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Under The Banner of Heaven

A powerful story of Mormon fundamentalism and gripping true crime from the author of Into the Wild

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Under The Banner of Heaven

By: Jon Krakauer
Narrated by: Scott Brick
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A provocative look at the twisted roots of American fundamentalism.' Will Self, Evening Standard Books of the Year

‘Excellent . . . a lucid, judicious, even sympathetic account not just of Mormon Fundamentalism but of the seductive power of fanaticism in general.’ Daily Telegraph

‘Remarkable . . . for anyone interested in the wilder frontiers of spiritual conviction, this book is a must.’ Independent

Brothers Ron and Dan Lafferty insist they were commanded to kill by God. In Under The Banner of Heaven, Jon Krakauer's investigation is a meticulously researched, bone-chilling narrative of polygamy, savage violence and unyielding faith: an incisive look inside isolated Mormon Fundamentalist communities in America, this gripping work of non-fiction illuminates an otherwise confounding realm of human behaviour.

 Christianity Murder Religious Studies True Crime Mormon Crime
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Critic reviews

A provocative look at the twisted roots of American fundamentalism. (Will Self)
Excellent . . . a lucid, judicious, even sympathetic account not just of Mormon Fundamentalism but of the seductive power of fanaticism in general.
Remarkable . . . for anyone interested in the wilder frontiers of spiritual conviction, this book is a must.
All stars
Most relevant
frustrating that this has been copied from CD (every so often the narration is interrupted by "continues on disk...")

Very detailed review of the history of the religion, and sometimes the events get lost in that history. But a very interesting novel

detailed history

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I have to agree with another review on this platform, that I too struggled to finish this book. It is indeed easy to loose sight of the murder that begins it. Never a fan of zealot dogma of any variety, the content is disturbing. Yet it is also edifying in illuminating not only the nature of Mormon religious culture but the distinctive and alarming ways that America shapes it's own concept of God. And how that 'American God's shapes American culture.

An interesting, if difficult, read/listen

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Thoroughly captivating listen. The title caught my eye and once I started. I couldn’t stop listening.

Fascinating story

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Very detailed and very well read. Minor criticism is that it so7nds that Audible have 'copied' this from a CD book series. This means every so often 'this book continues on disc 3.......disc 3......🙈

Fascinating Insight Into The Mormon Religion

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this was fascinating to listen to and clearly the author has done a lot of research. there is quite a lot of disturbing material in the book but I feel that it is not gratuitous in its presentation and is necessary to drive home some of the authors points.

the only criticism I would make is that, at times, I felt the book lacked structure. the book opens with a double homicide and it is clear that the author is attempting to find the reason behind the crime, however the past towards the answer jumps about in history a lot and I found myself thinking - what does this have to do with the original crime? having said that, I didn't mind hearing the story of how the church was founded and how it's doctrines evolved over time... It is all interesting

interesting and disturbing, very well researched

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