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The Amazon Store at MillionDollarPetPix.com ( In association with Amazon.com )Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faithby: Jon Krakauer  List Price: $14.95 Amazon.com's Price: $10.17 You Save: $4.78 (32%)Prices subject to change. Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Binding: PaperbackDewey Decimal Number: 289.33 EAN: 9781400032808 ISBN: 1400032806 Label: Anchor Manufacturer: Anchor Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 432 Publication Date: June 08, 2004 Publisher: Anchor Release Date: June 08, 2004 Studio: Anchor Related Items:
Browse for similar items by category: Click to Display Editorial Review: Amazon.com Review: In 1984, Ron and Dan Lafferty murdered the wife and infant daughter of their younger brother Allen. The crimes were noteworthy not merely for their brutality but for the brothers' claim that they were acting on direct orders from God. In Under the Banner of Heaven, Jon Krakauer tells the story of the killers and their crime but also explores the shadowy world of Mormon fundamentalism from which the two emerged. The Mormon Church was founded, in part, on the idea that true believers could speak directly with God. But while the mainstream church attempted to be more palatable to the general public by rejecting the controversial tenet of polygamy, fundamentalist splinter groups saw this as apostasy and took to the hills to live what they believed to be a righteous life. When their beliefs are challenged or their patriarchal, cult-like order defied, these still-active groups, according to Krakauer, are capable of fighting back with tremendous violence. While Krakauer's research into the history of the church is admirably extensive, the real power of the book comes from present-day information, notably jailhouse interviews with Dan Lafferty. Far from being the brooding maniac one might expect, Lafferty is chillingly coherent, still insisting that his motive was merely to obey God's command. Krakauer's accounts of the actual murders are graphic and disturbing, but such detail makes the brothers' claim of divine instruction all the more horrifying. In an age where Westerners have trouble comprehending what drives Islamic fundamentalists to kill, Jon Krakauer advises us to look within America's own borders. --John Moe Product Description: Jon Krakauer’s literary reputation rests on insightful chronicles of lives conducted at the outer limits. He now shifts his focus from extremes of physical adventure to extremes of religious belief within our own borders, taking readers inside isolated American communities where some 40,000 Mormon Fundamentalists still practice polygamy. 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. 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. Average Rating:
 Rating:  - My kingdom for a point...Much like the Mormon faith, Under the Banner of Heaven has an infrastructure of oatmeal. This book, at best, strengthens the resolve of those who love and those who loathe the LDS movement. Rating:  - A history of polygamy in the USJohn Krakauer's account of the history of polygamy in the US is both well researched and enthralling. He simultaneously spins two tales, one of modern day fundamentalists driven to horrifying actions by their faith, and the other of the founding of the Church of Latter-Day Saints. He begins at the beginning with Joseph Smith and tracks he new faith from it's roots. It is an adventure as only true history can provide and the elements of modern day true crime will keep you turning pages. To a resident ... Read More Rating:  - Way Too Much Background InformationA horrific crime is put into the context of religious fanaticism. Fanatics are generally uninteresting characters, as they were in this book. A fundamentalist had a revelation that he should kill various people. He follows God's will. The history of Mormonism is given in excruciating detail, providing no more insight into what happened than could be gleaned from understanding that in Mormonism, people are encouraged to communicate directly with God. And of course, those communications can't ... Read More Rating:  - Exeeded my expectationsBefore I read this book I had a number of friends tell me about it. Some loved it, some hated it, but they all agreed that it was a very negative portrayal of Mormons as a people and a religion. Even with that knowledge going in I was very disappointed in this book. After reading it I did a little research and found that almost all of Krakauer's cited sources are either ex-Mormons or members of polygamist sects. In other words: Not Mormons. How do you tell a people's ... Read More Rating: - CompellingWhile not as enjoyable as Krakauer's other works, UTBOH is a compelling read. Insightful, giving the outsider a view of the FLDS church that is seldom seen and even less understood. Some of the passages are disturbing and violent. The book sometimes has a feel of anti-religious propaganda, but give credit to Krakauer for being someone who attempts to deliver the facts as best he can. I am sure this was a very difficult book to research due to the "closed" nature of the society he was investigating. ... Read More 
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