Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith

Written by Jon Krakauer

Narrated by Scott Brick

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • From the author of Into the Wild and Into Thin Air, this extraordinary work of investigative journalism takes readers inside America’s isolated Mormon Fundamentalist communities. • Now an acclaimed FX limited series streaming on HULU.

“Fantastic.... Right up there with In Cold Blood and The Executioner’s Song.” —San Francisco Chronicle

Defying both civil authorities and the Mormon establishment in Salt Lake City, the renegade leaders of these Taliban-like theocracies are zealots who answer only to God; some 40,000 people still practice polygamy in these communities. 

At the core of Krakauer’s book are brothers Ron and Dan Lafferty, who insist they received a commandment from God to kill a blameless woman and her baby girl. Beginning with a meticulously researched account of this appalling double murder, Krakauer constructs a multi-layered, bone-chilling narrative of messianic delusion, polygamy, savage violence, and unyielding faith. Along the way he uncovers a shadowy offshoot of America’s fastest growing religion, and raises provocative questions about the nature of religious belief.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
• Release date: Apr 10, 2003
• ISBN: 9780736698221

Jon Krakauer

Jon Krakauer is a mountaineer and the author of Eiger Dreams, Into the Wild, (which was on the New York Times bestseller list for over a year and was made into a film starring Emile Hirsch and Kristen Stewart) Into Thin Air, Iceland, Under the Banner of Heaven and Where Men Win Glory. He is also the editor of the Modern Library Exploration series. He has received an Academy Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. According to the award citation, "Krakauer combines the tenacity and courage of the finest tradition of investigative journalism with the stylish subtlety and profound insight of the born writer."

Reviews for Under the Banner of Heaven

[colie77 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I was duped into thinking this book was about the Lafferty brothers. Instead it is mainly the history of the Mormon faith with maybe one third of it containing information regarding the murder of Brenda and Erica Lafferty. I also have an issue with the chronology or lack there of with the history portion of the book. It would have been easier to read if the author started with Joseph Smith and moved through time accordingly. Instead, he has readers jumping from the Warren Jeffs FLDS to Joseph Smith to Brigham Young to the Lafferty's and back again.

[nvblue · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

This book was a hit back in the early 2000s, and its still making waves. A tv series (which I haven't watched) was released earlier this year based off of the events documented in this book. That doesn't answer the question as to what this book is, and I'm not sure that I can answer that either. I'm not sympathetic to fundamentalism, whether that strain is of Protestantism, Mormonism, or Islam. And, judging by the tone of this book, neither is Krakauer. That being said, this book has structural and thematic issues that made it's message difficult for me to absorb.

I walked into this book thinking that it was primarily about the murders committed by the Lafferty brothers, and while those murders are discussed, they are not the focus of the book. It dives into the history of the Mormon movement, and tries to explain the fertile soil of violence and abuse that Mormonism and its derivatives have sponsored. I initially thought that this was a way of contextualizing the Lafferty murders, and in a way it was, but somewhere along the line it devolved into simply being an excoriating list of atrocities committed by Mormons. There was no focal point to most a large swathes of this book, other than polygamy=bad. This was peppered with some casual thoughts and quotes from authorities on experiences of religion. This is to say, this book fell between the stools of a true crime investigation, a study of FLDS groups, and a history of Mormonism, failing to address any of these three issues sufficiently.

Yes, I did enjoy this book, but I was hoping for something with greater focus and greater depth. An interesting read, but lacking.

[gpangel_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer is a 2004 Anchor publication.

I just finished the Hulu limited series of the same name as this book. That show is definitely a fictional dramatization- but is based on this book, which is often labeled a ‘true crime’. So, once I finished the series, I wanted to read this book to get the full, true account of the murder of Brenda Lafferty and her fifteen-month-old daughter by her own brothers-in-law.

Unfortunately, though the title of the book hints of a true crime book, what one actually gets is a long, long, detailed history of Mormonism.

Now, there is nothing inherently wrong with that if that is what you were looking for. I did find it fascinating on occasion, but I grew weary of it because that was not why I picked this book up. What I was wanting was a sharper focus on the Lafferty crime, but it mostly ran in the background.

So, if you are interested in Morman history this is a book you’ll want to consider. I have no doubt the book is well-researched, but I’d also take the time to read a few books he used as sources, as well.

On the other hand, if you are looking for a book specifically about the Lafferty crime, you might look to see if anyone else has written a book about that crime, in particular. I do think to understand the situation, some history or insights into Mormonism must be a part of the book, but it doesn’t need to overpower the particulars of this sect.

Overall, this book was not exactly what I was expecting. Once it became obvious that the book was more history than true crime I skipped over whole chapters, feeling I had gotten the point and didn’t need to absorb more historical facts and only read the sections that pertained to Brenda’s murder and the subsequent trial of the Lafferty brothers.

While the book is very comprehensive, well-researched, and well-written, it simply did not deliver what I had ordered- or thought I had ordered, I guess I should say. Should I lower my rating because of that? That’s a hard choice to make- so let me clear that there wasn’t anything wrong with the writing, organization, or the content so from a critically thinking standpoint its an easy 4+ stars- but from a personal perspective, it’s only a three-star experience. So, I’m going to give it 3.5 stars. Round up or down? UGH. I’m on the fence, but I really do have to round up simply because of the obvious effort the put into the book.

3.5 stars rounded up.

[daumari · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I grew up along the I-15 Morridor so I'm relatively familiar with the insularity of Saint culture. For years, UtBoH has been on my to-read list but I finally plucked it off my shelf inlight of the new FX series (which is fascinating to see how the history is interwoven in to the true crime drama).

Mormons will be very quick to tell you they are nothing like their fundamentalist brethren, but ultimately they do share similar source texts and simply vary on which ones they accept. The LDS church is fascinating because it arose relatively recently so we have contemporary documents around its founding and outside perspectives. My husband observed when we were catching up on episodes that he could tell Ammon Bundy and his family definitely pull from similar individualistic roots in Mormon history from the same texts as they make stands against the government.

Fascinated by the brief mention of power passing from Uncle Rulon's death to Warren Jeffs for the Colorado City/Hildale FLDS community- because this is 2003, it would be years before Jeffs was placed on the FBI's most wanted list, tried, and jailed.

My only complaint is that we never hear from Allan Lafferty- maybe he refused an interview, perhaps, but he seems oddly absent given his wife and daughter were the victims.

[secondhandrose_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I wanted to like this more. The true crime element of the book was gripping but the theological history of the Mormons did not interest me at all. I struggled to get through this book.

[jpahl-248569 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Shocking and engaging story of the creation of radical Mormonism

[dreesie-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Krakauer can really write. I forgot, somehow (I guess it has been years)--but this book just pulled em right in.

Here, Krakauer looks at the 1984 murders of Brenda and Erica Lafferty. Two of her brothers-in-law were arrested, tried, and found guilty. One timeline within this book gives the history of Mormonism--from NY, to Missouri, to Illinois, to Utah--and examines the violent history of the church (both violence toward church members to violence from church members in defending their church/lifestyle/land). Another timeline gives a modern history of Mormon Fundamentalism in the 20th century. A third looks at the Lafferty family--their upbringing, their introduction to and interest in fundamentalism, and more. The second and third timelines converge. It sounds very confusing writing it down, but it works well in the book.

I studied Western History in grad school, and read several of the books he uses as sources, as well as various books on Arizona history and immigrant routes. This book really pulled a lot of that together for me.

This book was a solid 5 stars until the very end, when he talks with the still-imprisoned Dan Lafferty
about his reasoning and beliefs. I found it less than interesting and rather creepy, as this found-guilty and admittedly guilty man tries to rationalize his past horrific behavior. Yuck.

[amzzz_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Deeply disturbing but very very interesting true story.

[castlelass · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

“It is the aim of this book to cast some light on Lafferty and his ilk. If trying to understand such people is a daunting exercise, it also seems a useful one—for what it may tell us about the roots of brutality, perhaps, but even more for what might be learned about the nature of faith.” – Jon Krakauer, Under the Banner of Heaven

Jon Krakauer tells the story of extremist views held by the Fundamentalist LDS (FLDS) movement, which led to the horrific murder of a woman and her fifteen-month-old daughter by her brothers-in-law. He weaves in the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS), starting with founder Joseph Smith and how they evolved into the mainstream modern Mormon religion of today.

I found the FLDS story extremely disturbing – yet another example of horrible cruelty and murder done in the “name of God” by self-proclaimed prophets. In addition, the FLDS members taking underage girls as plural “wives” is mind-boggling. The book is successful in engendering a sense of outrage.

The Mormon history includes the foundational stories, Brigham Young’s leadership upon the death of Joseph Smith, the Mountain Meadows Massacre, relocations to various states before settling in Utah, and the eventual elimination of polygamy. Krakauer points out that the modern LDS does not condone polygamy or other practices of the FLDS.

My primary issue with the book and reason for not rating it higher is that the stated aim is only partially achieved, and the structure is puzzling. The storyline switches between FLDS and LDS segments, but I could not discern a logical progression. Granted, the FLDS movement wanted to go back to some of the original tenets espoused by Joseph Smith, but the brutal double murder was not a direct outcome. It was based on the extremism of a delusional “prophet” claiming to speak for God.

To me, it illustrates the dangers of cults. It is definitely not for the faint of heart. I have read and enjoyed Krakauer’s Into the Wild and Into Thin Air and recommend either book ahead of this one.

TRIGGER WARNINGS: rape, incest, domestic abuse, child abuse, animal abuse, infant murder

[burritapal · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

If you've ever been curious about the Mormon religion, this book will give you a thorough and fairly objectively-written account of its history, up to present day. Author Krakauer acknowledged, in the chapter"Author's Remarks,"
"I don't know what God is, or what God had in mind when the universe was set in motion. In fact, I don't know if God even exists, although I confess that I sometimes find myself praying in times of great fear, or despair, or astonishment at a display of unexpected beauty."
This belief is similar to my own (lack of) belief. Religion, I believe, is something people use mostly because they can't stand the idea of dying, and that being the end of it. If you're brought up in, and educated in, a religious family and school, it really messes with your brain when you try to discern the truth about life; you have been so brainwashed.
The Mormon religion isn't any sillier than many religions (just look at the Jehovah Witnesses), but what makes it notable as a religious farce is its embrace of polygamy. The LDS Church has worked hard to eradicate this from its modern-day workings, but it is a virus that has proved impossible to stop, as the polygamists simply establish isolated outposts where they hope to evade notice of the law and notoriety.
Well-researched and easy to read book that will probably leave you shaking your head about human beings and their gullibility.

[stahl2ricco · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

“I was doing God’s will, which is not a crime.”

This book is part history of the Mormon church and part murder investigation. The first part was interesting, and really revealing about the origins of the LDS church. The second part, the horrible murders committed by Dan Lafferty, a Mormon Fundamentalist, are a terrifying look into the power of religious belief. A woman and her child are murdered because God told a man to do it. And he did.

“Saying that anyone who talks to God is crazy has enormous implications for the whole world of religion. It imposes a secular view of sanity and means that all religions are insane.” My thoughts exactly!

“…If Ron Lafferty were deemed mentally ill because he obeyed the voice of God, isn’t everyone who believes in God and seeks guidance through prayer mentally ill as well?”

And I wonder what the difference between him and the biblical Abraham is? Abraham is a revered 'father' of the Bible for following God's command to kill. Lafferty is in prison for life. One a hero, one a criminal - both believing they were following God's divine will. Was Abraham actually mentally ill, or should Dan and Ron be revered too? Me, I think anyone who kills women and children, or attempts too, are insane. From Abraham on down.

[indygo88 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Jon Krakauer is known for writing about true-story adventures and events. In this, he chronicles the story of brothers and Mormon Fundamentalists Ron and Dan Lafferty, accused and convicted of the vicious murder in 1984 of their sister-in-law and niece. He alternates their story with historical background of the development and spread of the Mormon faith in America.

This is the third book of Krakauer's that I've read. I very much enjoyed Into the Wild and I loved Into Thin Air. This one seemed like it had the potential to pull me in as well, but frankly it just didn't. I read an abridged audio version of this book, read by Krakauer, and I suspect that may have had something to do with it. It could've been the abridgment, but I think it probably related more to the reading itself. Krakauer is a capable reader, but he reads mostly in a monotone, and I found my mind drifting while listening. The portions about the Lafferty family kept my interest, but the long sections detailing the history of the Mormon church were very dry and much less engaging, reading almost like a textbook. I just didn't feel like this lived up to the dynamic feeling that his other books created. There's a movie series adaptation due to be released next month. I suspect it will convey a more Hollywood-type interpretation, which in this case may be more appealing to me.

[tikimoof · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Although it tries to present itself as a general history of Mormonism, it's really focused on the *violent* parts of the history of Mormonism. The later chapters seem made to prove an agenda that Mormonism, or maybe religion in general, is illogical. I'm not sure that I agree.

[jessicareadsthings · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A really fascinating story. Although the narrative is focused on fundamental Mormonism, much of this book strikes shockingly close to what it is to be American. The bravado and charm of Joseph Smith, Brigham Young's unflinching and tenacious belief that his doctrine was right. The sort of grim optimism of a people who look forward to the day that what they know to be true is confirmed, woe to those who didn't believe. It can all be reinterpreted shades of Manifest Destiny and the making of America. Of course there are major diversions: plural marriage, child abuse, rape, religious extremism, and a terrible and shocking murder. But the strength of Krakauer's writing lies in his ability to relay sensational information, without sensationalizing the narrative.

[akbouterse · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book was not what I expected it to be but was still very interesting. I expected it to be more about the murder case but this book was comprised mostly of Mormon history, with bits about the murder thrown in when it made sense. Still, this was a very interesting topic. My family is not particularly religious so I don't know much about any religion, let alone Mormonism. I don't always love Krakauer's writing style. I find it to be a bit too whimsical sometimes. You can almost imagine it as a bad documentary with really cheezy music in the background. This is one of his earlier books so those issues are definitely there but I didn't have any major complaints about the writing. Some of the Mormon history sections were quite tedious. A lot of it was necessary and helpful for getting a true picture of the religion but some of just felt too in-depth for this story and I was bored at some parts. I did like this story and it was a very interesting read.

[curious_squid · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Mormon fundamentalism. Not being particularly religious, this book really made me think about the "idea" of religion. I find fundamentalism of any form terrifying, and this was no exception. This is one of those books that will make me think for a long time.

[jerame2999 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Not at all what I thought it would be, but this was still a great book. I think anyone interested in faith or the dark side of belief should read this book.

[ludiegrace · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I tried to take Krakauer's interpretations of Mormonism and religious topics in general with a huge helping of salt. Still, I found the book fascinating, though chilling and hard to take at times.

[elenaj-147457 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Quite disturbing, especially from the perspective of a person of faith. This is a book I wish I'd read in the context of a college or seminary classroom, so that I'd have a context for processing and discussion.

I did, however, learn a lot about Mormon history.

[nancyjean19 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Though definitely not the most focused narrative I've ever read, I understand at least partly why Krakauer felt like he had to go all the way back to the beginning to tell the story of a murder in the fundamentalist Mormon community. It was interesting to read the origin story of what I've always found to be a fascinating world. At the same time, I'm not sure that he always treated the subjects in his book with enough respect – mostly I felt uncomfortable sometimes with the way he described young women and girls in the book. Did it really make an important point that an 18 year old who had been raped by her father looked "exotic" and spoke with a "slight Mexican accent"? Maybe he was trying to emphasize the objectifying way the men in the book viewed women. Or, maybe he wasn't. Elements like that made this book feel outdated to me, and like maybe the author missed a point or two about the universe he wrote about.

[jeterat-844391 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Started reading this audiobook on a long trip to Europe. It was an enjoyable and not very challenging read. I thought that the story petered out somewhat towards the end, felt that Krakauer struggled with a good place to come to a stop. Also the book struggled somewhat to stay on topic, since the murder in question just would not have had enough meat to form an entire book without the additional history on Mormonism and look at the Elizabeth Smart, Tom Green, and other cases.

[pdill8 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

nonfiction narrative about a murder within a fundamentalist Mormon cult, peppered with quite a bit of history about the origins of the Mormon church. I really like Krakauer’s writing voice.

[kukulaj · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is certainly as frightening a tale as I care to read! We just moved to Utah so that adds to the fright. I'm slowing learning about the whole Mormon scene since we moved here. This was a valuable step in the process. I didn't find any of Krakauer's perspectives to be extreme at all. Surely he picks and chooses evidence and interpretation, but it is all well within the bounds of reasonableness.

I am a Buddhist of mainly the Tibetan Vajrayana variety. We've certainly got beliefs and practices that are about as nutty as anybody else's. There are lots of warnings and tales about the dangers of an overly literal interpretation. I'd like to think that'll inoculate us against the kinds of abuses portrayed here, but probably not. Too many of those tales are non-fiction, and too many too recent.

Where Krakauer's book falls short - he really doesn't analyze the tale in any depth. These days there is a lot of anti-religious sentiment around. Krakauer asked Dan Lafferty if he could see the parallel between his violence and that of Islamic terrorists. But what, after all, is religion? For example, is Buddhism even a religion? Or, might we ask, can science, hmm,. become an object of religious faith? Krakauer includes some nice epigraphs from William James, but he doesn't really engage with the matter. It's OK, it is an excellent book as it is. The book poses a crucial question for our time, but doesn't really attempt to answer it. That'd take a whole other sort of book. We may not be ready for that yet. It's like, Montaigne wrote decades after Luther. We're just entering the Savonarola era. Fasten your seat belts! Yeah, how about a book like this about the Bundy family?

[dasam-5 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Ecellent, troubling read

[dypaloh · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Revelation. Removed. Two words with killing impact in Jon Krakauer’s Under the Banner of Heaven. In this book, some heinous individuals use those two words together. If you hear them used along with your own name, get out of town fast.

The events Krakauer recounts he relates to the faith of the Mormons, the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). He covers:
• Mormonism’s origin, move to Utah, and certain events in its history
• Fundamentalist LDS compared to mainstream LDS
• Crimes committed by Fundamentalist LDS adherents in service to revelations from God.
The starting point and axis of the book are the murders immediately presented in the Prologue, in which a young wife and her baby are savagely “removed.”

The young wife’s husband knew in advance that two of his own brothers were planning to kill his wife and his baby girl, their sister-in-law and baby niece. He never warned his wife about it.

The husband’s own mother knew in advance that her two eldest sons talked of killing their sister-in-law and their niece, her own daughter-in-law and granddaughter. She never warned her or anyone else about it.

Why? The question certainly stirred my interest.

In pursuit of answers, Krakauer engages in a sociological and historical exploration of a religion and its gender roles. Much of that effort is directed to the divide between mainstream Mormonism and followers who split from the Church after the doctrine of “plural” or “celestial” marriage (polygamy) officially lost Church sanction in 1890. The account has considerable narrative interest. It might also pain mainstream Mormons. It’s easy to imagine they’d want to dispute how the book presents their religion, or the association with polygamists who properly belong only to splinter sects. The murderers in this book are Fundamentalist LDS, inspired by their faith’s founder, Joseph Smith, whose response to raids by anti-Mormon Missouri settlers was, “I will be to this generation a second Mohammed, whose motto in treating for peace was ‘the Alcoran [Qur’an] or the Sword.’” How often has your mind been set at ease by anyone to whom that label “FUNDAMENTALIST” is attached?

Jon Krakauer’s journalistic abilities go far toward giving this story as much interest as is possible. His true crime book with a lurid religious slant is in its best chapters riveting.

[bookworm12_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Heartbreaking and disturbing, this nonfiction account of a murder in the 1980s delves into the fanatical history of the Mormons.

“Neither Emma's tears nor her rage were enough to make Joseph monogamous, however; nor were the prevailing mores of the day. He kept falling rapturously in love with women not his wife. And because that rapture was so wholly consuming, and felt so good, it struck him as impossible that God might possibly frown on such a thing.”

[startwithgivens · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I think the title is misleading, while the book somewhat centers around the violent acts committed in the brief history of the LDS Church, religious violence is far from unique to this religion. Furthermore, while I found myself in shock at some of the accounts, I had to realize that these aren't the first people to make such claims. At the end of the day, my original opinions about faiths other than my own hold. We all have a place in this world; there are good and bad people everywhere. The stories that survive are highly selective, for those like us the positives will be highlighted but for those opposed to us the negatives will be highlighted. Neither makes the opposite untrue.

[rosalita_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Jon Krakauer's look at the Mormon religion — or more precisely, the fundamentalist pro-polygamy offshoots of the modern Latter-Day Saints — was both fascinating and disturbing. I'm pretty agnostic, so to speak, on the issue of polygamy. I happen to have some friends who are in a polyamory relationship and it seems to be working out fine for all involved. But they were adults when they all chose to enter that relationship. Marrying 12- and 14-year-old girls to 65-year-old men whose primary drive is sexual and reproductive is extremely disturbing. Wrapping such actions in the cloak of religion does nothing to distinguish them from straightforward pedophilia in my view.

In order to explain how the FLDS differs from the mainstream LDS church, Krakauer explores the history of this uniquely American and modern religion. As he explains in an afterword, he initially set out to write a more general book about religion but was drawn to writing about Joseph Smith and the LDS church in large part because it was founded recently enough (the early 19th century) to have an extensive written record about its founder and its development. There are plenty of unsavory aspects in this history, as there are with pretty much every religion I can think of. Krakauer tries to make the case that the LDS church has a particularly violent bent, with its belief in "blood atonement" (there's a deep dive into the late 19th century "Mountain Meadows Massacre" to support his case), but I wasn't persuaded that it was much different from, again, many other religions (the Crusades? the Inquisition?).

The primary modern-day focus for Krakauer is the case of Ron and Dan Lafferty, brothers who teamed up to murder their sister-in-law and her baby daughter in 1984 because she tried to prevent her husband (their brother Allen) from joining fully in their fundamentalist beliefs and actions. It's a sickening crime, and Dan Lafferty's continued belief that the murders were ordered by God is upsetting to read. Krakauer evidently interviewed him extensively in the prison where he's serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole. There's an interesting discussion in this part of the book about whether religious believers who believe that they can talk with God should be considered mentally ill. Krakauer makes a compelling argument against that notion, but it's not a slam-dunk.

Overall, I found this account to be well-written and interesting. I learned a lot that I didn't know about the Mormon faith and in particular about the fundamentalist offshoots. Nothing in the book makes me think any differently about the various Mormon individuals I know, most of whom are wonderful people and a few of whom are jerks. But then, you could substitute any other religious denomination (or "atheist" for that matter) for "Mormon" in that sentence and it would still be true. :-)

[deltaqueen50 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer is his examination of the Mormon religion and some of it’s offshoots. Using the story of a well known murder case when two Mormon fundamentalist brothers murdered their sister-in-law and her fifteen month old daughter in cold blood to anchor his thoughts, he explores the creation, history and on-going success of the Mormon religion. In particular he also examines some of the radical Mormon sects that have broken away from the main church as they differ in their theological beliefs. Many claim to be in direct communication with God and believe that he has confirmed that polygamy should be adhered to.

In a journalistic style, Krakauer relates the facts in a number of disturbing cases, such as the Elizabeth Smart abduction by a Mormon fundamentalist as well as the founding and continuation of isolated communities in Utah and other states, including Canada whose members live as polygamists. One thing these cults have in common is the superiority of men over woman. Women are taught that obedience is everything and many simply stand aside as their husbands take on more wives and often cross the barrier by marrying their own step-daughters. Beatings, shunning and mental manipulation is used in controlling the females and allowing the men to have all the power.

The Mormon religion does have a dark history of violence and persecution and there does seem to be a certain amount of “looking the other way” by government officials, but whether that has anything to do with religion or is simply a result stemming from the difficulty in applying the law to radicals that chose to ignore it is not clear. What is clear to me is that Under the Banner of Heaven poses some striking questions about the closed-minded, closed-door policies of many religions. Although I am totally in favor of a person’s right to religious freedom, I believe that these breakaway communities need to be closely monitored as to their nature and activities in order to ensure that everyone involved has freely chosen this way of life.

[evelynbernard · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

On July 24, 1984, Dan and Ron Lafferty murdered their sister-in-law and her baby girl. Why? Because god told them to do so.

Jon Krakauer provides a fascinating look at the religious environment that created them. The author begins with a history lesson. Her follows the creation of the Mormon Church by Joseph Smith two centuries ago and traces how the religion has become what we know today. The family were members of a fundamental branch of the LDS Church - a branch that broke away from the mainstream church and was horrified at the direction the church was taking - away from the comfort of patriarchal monotheism, away from the subjugation of women, away from the tenets of polygamy. The brothers blamed Brenda Lafferty for speaking up for herself and other women. The book is a terrifically interesting blend of history and true crime.

"Under the Banner of Heaven" isn't so much an indictment of Mormonism (mainstream OR fundamentalist) as it is an illustration of how excessive faith, or extremism in ANY religion can lead to corruption, immorality, and unreason. Towards the end of the book, the author provides a quote from a former member of a fundamentalist branch of the LDS, "If you want to know the truth, I think people within the religion are probably happier, on the whole, than people on the outside But some things in life are more important than being happy, like being free to think for yourself".