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Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith Audiobook
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NATIONAL BESTSELLER • From the author of Into the Wild and Into Thin Air, this extraordinary work of investigative journalism takes readers inside America’s isolated Mormon Fundamentalist communities. • Now an acclaimed FX limited series streaming on HULU. “Fantastic.... Right up there with In Cold Blood and The Executioner’s Song.” —San Francisco Chronicle Defying both civil authorities and the Mormon establishment in Salt Lake City, the renegade leaders of these Taliban-like theocracies are zealots who answer only to God; some 40,000 people still practice polygamy in these communities. At the core of Krakauer’s book are brothers Ron and Dan Lafferty, who insist they received a commandment from God to kill a blameless woman and her baby girl. Beginning with a meticulously researched account of this appalling double murder, Krakauer constructs a multi-layered, bone-chilling narrative of messianic delusion, polygamy, savage violence, 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.
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"Wao! Very powerful book. Difficult to put it down. Another tragic way of living life under the name of faith. Very disturbing to see again what religion can do to human beings! The saddest part is that no one seems to learn from others or for that matter, past events! Tragic!"
— Ginetta (4 out of 5 stars)
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“A hair-raising true-crimer.”
— Chicago Sun-Times -
“Fantastic…Right up there with In Cold Blood and The Executioner’s Song.”
— San Francisco Chronicle -
“A powerful look at how religious belief can cross the line into fanaticism.”
— San Jose Mercury News -
“Stunningly researched…Elegant reportage…An evenhanded inquiry into the nature of religious belief itself.”
— Newsday -
“A powerful portrait of how two seemingly ordinary Americans became murderers.”
— The Economist (London) -
“Provides a fascinating glimpse of the church today.”
— Atlanta Journal-Constitution -
“Horrific, gripping…Soberly written and courageously reported.”
— Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel -
“Krakauer reconstructs the Lafferty brothers’ descent into fatal fanaticism magnificently.”
— Raleigh News and Observer -
“A disturbing picture of Morman fundamentalists…Krakauer’s straightforward style and excellent storytelling ability make the book interesting.”
— Rocky Mountain News -
“A great book…Krakauer has found a fascinating story in plain sight, right in the heart of the American West, and told it with the narrative drive and unflinching honesty that marked his 1998 bestseller, Into Thin Air.”
— Oregonian -
“Startling…Timely…Krakauer uncovers a ghastly trail of forced marriage, polygamy, violence, and mind control…A chilling look at Mormon fundamentalism.”
— Charlotte Observer
Awards
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A New York Times bestseller
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An ALA Notable Book in Nonfiction
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Finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize
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A New York Times Bestseller in Audio
Under the Banner of Heaven Listener Reviews
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Deborah Swindlehurst, 3/9/2023
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" I had high hopes for this book because it started strong and I like Krakauer,but there was altogether too much history for me. "
— Tanya, 1/19/2014 -
" A fascinating book by one of my favourite authors. "
— Murray, 1/15/2014 -
" This should be required reading for everyone. Simply put, this book is an amazing work of nonfiction literature. "
— Kyle, 1/15/2014 -
" I absolutely loved this book. I love the way he delves into a subject and follows everything to the very end. Loved his other books as well. "
— Notty, 1/9/2014 -
" required reading if Romney's the nominee "
— Clinton, 12/20/2013 -
" So interesting and disturbing. I had to quit reading it before bed because it was so creepy. "
— Miranda, 12/16/2013 -
" So incredibly good. A historical and factual look at the beginning of Mormonism to how it progressed over 177 years but doesn't read like a thick history book, more like a gripping tale. Recommended for anyone who is remotely interested on how Mormonism came about. "
— Anna, 12/16/2013 -
" Very well researched and developed history of the Mormon faith. Helped broaden my understanding, although the focus veered pretty heavily toward the sensationalist, polygamous sects. "
— Maureen, 11/15/2013 -
" Subject matter is deeply disturbing, but well written. Glad I read it, but not one I'd want to read again. "
— Alan, 10/27/2013 -
" Utterly fascinating. I highly recommend. "
— Jenna, 10/27/2013 -
" I had to skim after about halfway through this book. It was interesting, but the historical record started to get monotonous and dry. I applaud the author's research and objective portrayal. Informative but not enjoyable reading! "
— Andrea, 10/10/2013 -
" Well written but not necessarily the whole story of the mormon's I know "
— Autumn, 9/23/2013 -
" I loved this book. Weirdly, I found the history of Mormonism the most page turning aspect of this book. I recommend this book to everyone. "
— China, 8/26/2013 -
" excellent history though the author has a somewhat obvious bias against organized religion in my opinion and against mormonism a bit. "
— Rohan, 8/17/2013 -
" The subject was fascinating as was the story. But I was shocked at how poor the writing was. This guy could benefit from a good editor. "
— Eileen, 10/4/2012 -
" eeeeh...a lot like a text book! lots of info, author jumped from subject to subject tho. hard to follow. we read this in book club, based on the amazon description....we found the description only described the first chapter and not the rest of the book. "
— Stacy, 8/21/2012 -
" Whoa. A book that actually brought tears to my eyes. Couldn't put it down. Also raises lots of questions about the future of the power of religion in America. Scary. "
— Anne, 12/2/2011 -
" Loved the way the history of the Mormons was intertwined with a current story. "
— Kristine, 10/28/2011 -
" It was interesting but not as well written as his previous books "
— Nancy, 5/23/2011 -
" Probably Krakauer's best work. "
— Callmemargie, 5/18/2011 -
" I hated this book only because of the subject matter. In fact, I didn't finish it because of that. "
— Brenda, 5/13/2011 -
" Intriguing for the first 50 pages or so, then I spotted a few inaccuracies that made me question how much trust I put in this book as a whole. The parts about the Lafferty brothers were really good but the author was clearly biased against Mormonism. "
— Liz, 5/10/2011 -
" Really interesting but it was a slow read for me. "
— Jessica, 5/10/2011 -
" Took a while to read, as it made me think and ponder. Not a race-through, but astonishing and eye-opening. Krakauer certainly is not afraid to turn over rocks and look at what squirms beneath. "
— Nancy, 5/9/2011 -
" It was so full of facts that were not checked. It is also sad and depressing. I chose not to Finnish.<br/> "
— Wendy, 5/6/2011 -
" I couldn't put it down. "
— Maria, 5/4/2011 -
" Fascinating. It's a history of the origins of the Mormon faith and a study of radical Mormonism. It's a good account of how a faith gets derailed by fundamentalist extremism. Joseph Smith could in no way have intended the events described to have turned out as they did! "
— Carolyn, 5/3/2011 -
" So far it provides good insight into the Mormon religion and its history. "
— Alexander, 5/3/2011
About Jon Krakauer
Jon Krakauer is the preeminent writer of narrative nonfiction. His numerous bestsellers include Under the Banner of Heaven, Into the Wild, and Into Thin Air. He is editor of the Modern Library Exploration series.
About Scott Brick
Scott Brick, an acclaimed voice artist, screenwriter, and actor, has performed on film, television, and radio. He attended UCLA and spent ten years in a traveling Shakespeare company. Passionate about the spoken word, he has narrated a wide variety of audiobooks. winning won more than fifty AudioFile Earphones Awards and several of the prestigious Audie Awards. He was named a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine and the Voice of Choice for 2016 by Booklist magazine.