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A review by barelyconcealed
Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by Jon Krakauer
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
sad
fast-paced
3.75
This is a re-read, though the first time I've listened to the audiobook.
When I was working retail I went through a pretty deep Krakauer phase and I remember this as being one of my favorites. I personally think it holds up pretty well, but I don't really have an attachment to Mormonism - either negative or positive.
It is interesting to go through and research some of the people who are mentioned only by name throughout this book, where their stories were yet unfinished. In some cases there doesn't appear to be any real conclusion to be drawn yet (I may have missed it, but I can't find any closure to the case of Kenyon Blackmore).
The decision to bounce between the astonishingly disturbing Lafferty case and the skeletons in the closet of the Mormon church is an interesting one - it definitely creates a parallel between these two elements. But it's a necessary one for discussing the specific form of religious fervor that the Lafferty's fell into - who they are is decidedly shaped by the history of the church.
There's a point made early in this book that I think often gets overlooked in discussion about it that Mormonism suffers from having its history so accessible as one of the only prominent modern religions - we know Joseph Smith was a real man in a way that is harder to confirm with other religious figures. We know his history in a way we cannot know other religious figures history.
I think this book is worth a read, especially if you're interested in true crime writing.
When I was working retail I went through a pretty deep Krakauer phase and I remember this as being one of my favorites. I personally think it holds up pretty well, but I don't really have an attachment to Mormonism - either negative or positive.
It is interesting to go through and research some of the people who are mentioned only by name throughout this book, where their stories were yet unfinished. In some cases there doesn't appear to be any real conclusion to be drawn yet (I may have missed it, but I can't find any closure to the case of Kenyon Blackmore).
The decision to bounce between the astonishingly disturbing Lafferty case and the skeletons in the closet of the Mormon church is an interesting one - it definitely creates a parallel between these two elements. But it's a necessary one for discussing the specific form of religious fervor that the Lafferty's fell into - who they are is decidedly shaped by the history of the church.
There's a point made early in this book that I think often gets overlooked in discussion about it that Mormonism suffers from having its history so accessible as one of the only prominent modern religions - we know Joseph Smith was a real man in a way that is harder to confirm with other religious figures. We know his history in a way we cannot know other religious figures history.
I think this book is worth a read, especially if you're interested in true crime writing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Religious bigotry, Violence, Child death, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, and Racism
Religious trauma.