Rating: 
Summary: eye opener
Review: People, for all of you who think this is a history book, this is not the book for you. All of us who have read Krakauer, know that although his style of writing appears journalistic it is loaded with his own opinions and conclusions. This book appeals to those who want to take a closer look at fundamentalist sects right here in our own backyards. We do not have to go to the Middle East or blame the Taliban for all the wrongdoings in the World. He concentrates his focus on the Fundamentalist Mormon groups and their outrageous ideals but do not forget many of the problems that plague this nation is caused by the large political influence other fundamentalist groups (Southern Baptist, for example) exert in our nation.
I personally like the anti-Joseph Smith position carried on in this book. I recognize he had to have been a great man to be able to create his own Religion and one of trhe fastest growing one, to say the least. But it is good to see this man was no HOLY MAN. It is good to see he was able to influence the "multitude" with his Charisma but in all he was a very confused man and let his own personal desires dictate and rule his life. It is sad that some of these became official "dictates" supposedly from GOd but were only meant to create control and establish him as the only leader of this group of blind sheep he led. Enough for now
Rating:
Summary: Provocative exposé of Utah culture.
Review: This book is a must read for all people in America who have questions about the Mormon faith. The freshly scrubbed and wholesome looking missionary at your door has a doppelganger back home in Utah who is much more Moslem than Christian in his world view. Mr. Krakauer has done the nation a great service by exposing the truth about the dangers of all fundamentalist religions, and in particular one whose basic tenants sanction violence against non-believers and apostates, as well as plural marriage and a theocracy wherein the citizen consecrates all property to the church. The books greatest achievement is to be able to bring several seemingly disparate historical occurrences and concisely put them into context. The Morrisite war, mentioned by Mark Twain in " Roughing It", the Mountain Meadows massacre, the attacks on numerous emigrant wagon trains which were blamed on the American Indians, the murder of Brenda Lafferty and her baby and the Elizabeth Smart saga all have a common set of root causes. Some critics have suggested the book is inaccurate because it is not properly footnoted but if you want to know its sources just read the acknowledgements. Other authors whom have written books that are more scholarly and heavily footnoted are Faun Brodie, Will Bagley and Brent Metcalf. There is a problem for the mainstream Mormon Church today. The real American talaban living in Hilldale, Utah with four wives and twenty children, who is willing to slit the throat and abdomen of any one whom he considers to be unrighteous is practicing the true " Celestial Masonry" revealed to Joseph Smith and practiced by all Mormons until the early twentieth century.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting...
Review: I read and enjoyed Jon Kraukauer's "Under the Banner of Heaven" but was ultimately frustrated by the meandering structure and repetitive language. A more thorough editor might have noticed his tendency to repeat certain words and ideas, and could have framed the narrative in a more cohesive order. My guess is that a rush editing job is to blame for what is an otherwise successful book. The book works on several different levels. It is a criminal justice story, about a grusome, religiously motivated murder. It is the history of a uniquely American religion, the Latter Day Saints, and one of its scarier offshoots, Morman fundamentalism. The book details the origins of this religion in Palmyra,NY, to its westward trek to Salt Lake City. The lives of the key leaders, from Joseph Smith (who founded the religion after a series of visions) to Brigham Young (who took over after Smith and his brother were killed by an angry mob), are detailed, as is the split within early forms of the religion. One of the most hotly contested issues was plural marriage, which was eventually banned by the mainstream LDS church. It is still practiced by approximately 30,000 Morman fundamentalists, many of whom have been excommunicated from the church. A secular audience will likely be horrified by the misogyny and patriarchal control of Morman fundamentalism. There are apt parallels to Islamic fundamentalism, and many of the details of this story seem impossible in modern America. I don't think any intelligent reader of this book will confuse these practices with the beliefs of the mainline LDS church, although there are still some historical connections between the two. There are millions of Mormons in the world (it is the fastest growing religion in the West) and a tiny percentage practice polygamy, and that is a distinction that is made clear in this book. Definately worth a look.
Rating:
Summary: Not historical?
Review: This book is a fascinating look at a very strange religion. Admittedly "the church", as it is known in Utah, does not condone the deaths of Brenda and Erica Lafferty but there is a clear link from the murders to the teachings of the church. No wonder this book is driving Mormons nuts. They keep saying it is inaccurate but when you ask for examples the only footnotes they can give is God. God said it happened a different way. To them that is a perfectly logical answer. Where rationality ends, faith begins. Although there are several excellent books dealing with one aspect of Mormon history or another (read No Man Knows My History, by Mormon Fawn Brodie who was excommunicated for her work, or Will Bagley's book on the Mountain Meadows massacre), this book brings it all together and connects the dots. It is readable and historically accurate. Unless of course you believe God can rewrite history.
Rating:
Summary: Undoubtedly too true for the God fearing
Review: I am an individual with solid Mormon ancestry on both sides. I believe that this is first book that seamlessly combines a starkly realistic and accurate account of Mormon history and militant Mormon fundamentalism. In the process, it demonstrates the relationship between the two and exposes the inevitable consequences of strongly held religious beliefs, consequences that are strewn through out history, but are here etched into dramatic relief by a religion conjured up only 170 years ago.
Rating: 
Summary: Depends on what you're looking for
Review: I was surprised to have enjoyed "Under the Banner of Heaven" as it is not my typical pick. I usually enjoy true-crime subject matter, and in this genre, I was pleased with the story and the way it was written. I do, however, have some reluctance to recommend this book as a factual account of Mormonism. I am most suspicious of the generalizations made regarding the various sects of the LDS church and their beliefs. I find the manner in which Jon Krakauer presents this aspect of the book almost inciting and the people with whom he speaks to all be "on one side of the fence" in regards to their take on present of past experiences within the religion.
Rating: 
Summary: rushed to the printer
Review: As a True Crime story Krakauer succeeds in my opinion. He writes a compelling tale. As a reporter, historian and analyst he trips up with a thud. For example: You can read in the book that Porter Rockwell is believed to have made an attempt on the Governor Missouri Boggs life in 1842 but Krakauer says "...Rockwell had no difficulty eluding arrest. Neither he nor any other Saint was ever brought to justice for the deed." page 106
Later in chapter 19 you can read Krakauer's assertion that despite the belief of most credible historians - Mormons rather than Shivwitts Indians were responsible for the 1869 murder of 3 members (Dunn and 2 Howland brothers) of the Wesley Powell expedition party. The most compelling evidence for this assertion Krakauer believes, is that "...nobody attempted to punish the Shivwits who'd allegedly killed Dunn and the Howlands--no real effort was even made to recover their valuable guns, scientific instruments or papers from the Indians."
After reading this last quote on page 244 I wondered -if lack of punishment is evidence for innocence, why doesn't Krakauer apply that same reasoning to Porter Rockwell's alleged attempt on Bogg's life?
But wait -- it turns out that Krakauer got it very wrong on page 106. Rockwell was indeed arrested, but never indicted. Due to lack of evidence, he was eventually released.
This in Missouri where Bogg's had issued an extermination order on all Mormons. An order that wasn't officially removed until about 20 years ago. It would seem that the state of Missouri and Governor Bogg's suddenly became very generous to Mormonfolk. But this is beside my point which is: I would like to see Krakauer come back with an addendum at least, to answer the questions that have been raised concerning his scholarship. Maybe even issue a revised more balanced edition. As it stands, it seems to be akin to the Fox News channel's idea of "fair and balanced" journalism.
Rating:
Summary: What to expect from this wonderful book
Review: I think that what Krakauer set out to do was to examine the lives and beliefs of two fundamentalists, to discuss how fundamentalism breaks away from and distorts the main-stream, and how two once rational people could be so caught up in this type of zealotry that they could commit such a heinous crime without remorse. I believe that Krakauer accomplished these goals with integrity and aplomb. But it seems to me, in reading other reviews, that some people were confused as to what kind of book he was intending to write. It seems clear to me that while this is a scholarly work, it is not an academic work. The lack of constant source citations was not an issue for me because, frankly, I think that they would reduce readability and are unnecessary. This book reads like a newspaper article (sans citations) rather than a journal article (with citations); that shouldn't lead people to impugn it as a work of poor scholarship or research. (God knows what reading the newspaper would be like if journalists had to cite every source in MLA format throughout each article.) I enjoyed the respect with which Krakauer treats his subjects. He presents their point of view without irony or cynicism and allows the reader to make his or her own judgments about what they've said. I was also surprised that some readers seemed to expect a complete history of the Mormon Church. Krakauer makes it clear from the first page and throughout the book that his is a discussion of fundamentalism. He is not writing a complete history or ethnography of Mormonism; he is simply providing the reader with the history relevant to the murders that are at the heart of the narrative. I didn't find his book to be anti-Mormon in any way. He provides sympathetic examples of main-stream Mormons, fundamentalists, apostates from both churches and non-Mormons. He also provides unsympathetic examples of the same. In my opinion, Krakauer's desire is to explore at which exact point religious extremes become criminal. I think that part of understanding the personal histories of the Lafferty Brothers is understanding all of the rumors and contradictions with which they grew up. Krakauer is very careful to indicate which of his versions of historical events is the accepted version and which is the rumored version. I was never under the impression that he hoped that his readers would believe the rumored versions of events (which he always indicates are of dubious documentation) as the gospel truth. I was under the impression that he hoped that his readers would understand that the accepted version of events is not the only story, and that his subjects were aware of these other, rumored histories. His digressions into the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are superbly interwoven with the personal histories and narratives of Ron and Dan Lafferty. He presents a piece of their story and then pauses, steps back, and provides a broader context in which to understand that piece. I didn't open this book expecting an exegesis of past Mormon scholarship. I didn't expect a history of the church. I expected just what the cover of the book promised: the story of two murders in a fundamentalist community and an exploration of the violent history of that community. Perhaps that is why I enjoyed this book so thoroughly. And perhaps false expectations might explain why other readers have been so disappointed. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in an in-depth dissection of a crime and the history of the culture that created the criminals. I would not recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a LDS party-line indictment of polygamy, an academic history suffering from citation pox, or an anti-Mormon tell-all. Krakauer is an excellent writer and "Under the Banner of Heaven" is an excellent book.
Rating:
Summary: The story
Review: As a non-mormon living in a mormon community in Arizona, Jon Krakauer gives a fascinating history of the LDS and FLDS splinter groups. Many of the chilling beliefs of Ron and Dan Lafferty are still found in the mainline church today. For instance, the plural marriages that the FLDS enspouses are still found in the Book of Mormon today, only the marriages happen in heaven. Again the mormons in the elected position in the Utah and Arizona governments annual block any attempt to clean up the Colorado City mess. In conclusion, many of the LDS belief are going to hate this book, but if one has an open mind this is a well written book that must be read carefully. Compare what you learn in this book against the wholesome ads the mormons put on television.
Rating:
Summary: Under the Banner of Sex
Review: Being from a "mixed marriage," (my Mother was Presbyterian, my Father, Mormon), it was with great anticipation that I bought "Under the Banner of Heaven." I learned much more about Mormonism than I had in years of listening to the paternal side of my family or reading "The Book of Mormon." My Mother referred to Mormonism as that "crackpot religion," and refused to let me be brought up a Mormon, which caused no end of problems with her in-laws. Personally, I've never been able to understand how Mormons can consider Joseph Smith a prophet who handed down these laws while he continued to bed and marry girls as young as 14. And how any free-thinking woman could accept polygamy is beyond me! The crimes of Dan and Ron Lafferty, who cut the throats of their sister-in-law and baby niece, are merely the subplot in this engrossing book. The Latter Day Saints Church is the protagonist. "Saints" don't like this book, and for good reason. Understanding what the religion is all about makes it even scarier that this is the fastest growing religion in the world. "Under the Banner of Heaven" is an absorbing book that I won't soon forget.
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