he supposedly was with his previous books. This book fails to be worth reading for these and other reasons. The only parts of the book that are interesting, but you cannot trust anything that Krakauer has written, are those accounts of the pediphile, incestuous, wife beating, murdering, polygamists who don't happen to be members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I expected better from Krakauer!
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Summary: Sex, murder, and the lying liars of Mormonism
Review: We took this book on summer vacation, and my son and I competed for reading time. Riveting. The book is on the face of it a detailed case study of some religious nuts, which Krakauer warns are hardly confined to the Mormons (e.g. The Inquisition). But it is most disturbingly a condemnation of the devious ways of the non-fundamentalist Mormon hierarchy, for example their embracing the concept of "lying for the Lord" (i.e. use of any means to thwart the non-Mormon). Krakauer to his credit repeatedly reminds the reader that Mormonism is subject of special scrutiny as it was started only in the 19th century so we have lots of documentation, e.g., on its charismatic and sexually obsessed founder. In any case, the reader is left to draw his/her own conclusions. In one of the best parts, the author shows the parallels between fundamentalist Christianity and Islam. The actions of the murderous forefathers of the newly appointed head of the US EPA are described. Oh - if you just like juicy sex and-murder stories, there's lots of that here too.
Rating: 
Summary: A Compelling Narrative, But Overreaching In Scope
Review: In his previous bestsellers, Jon Krakauer proved that he has the gifts of a first-rate storyteller. He's got a true mastery of vivid, compelling narratives, and he puts that skill to fine use in this book. At the core of the volume is the story of a heinous double murder committed in 1984 by the Lafferty brothers, a pair of Mormon fundamentalists. The narrative of the brothers and their crime is interwoven with the story of the Elizabeth Smart kidnapping (also carried out by a Mormon fundamentalist) and visits to entire communities where polygamy still thrives, despite its disavowal by the mainstream Mormon church and the laws of the United States. By winning the trust of some of the key participants, Krakauer achieves a vivid, "you are there" feel to the story. The book is subtitled "a story of violent faith," and in his search for the roots of this violence, Krakauer also offers us a history of the birth and growth of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. This history seems to focus almost exclusively on the violent side of those early years....from the assassination of founding prophet Joseph Smith to the infamous Mountain Meadows Massacre, which saw a group of Saints, with help from local Indians, brutally wipe out members of a wagon train. Meanwhile, equally compelling but less lurid phases of Mormon history are given short shrift. It's this second part of the book that loses me. Even though he makes it clear that the Laffertys and their polygamist associates are not sanctioned in any way by the mainline Mormon church, Krakauer seems to be saying that the few brutal stepchildren of the LDS faith are every bit its founders' heirs as are the peaceful, productive, law-abiding millions who have remained part of the mainstream. I find this as hard to accept as I do that the Taliban should be considered on an equal footing with the millions of non-violent Muslims around the globe. Sadly, every faith seems to attract violent and extreme adherents. But it seems to me that blaming their faith for their violence is much like blaming an illness on a symptom, instead of the other way around.
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Summary: A fascinating look at extremist society in general
Review: Mr. Krakauer has generated much pre-release hype for this book, which has indeed painted a rather unflattering - and unflinching - look at the more extremist side of the LDS Church. However, I believe the more central theme of this book is showing that extremist behavior performed under the guise of religion is prevalent in all areas of our society - not just the LDS Church; hence the title "Under the Banner of Heaven". That is what makes the book so effective. Is "Under the Banner of Heaven" a damning expose of LDS culture? In some respects, it may be. The plain fact is that the fundamentalists that Mr. Krakauer focuses on in this book are practicing some very important tenets of LDS faith that have never been fully disavowed by that church at large. Further, the LDS Church has seemingly turned a blind eye to the fundamentalists, so in essence they are accepting of their ideals while publicly stating the opposite. The LDS Church became the focal point of Mr. Krakauer's book because - as he states consistently - it is a truly "American" religion, and one of the fastest growing religions in the world. Also, it is these funadmentalists that have been the center of some large, unsettling news over recent years. The fact that the LDS Church has never fully dealt with these fundamentalists is, in my mind, a good reason for Mr. Krakauer to delve into the church's history and attempt to find how its beliefs were twisted in such a horrible way. As with his famous mountaineering books, Mr. Krakauer brings a great deal of objectivity into "Under the Banner of Heaven". A criticism in some reviews is that he never truly espouses his own opinion, but I think it is his journalistic objectivity and impartiality that strengthens the book. The fundamentalists are a sick and twisted group, and while Mr. Krakauer does drop in a few subtle - if justifiable - criticisms, he is on balance very fair to both the fundamentalist and the LDS Church alike. I also enjoyed the way he weaved the LDS history in with the recounting of fundamentalist society and the gruesome Lafferty murders. LDS history is something not very well known if you are outside the faith, and it is refreshing to have an account as told from an "outsider". I knew very little about the foundations of the LDS Church, and since I have no intentions of being a member, the book was enlightening in that regard. Mr. Krakauer also has the keen ability, in his writing style, to pull the reader in, almost putting you right next to him in his interviews. So, the emotional responses to the questionable and sickening practices of the fundamentalists were stronger. It is this type of writing style that is outstanding - when done right - in nonfiction writing, and Mr. Krakauer is one of the best in that craft. As I said, though, I think that the true point of "Under the Banner of Heaven" is that there are these extremist groups throughout society - not just in the LDS Church - that purport to be affiliated with religious organizations or faith in general. Whether it be Christianity, Islam, or other faiths, these groups do exist, and are not doing God's work. I think that Mr. Krakauer was trying to relay the point that although these extremists are not representative of the religion at large, they are frequently tied to that religion because of the hesitancy of that religion's leaders from completely disavowing them. I think that Mr. Krakauer effectively demonstrated that although we tend to focus on Islamic extremists, there are extremists in our own backyards, too, and they should not be overlooked. All in all, despite being in sharp contrast to his previous writings, Mr. Krakauer has crafted a very strong, powerful, and important book. It is very timely in this era of renewed focus on religious extremism, and deserves to be read by a broad audience. I would recommend it to all (adult) audiences of all faiths - LDS included. It may not be flattering to the LDS Church, but in reality, it could be written about any religion.
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Summary: LDS vs/ TRUTH
Review: It is most difficult for a LDS member to read a book about some of the machinations of the Mormon church. As a former LDS member, I was interested very much in the D&C 132 revelation and the "new" revelations. This is where I believe the author is at his best, pointing to the history of the revelation and then allowing the reader to make up their own mind. Did God say yes to plural wives, and then change his mind, for the government?
Did God say "no" to the negro and then change his mind? This book is a facinating read, although a family tree would do well to help us keep the players straight. Some of the information is not pretty and if you are a LDS you will find it difficult, but then the truth is not always pretty. Two sides to every story? Absolutely, and that is where this book polarizes the reviewers. LDS vs. Truth.
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