Reviews tagging 'Religious bigotry'

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

81 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

lmsokol18's review against another edition

challenging dark informative fast-paced

5.0

Fascinating book that tells the story of the Lafferty murders and Mormon fundamentalism alongside the history of the Mormon religion. This book is enraging and devastating. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Incest, Sexual assault, Child death, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, Blood, and Child abuse

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

jjyork's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective slow-paced

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Child abuse and Sexual violence

beachbookbabe's review against another edition

challenging dark informative mysterious sad medium-paced

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Religious bigotry, Blood, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Mental illness, Child abuse, Death, Incest, and Murder

venusianbabie's review against another edition

mysterious sad tense medium-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Toxic relationship, and Religious bigotry

balconyblackbird's review against another edition

dark funny informative medium-paced

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Sexism, Murder, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Death, Child death, Blood, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Child abuse, and Body horror

cinnaminskies's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad slow-paced

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Religious bigotry, Trafficking, Violence, Murder, Adult/minor relationship, and Misogyny

Moderate: Rape, Hate crime, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Infidelity, Gun violence, Sexual violence, and Mental illness

oliviamich's review against another edition

challenging dark informative sad slow-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Child death, Murder, Violence, Religious bigotry, and Death

Moderate: Kidnapping, Adult/minor relationship, and Drug use

fiveredhens's review against another edition

dark emotional informative tense medium-paced

5.0

i think it's time to admit to myself i would read practically anything jon krakauer writes

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Racism, Sexual violence, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Religious bigotry, Incest, and Colonisation