What readers think of Under the Banner of Heaven, plus links to write your own review.

I disagree that in telling the reader that Krakauer is agnositc is a bad thing. Is it bad to hid his bias and leave a veil up? Why should an author of such a deep topic have to avoid his feelings. This is not a textbook or a strict history of the Mormans, but one man's keen observations about religion. The two great catch-22s of religion are the foundations of an engrossing story. First, is the paradox of how a minority relgion wants equality and freedom from the law of the majority when they face the wrath of the majority, yet how quicky equality and freedom of others are forgotten when they become the minority to your majority. Secondly, the author highlights how in religious debate their is only room for revelation and one correct "truth" behind it and no room for logic. The author points out that all religions have these problems and states that in the Mormons it is just easier to show because they came into existence when unfulfilled prophesy could be confirmed by logic and evidence. "Under the Banner of Heaven" is a Great and needed book for people to start to think about these heady concepts, but as in everything in our countrie's cultural landscape it faces a divided audience. The truely "devout" or "fantic" (depends on point of view) will be bothered by this book and I would bet people will love the book or hate it. Like Michael Moore's new Movie this book is going to speak loudly to people who are open to questioning the power structure of local and national leadership. I think nobody could debate the Krakauer is great at weaving a clear and engrossing story. His acknowledged point of view made the work like the great Will Durants in that it was not boggled down with strict academic language that make so many books unreadable (like the scholasitc's of the middle ages our academics have become lost in their language and forget to make living works) and yet this work is in no means without scholorship and deep thought.

I'm not an overly religious person. But I am a person that can see through religous BS. I will not understand how these early converts to this new religon could'nt see through this big phony, Joseph Smith. OK, so he likes to molest little girls- coincidentally, he gets a 'Revelation' that they can 'marry' more than one wife. There is no evidence of the gold bibles, but coincidentally & conveniently Moroni the Angel takes them back. This book made me sick, but I could not put it down. Brigham Young- another real winner. These two early church leaders had less integrity than Saddam Hussein. Just the kind of religion I'd want to be associated with.

An amazing book. Like another poster before me, I'm recommending to everyone I know.

This book is compelling. I feel this is an important book everyone should be reading. There are religious fanatics within our borders, not unlike the Islamist Fundamentalists that continue to terrorize the world. We need to be wary of these people and we need tp make sure, as tax payers that we are not supporting these polygamists 'that bleed the beast' by 'spitually marrying' very young girls and impregnating them and signing them up to collect welfare. Colorado City, AZ is an amazing example. I find this book very important. Krakauer is an amazing writer and I recommend this book to everyone.

interesting reading, coming from a non mormon in salt lake i find a lot of what he says top be fair and true. some anti-mormom books i read where very one sided whereas in this he gives a fair outllok.

This book dazzled me with its magic words.

I have just finished reading this book and have to say that it is quite the eye opener. I am a Christian who is very active in my faith and church. It is very interesting to see the inside of a cult, that proclaims to be God's one true Church. I don't propose to say that this book speaks for Mormons as a whole. However it mearly protrays them accurately as lost people. Jon Krakauer not only points out the events surrounding the horriffic murder of a woman and her child, but provides a history of the cult evolving into what is has become today. Definately not a book to be taken lightly.

An excellent read, that, when added to the news reports, paints a frightening image of some of the fringe groups of the LDS

Once I started reading this book, I wasn't able to put it down until I reached the conclusion. Actually, that isn't entirely true. Every two pages or so, I had to stop reading long enough to bring my anger and disbelief over the blatantly misguided principles of the fundamentalist Mormon church under control. I can't even begin to understand how, in this day and age, our society can turn a blind eye to these people--people who foster illiteracy, polygamy, and child abuse as part of their "oh so holy" religion, government, and educational systems. Most of the FLDS communities in the United States and Canada survive almost solely on welfare and government funding, despite the fact that it seems to be common knowledge that polygamy and sexual abuse--both illegal in this country last time I checked--run rampant among the ranks.
It's ture that many followers of the FLDS religion don't support such practices, but at the same time they aren't trying real hard to stop others from doing so. And what about the 38 million or so members of the LDS church? Are they content to just sit back and pretend the fundamentalists don't exist--even though they claim to be the only true followers of the great Joseph Smith--and continue to deny any sort of responsibility for the rollercoaster of inequality and ignorance started by their precious martyr? Apparently it doesn't bother the LDS community--a group known for their devotion to educating their children often for the purpose of missionary work for those less fortunate than themselves--to know that there are followers of Joseph Smith who still believe it is their righteous and lawful duty to pull their 14-year-old daughters out of school and marry them off to some 45-year-old uncle who already has 4 wives and too many children to count. Do we really believe that a child raised to believe there is nothing worth learning past eigth grade, and that they will burn in hell if they don't succumb to the sexual desires of their elders, will ever have the opportunity to seek help and break the vicious cycle?
Obviously, my entry here is jaded by my anger over the fact that I have lived in this country for 25 years, and it wasn't until I read Jon Krakauer's book that my eyes were opened to the dark side of Mormonism--yes, Mormonism, that is in fact what the book is about--and I strongly suggest that anyone who isn't familiar with the history of religion in this country read Under the Banner of Heaven.