ReviewsUser reviewsUser Review - Flag as inappropriate I found this book poorly researched in regards to the ties to the Mormon church. There are substantial errors in beliefs and practices in the Mormon religion that are represented in the book. I also found the tie of these murderers to their upbringing in a faith that is not associated or condoned by the Mormon faith to be an improper association in an attempt to sell books. Krakauer has demonstrated in previous books that misrepresenting facts in order to sell is a book is something he has been willing to do. User Review - Flag as inappropriate Seems to drag on longer than it needs too. While it makes good arguments for its message, its clear unobjectivity probably needs to be taken with a grain of salt. It still raises some very good thinking points about religion and faith in general. User Review - Flag as inappropriate superb User Review - Flag as inappropriate If you are interested in this book for learning about anything other than the Lafferty brothers' murders (such as about Mormonism in general), this book will not give you anything resembling a balanced account. Krakauer singles out the handful of awful historical events in Mormonism and brands present-day Mormonism as a continuation of the very worst. User Review - Flag as inappropriate I expected more from this book. It is as others have stated, long winded. I also had a hard time with how he went back and forth, from the Lafferty's story to the stories of early LDS church history and then back again, and not much information about the FLDS church or other fundamentalist groups other than that of the Laffertys. It seemed to bounce around alot and a book that does that has always had a hard time keeping my interest. I read it all and it was just ok for me. Not a book I am likely to read again. User Review - Flag as inappropriate Very thoroughly researched for historical background and the contemporary interviews. A controversial subject, but handled relatively fairly, and no doubt embarrassing to the LDS church,who do not want to be associated with their various fundamentalist schisms, past and present. User Review - Flag as inappropriate One of my favorite books! Absolutely fantastic! User Review - Flag as inappropriate Gripping in parts but has to work hard to balance the two timeframes -- a true crime story in the 1980s and a series of shady events in the early history of the LDS church. User Review - Flag as inappropriate This is an eye-opening, highly readable, and thoroughly engaging piece of journalism. The bulk of the book – a brief history of Mormonism – gives the impression that it was written principally for a non-Mormon audience; which is a service in itself. The LDS Church has been a part of American life for a long time now, and their message has been ably formed and relentlessly marketed. A popular, comprehensible, and honest appraisal of the sinister bones in the LDS closet is an apropos counterpoint to the official narrative. I read "Under the Banner of Heaven" in only a few days; rarely has a work of contemporary history held my interest so consistently. Of course, I'm an admirer of Jon Krakauer's previous books… so I was predisposed to find myself right at home in his style. | User ratings
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