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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
dark
informative
reflective
medium-paced
dark
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
A riveting and well-researched book that offers a deep look at a whole slice of American culture, history, and religion. At times the historical side stories got a little too tedious and a bit redundant, but it usually all pulled together into the complex tapestry Krakauer was weaving together. I think the book could have been tightened up without losing much of the message and context.
Enjoyed this eye-opening look into a topic I knew very little about, but had trouble staying engrossed. The story-telling bounces between different historical periods, and I had a hard time anchoring the overall story and timeline around the individuals and the events surrounding them.
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
Essentially two stories, one being a pretty comprehensive history of the LDS church, and the other profiling to murders who were members of the Fundamentalists church (not to be confused with the LDS church.. very important point). At first I kept thinking how crazy this all sounded, from interpreting gold plates out of a hat to Israelite decedents arriving in america centuries before Columbus did. However, like a great book does, I actually found myself reflecting on my own religion, understanding how part of it might appear crazy to others, which ultimately allowed me to learn about Mormonism with a more open mind.
4.5 stars. This was super interesting. I really liked how it went back and forth between how the history of Mormonism opened doors for extremist belief and the true crime murder first-hand account of Brenda Lafferty by her radicalized killer. Then the court proceedings were further interesting to me.
This book had elements of basically everything that fascinates me. I don’t feel as if my world has changed, but this is a strong recommendation to anybody potentially inclined to read it.
For those who have seen the mini series based on this book with Andrew Garfield: this book is so much more than that show, which was already phenomenal.
This book had elements of basically everything that fascinates me. I don’t feel as if my world has changed, but this is a strong recommendation to anybody potentially inclined to read it.
For those who have seen the mini series based on this book with Andrew Garfield: this book is so much more than that show, which was already phenomenal.
dark
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
dark
sad
tense
This book was gripping and chilling. The narrative was a mess. The references to historical figures, "prophets", and super tangled family webs (don't think we can quite call them trees) maybe could have been more deliberately laid out to make them easier to keep track of, but then there was a lot of convoluted information to get through, so Krakauer probably did the best he could with what he had. I wonder if he should have teased out the different stories he was trying to tell into more than one book—intertwining the tale of the Lafferty's and Fundamentalists with the history of Mormonism and the current day LDS mixed the messages a little bit. No doubt the troubles with FLDS polygamy, pedophilia, and blood atonement have their roots in Mormonism, but...
I know that organizations that exclude women and non-white races are loads of crock, and I'm not sure what good hate-reading about it will do me. I can never understand why someone, when given the choice between "life is uncertain but that's ok" and "here are ALL the answers—please ignore the fallacies", would choose the false answers. I don't get it, I don't know the ache they must feel in their hearts that makes them willing to ignore the rest of the world, and I certainly don't understand the impulse to do things that are so hurtful to other people because it feels good to YOU, everyone else be damned. But I suppose reading about these things made me recommit to the importance of understanding our history (ALL of it), the importance of doing things right even if it's hard, and my comfort with the beautiful, gorgeous, just, and all-expansive UNKNOWN!
I know that organizations that exclude women and non-white races are loads of crock, and I'm not sure what good hate-reading about it will do me. I can never understand why someone, when given the choice between "life is uncertain but that's ok" and "here are ALL the answers—please ignore the fallacies", would choose the false answers. I don't get it, I don't know the ache they must feel in their hearts that makes them willing to ignore the rest of the world, and I certainly don't understand the impulse to do things that are so hurtful to other people because it feels good to YOU, everyone else be damned. But I suppose reading about these things made me recommit to the importance of understanding our history (ALL of it), the importance of doing things right even if it's hard, and my comfort with the beautiful, gorgeous, just, and all-expansive UNKNOWN!