Reviews tagging 'Mass/school shootings'

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

5 reviews

jazzofmine's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

5.0

This book earns five ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars from me! It’s definitely for someone interested in Mormon history, development of fundamental offshoots of Mormonism and deeper, philosophical thinking about the nature (and dangers) of religion. I would describe this as “gruesome, Mormon true crime” to any potential reader. 

The primary aim of the book is to explore these situations that beg us to ask “How could this happen” with substantial history and development of this religion. The author explores history and provides context in order to show how the LDS organization provided a conducive environment for radical, extremists to be bred and thrive. 

The example of the Lafferty brothers‘ murder of their sister in law and baby niece is reprehensible, but not isolated. And not an accident. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Colonisation, Death, Gore, Mass/school shootings, Violence, Blood, Murder, Rape, Incest, Sexism, Pedophilia, and Sexual assault

Very graphic, great read; informative

qog's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Pedophilia, Racism, Gun violence, Child death, Mass/school shootings, Incest, Sexual violence, Religious bigotry, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Misogyny, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Racial slurs

jazzreads's review against another edition

dark informative mysterious sad tense medium-paced

4.0

Under the Banner of Heaven is a deeply disturbing examination of the history of the Mormon Church. As hard as it is to read, this book is incredibly well written and well researched. If you’re interested in learning about Mormonism, its place in American history, or just cults in general, you’ll get a lot of this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Rape, Religious bigotry, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Murder, Child abuse, Gore, Incest, Violence, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Mental illness, Mass/school shootings, Drug use, Pedophilia, Panic attacks/disorders, Gun violence, and Cultural appropriation

Minor: Torture, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Slavery, and Racism

samarakroeger's review

challenging dark informative slow-paced

4.75

read in conjunction with watching the show as it came out. It was interesting to see how the book was adapted to be told in a different format - and I’m glad they did adapt the narrative frame to suit the media style. The book includes a much more detailed history of the LDS Church than the show can cover, so I’m glad I read the book at the same time for context. The show’s “flashbacks” were not nearly as effective as the rest of the show, in my opinion. 

I am absolutely terrified of true crime and had previously read the prologue and been so freaked out I set the book aside. I’m so glad I came back to it because most of the book isn’t directly about that horrific double murder case, but instead dives into the history of the founding of the LDS Church and more recent history pertaining to Fundamentalist sects and their devotion to polygamy. All of it will make you uneasy, because violence, pedophilia, and child rape are difficult topics to read about. 

I think this is Krakauer at his best. He is a very consistently solid author for me throughout the four books of his I’ve read so far. 

If you are fascinated by how people can possibly believe in ludicrous-sounding religions, this is a great book for you. My fascination and curiosity with the LDS Church has been further nurtured by this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gaslighting, Incest, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, Trafficking, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Genocide, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Racial slurs, Gun violence, Homophobia, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Racism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Sexism

agavemonster's review against another edition

adventurous dark informative medium-paced

5.0

wow, amazing! wonderfully researched, respectful of the victims of the atrocities (both Mormon and non-Mormon), and well-laid out so it's harder to lose track of the 2934023 people involved throughout history, many of whom have the same last names. I appreciate his tip of the hat to Fawn Brodie, Juanita Brooks, and other historians of Mormonism - gives those interested in the book topic a great future reading list!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Misogyny, Child death, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Incest, Religious bigotry, Adult/minor relationship, and Mass/school shootings