Books › Under the Banner of Heaven
Under the Banner of Heaven
A Story of Violent Faith
First published 2003 · 512 pages
A chilling, meticulously researched descent into the terrifying extremes of absolute faith and the violence it can inspire.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like stepping into a shadow you didn't realize was cast over the American West. It is a propulsive, dread-soaked experience that grips you with the urgency of a thriller while demanding the intellectual rigor of a historical text. The narrative seamlessly oscillates between a gruesome modern-day true crime and the sprawling, violent history of a major American religion, creating a claustrophobic atmosphere where the past constantly bleeds into the present. The prose is sharp, objective, and relentlessly probing, refusing to look away from the darkest corners of human fanaticism. It will deeply satisfy readers who crave investigative journalism that not only solves a crime but dissects the terrifying psychology of absolute, unquestioning belief.
- Mood
- dread-soaked
- unsettling
- claustrophobic
- tense
- Tone
- investigative
- probing
- chilling
- objective
- urgent
- Pace
- propulsive
- Themes
- the dark side of faith · psychology of radicalization · institutional complicity · dangers of absolute certainty · weight of history
- The writing
- Sharp, journalistic, and meticulously structured, seamlessly weaving historical exposition with the gripping tension of a true-crime thriller.
- The arc
- Begins with morbid curiosity about a shocking crime and descends into a profound, lingering dread regarding the human capacity for fanaticism.
- Who it's for
- Fascinated by the psychological extremes of human behavior, this reader devours deep-dive investigative journalism that exposes the dark underbelly of American institutions.
Content notes
- graphic violence
- murder
- religious trauma
- child abuse
- domestic abuse
- statutory rape
About the book
Jon Krakauer's literary reputation rests on insightful chronicles of lives conducted at the outer limits. In UNDER THE BANNER OF HEAVEN, he shifts his focus from extremes of physical adventure to extremes of religious belief within our own borders.
At the core of his book is an appalling double murder committed by two Mormon fundamentalist brothers, Ron and Dan Lafferty, who insist they received a revelation from God commanding them to kill their blameless victims. Beginning with a meticulously-researched account of this "divinely inspired" crime, Krakauer constructs a multilayered, bone-chilling narrative of messianic delusion, savage violence, polygamy, and unyielding faith.
Along the way, he uncovers a shadowy offshoot of America's fastest-growing religion and raises provocative questions about the nature of religious belief. Krakauer takes readers inside isolated communities in the American West, Canada, and Mexico, where some forty thousand Mormon fundamentalists believe the mainstream Mormon Church went unforgivably astray when it renounced polygamy. Defying both civil authorities and the Mormon establishment in Salt Lake City, the leaders of these outlaw sects are zealots who answer only to God.
Marrying prodigiously and with virtual impunity (the leader of the largest fundamentalist church took seventy-five "plural wives," several of whom were wed to him when they were fourteen or fifteen and he was in his eighties), fundamentalist prophets exercise absolute control over the lives of their followers and preach that any day now the world will be swept clean in a hurricane of fire, sparing only their most obedient adherents.
Weaving the story of the Lafferty brothers and their fanatical brethren with a clear-eyed look at Mormonism's violent past, Krakauer examines the underbelly of the most successful homegrown faith in the United States and finds a distinctly American brand of religious extremism. The result is vintage Krakauer, an utterly compelling work of nonfiction that illuminates an otherwise confounding realm of human behavior.
Description from Open Library.
Books like Under the Banner of Heaven
See why they match
MissoulaJon KrakauerA methodical, infuriating deep dive into systemic betrayal that will leave you simmering with righteous anger.
The 19th wifeDavid EbershoffA sweeping dual-timeline saga that intertwines a gripping modern murder mystery with the hidden, claustrophobic history of a religious empire.
Jesus and John WayneKristin Kobes Du MezA sharp, paradigm-shifting historical autopsy of how militant masculinity and political power reshaped a modern religious movement.
Into Thin AirJon KrakauerA harrowing, breathless descent into the deadly consequences of human hubris at the top of the world.
The Stranger Beside MeAnn RuleA chilling, intimate descent into the sickening realization that a trusted friend is actually a monster.
The Devil in the White CityErik LarsonA mesmerizing descent into the Gilded Age where the pinnacle of human achievement casts the darkest of shadows.