Book #12: Under the Banner of Heaven

The book: Under the Banner of Heaven, by Jon Krakauer

What is this book about: This book provides a history of the Mormon Church and Mormon fundamentalism against the story of how two fundamentalists murdered their sister-in-law and her child, because they had received a revelation from God to do so.

Why did I read this book: I wanted to learn more about the Mormons after my trip to Salt Lake City a few months ago, and I like true crime when it doesn't scare me too much.

What did I think of this book: I learned a lot from this book, and was particularly interested in the sections on Joseph Smith and how the church came into being. I don't want to write too much on what I think of the Mormon church, because many have pointed out that Mormons seem to take almost any criticism or investigation into their church very personally. But it was interesting to wonder whether a religion could come into being like that today.

While I really liked getting both the history and some contemporary examples of how people interpret this faith today, some of the jumping back and forth between history and the present was a little overwhelming and might have actually hurt the narrative in my point of view.

What was my favorite part of this book: As sick as it got sometimes, I thought the real world examples of how the polygamists live were perversely interesting, although still sad and heartbreaking because of the abuse that is going on (it should be pointed out that the Mormon church does not sanction polygamy, and polygamists are fundamentalists who operate outside of the rules of the church....they are very clear about this in Salt Lake City as well). In terms of reading about it, and thinking about all the ways that people can interpret religion....well, it's a bigger topic than I have the energy for right now, and probably a little too weird for the blog.

What did I learn from this book: I learned about Mormons, but probably not in the way they intended.

What grade do I give this book: B