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Summary: from one "under heaven's banner..."
Review: Enough has been written here about this book. I needn't repeat what's been said by most of the reviewers. Needless to say, as usual, I enjoyed Krakauer's work. This time around, it hit home--literally and figuratively. I've been raised in the midst of the story Krakauer relates. I've lived in it and I've studied it all my life.
Degrees, titles, and education aside, this is a great book. From one who knows the Mormon Church and its history first hand, both modern and "ancient", with all of its Lafferty-esque quirks, I recommend it to every reader interested. One of the next big interfaces in the years to come will be between the Latter Day Saints and the "Gentiles". This book will help you understand the church a bit better. It's worth the time and it's very approachable. **Push things a bit scholastically and follow up Krakauer's notes and references with your own research. It will be well worth it.
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Summary: Worthwhile subject, substandard writing
Review: I really admired Mr. Krakauer's last two books, so hoped I could give this one a 5-star rating as well, but find that I just can't. It just plain isn't written very well. His previous efforts were very personal; we got to know the characters as 3-dimensional people. But in this volume Krakauer stands back - sometimes very far back. This is particularly true in the later Mormon history chapters when the more fully developed characters of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young are out of the picture. I got a little bored with his throwing out names of people we don't know and won't hear about further in order to illustrate violent events. These events began to sound very similar to each other..offering us little more to chew on than a thin chronology. Clearly, "standing back" is not the author's forte. But I'll give him two stars for taking a risk and tackling this potentially worthwhile subject matter.
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Summary: Another Journalistic Masterpiece
Review: From "Into the Wild" to "Into Thin Air," Jon Krakauer has proven himself a masterful storyteller, and "Under the Banner of Heaven" is no different. Whether he's shedding light on the dangers of mountain climbing or fundamentalist religions, Krakauer has a keen eye for the story, and a riveting way with telling it. His writing is incisive and startling, and he's not afraid to say it like it is. Read this book, then attend a Mormon historical pagaent and you'll see that the difference between what the Mormon religion professes to be and what it actually is--especially when sanitized by revisionist history--is astonishing. Krakauer's insights, woven within his haunting narrative, puts this book right up there on the shelf with the rest of his superb work. It's very apparent that, no matter what he takes on, Krakauer is here to stay as one of our most gifted American writers.
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Summary: Under the Banner of Heaven
Review: This book is like a spiritual car wreck for a traditional Christian like myself. We don't want to look, but atlas, once we do, we're engrossed in the story of how the love of the Almighty can be turned into the will of man. The horrible story of the death of the woman and her baby at the hands of men who told their intentions to so many people who did not speak up is almost beyond belief, but there it is in factual black and white. And the details of the kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart are sensitive ones that I have not heard or read before in all the extensive reporting done of that case, (those reports did this surely to protect the youngster and those who love her), but a necessary detail in this story. However, the point was brought home how unfair the justice system is that would dedicate superhuman efforts in one child's case, but ignore the pleas of an older sister that her 14 year old sister was being married off to an older man who would soon rape her. I just find the whole affair very sad and twisted. I also don't understand why basic Christainity, with its edict that God is love and its universal invitation for all humans to have a personal relationship with God is not enough for some folks. I don't understand why addendums to the Bible need excite people so much that they lose their memory on what the orginal, simple message of Jesus Christ was. "Love me with all your heart and soul and love your neighbor as you love yourself." Thought-provoking book in the very least.
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Summary: Excellent read
Review: When I started reading the book I couldn't put it down. I aboslutely loved it. What a fascinating religion Mormonism is and how American it is. I have a lot of Mormon friends and I don't think any less of them after reading the book. The bottom line is faith as is with any religion. You have to really believe in Joseph Smith and that God chose to reveal himself through him. That said, Krakauer points out how dangerous believing in revelations from God can be especially when you have people with narcistic personality disorders.
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Summary: An interesting secular perspective on Mormon culture
Review: Jon Krakauer has wandered a bit afield in "Under the Banner of Heaven". While he has a fair amount of expertise in outdoor activities (mountaineering, hiking, etc), giving him a framework for writing his prior two books "Into the Wild" and "Into Thin Air", he approaches violent faith as an agnostic. That may be part of what makes this book work. As expected, Mormons are borderline apoplectic over this book. The Mormon church even went so far as to issue a direct response on their website, attacking Krakauer and his book, unprecedented as they normally try to appear above the fray while sending the attack dogs at FARMS after the offending author. As a former Mormon and current Christian, I have to work through some areas where Krakauer paints a broad brush over all people of faith but overall I found his tone respectful, someone who does not necessarily believe but does not chastise others for doing so. The addition of the Elizabeth Smart kidnapping is excellent, giving a timely example of Mormonism being cult-like in it's absolute fealty to priesthood authority. Krakauer includes a quote stating that only a Mormon girl could have been as controlled as Elizabeth Smart was, having grown up to accept the teachings of loony false prophets. Compare this to women who are bullied into accepting polygamous relationships, and the pattern of unquestioning obedience becomes clear. Krakauer makes some minor errors, and oversimplifies a ton of Mormon theology. In describing Joseph Smith's seminal event, he skips right to Moroni and the plates, completely ignoring the "appearance" of God and Jesus as separate individuals (perhaps the varied tales of who appeared was so confusing that he just left it out, as Smith himself seems confused by who appeared). The book also jumps around a lot, going from modern times to early Mormon history and back. This can be a bit jarring. Yet Krakauer fully admits he is not out to write a comprehensive history of Mormonism or a detailed critique of Mormon theology, all of which have been duly documented in a number of fine works including "One Nation Under Gods", "Mormon America" and "No Man Knows My History". It is Krakauer's lack of a theological bone to pick that makes this work useful to secular audiences who see Mormonism in large part as the church spins it: hard working, chaste and all-American. Mormons find it easy to dismiss Christian critics, but less so a somewhat neutral observer. Having grown up near a lot of Mormons, Krakauer was curious as to what made them tick and in doing so found a darker underside that the modern Mormon church would just as soon hide. For the average reader, unversed in the real history of Mormonism, it will come as a shock that the Mormon history is full of characters like Porter Rockwell more so than the Osmonds and a church that prides itself on being all-American has a history full of borderline treason and flaunting the law. As a Christian, I also found this book eye opening for its look at the agnostic view of religion, one that must seem in some cases to be not very appealing. I especially was struck by his description of Christians at the Hill Cumorah pageant as seeming very grim and dour, a good lesson that we should be sharing the message of Christ with joy, not with long faces. Under the Banner of Heaven is an engaging read, probably really a 4 star book but I gave it 5 just because it sticks in the craw of the Mormon hierarchy! Overall a very worthwhile read, as long as you take it for what it is intended to be.
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Summary: The truth is out there, and its stranger than fiction
Review: Jon Krakauer looks under the covers of the fastest growing church in America and the result is an amazing true story that is stranger than fiction. This is Paul Harvey's "the rest of the story" on Mormons. History is the Monica Lewinski of the LDS church. Jon's book gives an independant researcher's viewpoint. Jon is not part of the church, nor is he an attacker against the church. He simply found an intriguing story and writes an engaging book that I couldn't put down. Jon's refreshing plain truth style alows me to use my own mind to decide what to believe. A Fascinating look at the edges of the LDS church story. I grew up in the Mormon faith, served as an LDS missionary, graduated from BYU, married in the Temple and always received the scrubbed version of LDS history. This book containes the missing parts of the stories of controversy. Most LDS documents and history remain in a UT mountain, locked away like the Arc in Indiana Jones. Nobody has access; nobody can get in; There is no library card. Jon does the work of discovering and demystifing the LDS church for the reader. The truth will set you free.
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Summary: Loved the Cover, Loved the story...Love the controversy....
Review: Just for a little balance...This book will be panned extensively by the Mormon community. So, as an objective, thoughtful, spiritual person, I'll say that the facts are pretty much presented in an unbiased, sensitive way...
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Summary: A Peek Inside an Extremist Culture
Review: I feel Mr. Krakauer's book is quote an enjoyable read. Prior to reading his work, I had only the vaguest notions concerning Mormons and their various practices and beliefs. I would like to point out that, unlike several other reviewers on this site, Krakauer's work did not leave me with a negative impression of the Mormon religion as a whole, but rather an understanding of how extremist groups are able to encourage and condone violence against innocent individuals. I am somehow not surprised that some readers decided, since they did not approve of some of the content in the book, to find small (albeit valid) errors in certain historical accounts as if to discredit the main points of Krakauer's work. However, it should be noted that this book is not intended as a historical account of Mormonism (as the author himself notes several times), but rather as a glimpse into the myriad ways in which extremist groups cause trouble for peaceful, civilized human beings. These errors in no way cast any doubt on the analysis of fundamentalist groups that Krakauer provides. If you are a rational, fairly reasonable person; you will probably not have many objections to this book, other than the occasional error concerning specific facts which are not relevant to the conclusions that are drawn. If you are a fundamentalist, or a sympathizer, you might find this work objectionable, simply due to the fact that the author does not support your viewpoint. But then again, I doubt any work that doesn't support your worldview, regardless of what merit it may have, will ever satisfy these types of "people." These sorts of "people" might use nonsensical statements such as "an agnostic cannot be expected to provide a reasonable account of a religion," but the rest of us should be able to see criticisms of this nature for what they truly are; empty words. Must one subscribe to the tenets of a belief system in order to provide an "unbiased" description of that system? It would seem to me that such an account would most certainly be biased. Then again, believers tend to support bias when it is in their favor. I'm sure there are plenty of works by various authors that can explain quaint traditions such as animal cruelty, offer an unapologetic promotion of statutory rape and consider it perfectly fine for members of certain religious sects to bilk taxpayers out of millions of dollars to support their needlessly large families and run schools which essentially teach nothing more than ignorance. This piece offers none of these.
Perhaps my favorite aspect of this book is the way in which Krakauer reveals the underlying social, economic and (perhaps even) genetic causes for extremist behavior. Even though I doubt the book was intended to do so, there are several pieces of excellent ethnographic tidbits to be found in Krakauer's work.
If you want a historical account of Mormonism; look elsewhere. If you want a book which describes what a "backward" or "twisted" religion Mormonism is; look elsewhere. If you want a book that offers apologies or excuses for fundamentalists who should be left alone to practice their "freedom of religion," regardless of the violent consequences for non-fundamentalists; look elsewhere. If, however, you are in search of a book that gives an honest, unapologetic look at the various outrages committed in the name of "god" by fundamentalists, you may very well enjoy this piece.
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Summary: Religious Fanaticism Extreme
Review: When thinking about people who are Mormons, usually terms like upstanding, wholesome, moral, and upright citizens come to mind. Certainly today, the Mormon Church professes itself to be a strong moral compass in this apostate world, guiding its flock through turbulent times to help them attain the glory of the hereafter. What Jon Krakauer exposes in his newest book "Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of a Violent Faith", are the roots which Mormonism has come from, and what a dark history that is. Part mystery, part history, part expose, Under the Banner of Heaven wanders through the background of the LDS church that many of us aren't aware even exists. Even the layman may know some of the basic facts, Joseph Smith's discovery of some ancient gold plates which revealed to him the book of Mormon; the Mormons great trek west to establish Utah as a safe haven for their faith; how Mormons are some of the most openly pious people in America. What Krakauer is goes deeper than that, and exposes the dark underbelly of this faith. Krakauer immediately sets up his story by giving us the details of a grisly death in the 1980's of a mother and her infant at the hands of a religious fanatic brother-in-law. He soon moves to explain this book isn't about the Mormon church perse, but the extreme elements that have branched off the Mormon church since its inception. The distinction is important, for these fundamentalist Mormons take all of Joseph Smith's revelations to heart, and practice many tenets of the early faith that are publicly decried by the mainstream church, mainly polygamy. By blending Mormon history, the Mormon fundamentalist movement, and the murders, Krakauer makes an intensely disturbing and readable book. I simply couldn't put it down. The chapters on the Mountains Meadows Massacre and early Utah history were especially compelling. He treats Joseph Smith with the respect due to a founder of a major world religion.
The night of his murder is explained in detail, showing us the unfairness of his demise. However I did find the chapters that dealt with fundamentalist polygamy exceptionally confusing as fathers married their stepdaughters, their sisters, and their own kids, creating a convoluted family tree. It may have helped to have diagrams of such families, or of those specifically related to the murders. Overall, this book may disturb some Mormons by its exposure of some of the darker times and incidents of the Mormon church. Such things coming to light is not a bad thing, for they soon are dealt with and forgotten. But perhaps Krakauer suggest that hiding them is the wrong course. Under the Banner of Heaven is a noble attempt to enlighten.
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