Reviews tagging 'Cursing'

Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by Jon Krakauer

6 reviews

andmingmingtoo's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective slow-paced

4.75

This book sets itself apart from most other "true crime" by going beyond the who+what+where+when to ask why-- instead of just focusing on one tragedy, this book asks how the setting and history surrounding what happened led to it occurring.
(Also bonus points to this book for making me hyperfixate on mormonism. It's so hard to explain to my friends that I'm having a mormon phase but not in a religious way, it's in a learning about neat history way)

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Violence, Religious bigotry, Misogyny, Incest, Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Death, Sexual assault, Grief, Adult/minor relationship, Sexism, and Rape

Moderate: Confinement, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Suicide, War, Suicidal thoughts, and Racism

Minor: Deportation, Homophobia, Cursing, and Alcohol

The main case in this book involves

the murder of a woman and her baby

. There's also a lot of discussion around religious fundamentalism, which includes

religiously-motivated murders and religiously-sanctioned child brides

gwynian's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Adult/minor relationship

Moderate: Cursing, Sexual violence, Stalking, Incest, Pedophilia, Body horror, Sexual assault, War, Infidelity, Racism, Rape, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Alcohol and Miscarriage

knachknachjoke's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

4.5

A haunting, thorough exploration of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, its history, and the dark implications of what actually investigating that history leads one to believe.

I would have considered myself somewhat knowledgeable on LDS church history before this read, but Krakhauer blew pretty much everything out of the water with how thorough his storytelling was. He discloses at the end his own perspective—that he hadn't intended for this to be anything other than an amicable exploration of Mormon history inspired by an admiration for his childhood friends' faiths—and the resonance I felt to his perspective was really startling.

I think my biggest takeaway from reading this, and I believe Krakhauer's from writing it, is just how frightening the two roads you can take after studying Mormonism's history are: either you discern it is one man's quest for sex and power, or you conclude that everything—polygamy, blood atonement, white supremacy, child abuse—is all true and all imperative to a right way of life.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Child death, Gore, Incest, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Infidelity, Hate crime, Pedophilia, Religious bigotry, Violence, Blood, Child abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Emotional abuse, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Mental illness, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Sexual violence, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cursing, and Pregnancy

allys_shelf's review against another edition

challenging informative slow-paced

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Murder, Grief, Misogyny, Child death, Hate crime, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Violence, and Incest

Moderate: Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Alcohol, Gaslighting, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Cursing, Suicide attempt, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Antisemitism, Pregnancy, Death, Infidelity, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Gun violence, Incest, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Child death, and Drug use

maevebm's review against another edition

dark informative sad medium-paced

3.0

Somehow both nauseating and fascinating. Krakauer connected the history of the LDS church and origins of polygamy to the rise of Mormon fundamentalism and Brenda and her baby’s murder. 
What I felt the book lacked was empathy for the victims. Survivors of abuse had small voices and Krakauer spent an abundance of time talking about the perpetrators, in ways that seemed to glamorize at times. I think now in true crime literature, the focus has shifted to be more of a space to advocate for survivors and victims, so while I can appreciate the context of the time he wrote the book, I found it to be irritating.
Secondly, he relied heavily on quotes which, I felt, was lazy writing. Of course the quotes provided insight to the people and times he wrote about, but it was excessive.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Death, Incest, Mental illness, Rape, Religious bigotry, Child abuse, Blood, Murder, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Drug use

miafanshaw's review against another edition

dark informative mysterious slow-paced

4.0

Jon Krakauer once again delivers an incredibly detailed and nuanced account of nonfiction that reads with the entertainment of fiction. He devotes so much to researching for each book he writes, more so in Under the Banner of Heaven it seems than for Into Thin Air and Into the Wild (his other two works I’ve read), so I must commend him as a writer for the millionth time. The subject matter of this book, specifically FLDS communities, revealed horrific events from history that astonishingly continue in the present. I’d recommend Netflix’s 4 episode docuseries “Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey” to anyone interested (but be warned of a million trigger warnings relating to religious trauma & sex crimes). It’s so appalling what has occurred and what continues to occur in fundamentalist sects. I think Krakauer actually does a respectful job of separating the FLDS from the LDS while still acknowledging there is of course, still a connection as to their origins. As well, in my viewpoint as an agnostic atheist, Krakauer also did a job not to shame mainstream Mormon beliefs, instead providing insight and possible critiques. I’m a firm believer that religion should left open to criticisms and various interpretations. However, I think Krakauer makes it clear tolerance should not and does not extend to men like the Lafferty brothers or the Prophet’s like Rullon Jeffs who exploit fanaticism and fear to commit heinous crimes. 
Under the Banner of Heaven is a brilliant study on an intriguing religion paired with a thrilling true-crime tale.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Incest, Violence, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Blood, and Murder