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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
An excellent read on Mormon religion or birth of a religion in general, along with political and legal machinations that evolve over time to make room for such ideas. The author does a parallel narrative of the contemporary murder trial with the growth of religion and how it boiled down to the crime at hand. I was taken aback by many "revelations" in this non-fictional, well-researched prose -- especially the tax benefits enjoyed by polygamists, the complex family tree structures make someone their own grandmother (Dark much?) and the debates in courts about what qualifies as a sane person to be put on trial. Plus the lovely quotes from other books that the author has judiciously put in places, makes you re-think some assumptions you may have in life. The long list of names and relationships do confuse you at times, but not to the point of boredom. Highly recommend!
informative
fast-paced
This was by far the most disturbing and scary book I ever read. Seriously. And I've read a lot of books (pre-goodreads, of course). I'll write a real review after the rest of the book club finishes, don't want to spoil anything for anyone.
I read quite a bit of nonfiction/history, but this was my first Krakauer book. He does an excellent job of writing readable, engaging prose that also clearly indicates the historical sources for the information included. In Under the Banner of Heaven, Krakauer examines the history of the LDS (Mormon) church and the offshoot fundamentalist churches that have formed in opposition to the LDS church's shifting positions on polygamy and black men entering the priesthood. Using the framing device of murder within an LDS/FLDS family, Krakauer lays bare both the current practices and beliefs of the FLDS church and the ways in which the history and doctrines of the LDS church--despite the church's public disavowal of FLDS churches--remain closely tied to the FLDS churches.
NOTE: Krakauer's book is an examination of the LDS as a religious institution, not as a religious faith. As such, Krakauer focuses primarily on the historical and contemporary activities of the church; he discusses LDS beliefs in so far as they impact believer's behavior. So, for example, while Krakauer quotes frequently from Doctrine and Covenants, he spends little time discussing the content of the Book of Mormon.
WHAT I LIKED:
* Krakauer provides a great introduction to the secular history of the LDS church. He draws on newspaper articles, historical records, etc. to describe the young LDS church under both Joseph Smith and Brigham Young.
* Krakauer provides extensive source material throughout the book. After reading this, I have a list of several other books to read on LDS history.
* I found many of Krakauer's main claims throughout the book persuasive, particularly the idea that a religious founded on the idea of personal revelation from God will, by definition, lead to schisms between the established leadership and individual members.
* Because most FLDS churches are hostile to most outsiders, most of Krakauer's information about the FLDS churches in Arizona, Utah, and Canada come from former members who left or were forced out of the church. Given that constraint, Krakauer did an excellent job of finding sources to reveal the beliefs and practices of those communities.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
* The murders of Brenda and Erica Lafferty in 1984 provided an interesting jumping off place for the book, but I was ultimately not as interested in all the details of the case and the trial as I was in the history. Krakauer returns to the murder multiple times throughout the book, and most of the time, I just really wanted to get back to the history.
* The book was published in 2003 and so Warren Jeffs plays only a minor role in the book; Krakauer primarily focuses on Jeffs' father, Rulon Jeffs, the previous head of the FLDS church in northern Arizona. Since then, many of us have read about the raid on the YFZ Ranch and Jeffs' conviction to life in prison, so if you're like me, you'll finish the book wanting to know what happened next. (I spent several hours online reading news stories about more contemporary events.)
NOTE: Krakauer's book is an examination of the LDS as a religious institution, not as a religious faith. As such, Krakauer focuses primarily on the historical and contemporary activities of the church; he discusses LDS beliefs in so far as they impact believer's behavior. So, for example, while Krakauer quotes frequently from Doctrine and Covenants, he spends little time discussing the content of the Book of Mormon.
WHAT I LIKED:
* Krakauer provides a great introduction to the secular history of the LDS church. He draws on newspaper articles, historical records, etc. to describe the young LDS church under both Joseph Smith and Brigham Young.
* Krakauer provides extensive source material throughout the book. After reading this, I have a list of several other books to read on LDS history.
* I found many of Krakauer's main claims throughout the book persuasive, particularly the idea that a religious founded on the idea of personal revelation from God will, by definition, lead to schisms between the established leadership and individual members.
* Because most FLDS churches are hostile to most outsiders, most of Krakauer's information about the FLDS churches in Arizona, Utah, and Canada come from former members who left or were forced out of the church. Given that constraint, Krakauer did an excellent job of finding sources to reveal the beliefs and practices of those communities.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
* The murders of Brenda and Erica Lafferty in 1984 provided an interesting jumping off place for the book, but I was ultimately not as interested in all the details of the case and the trial as I was in the history. Krakauer returns to the murder multiple times throughout the book, and most of the time, I just really wanted to get back to the history.
* The book was published in 2003 and so Warren Jeffs plays only a minor role in the book; Krakauer primarily focuses on Jeffs' father, Rulon Jeffs, the previous head of the FLDS church in northern Arizona. Since then, many of us have read about the raid on the YFZ Ranch and Jeffs' conviction to life in prison, so if you're like me, you'll finish the book wanting to know what happened next. (I spent several hours online reading news stories about more contemporary events.)
3.5 stars. I watched the Hulu tv series before I read this book. Andrew Garfield, Wyatt Russell, Sam Worthington, and Daisy Edgar-Jones were so compelling onscreen, I had to read the book.
I found the tv series a more entertaining story, while the book provided much more background/ history on the LDS and FLDS churches. An interesting read, but I found it difficult to keep the details straight.
I found the tv series a more entertaining story, while the book provided much more background/ history on the LDS and FLDS churches. An interesting read, but I found it difficult to keep the details straight.
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
slow-paced
It was a very detailed deep dive into Mormons and the LDS church, which while interesting, felt challenging in places and at times it was easy to lose sight of the murder at the heart of the novel.
While true-crime, it felt more philosophical to me. It was thought provoking in the context of how religious culture and the distinctive way America has shaped its concept of God, and how that American God in turn shapes American culture. Towards the end there were interesting questions posed around the Laffertys in court, I.e. is religious belief a delusion? Is that in turn a basis for an insanity defence?
While true-crime, it felt more philosophical to me. It was thought provoking in the context of how religious culture and the distinctive way America has shaped its concept of God, and how that American God in turn shapes American culture. Towards the end there were interesting questions posed around the Laffertys in court, I.e. is religious belief a delusion? Is that in turn a basis for an insanity defence?
I have to suspect any nonfiction book that draws on my emotions. I had a general negative response to Mormons while reading this book, and I don't like participating in generalizations. However, there are fascinating bits of history, and the book exposes practices that need to be addressed and dealt with by the LDS church and government officials. This is also an interesting book to read if one is under the impression that all Muslims are terrorists, etc. Any philosophy that is passionately followed leaves room for fanaticism. We have plenty of homegrown extremists right here in the US.
Great deep dive into Mormonism and the dangers of fanaticism that religion breeds in general. It starts off as true crime, goes into history and theology, and comes out as interesting commentary on humanity. Sometimes I thought it went too deep into the Mormon history - I know it was important for context, but it was a lot. Everyone should honestly have to read this and take a good long look at why they believe the things they do...and what harm it can bring.
4.5 stars for me.
I was totally pulled in by a lot of parts of this book. The murder and characters surrounding it, the history of the LDS church, and stories of polygamous colonies were shocking and enlightening to me. I was less drawn into the middle-end history stories (sometimes felt like a little too much detail was given... but whatever.)
Most of all, I LOVED the end discussion of the Laffertys in court, where the state (and reader) are forced to ponder: Is religious belief delusion? Is acting on a vision from God grounds for an insanity defense? It made me take a look at my own beliefs, I think fairly consider the LDS church and their beliefs (as it was wasn't written from a "can you believe these kooks!" kind of perspective, although I have no idea what actual Mormons would make of this book.) and lead me down unexpected paths. I loved it.
I was totally pulled in by a lot of parts of this book. The murder and characters surrounding it, the history of the LDS church, and stories of polygamous colonies were shocking and enlightening to me. I was less drawn into the middle-end history stories (sometimes felt like a little too much detail was given... but whatever.)
Most of all, I LOVED the end discussion of the Laffertys in court, where the state (and reader) are forced to ponder: Is religious belief delusion? Is acting on a vision from God grounds for an insanity defense? It made me take a look at my own beliefs, I think fairly consider the LDS church and their beliefs (as it was wasn't written from a "can you believe these kooks!" kind of perspective, although I have no idea what actual Mormons would make of this book.) and lead me down unexpected paths. I loved it.