Retro Read: Under The Banner Of Heaven - Jon Krakauer

History/Religion/Crime

Rating: 8/10

Using as a focal point the chilling story of offshoot Mormon fundamentalist brothers who commit a brutal murder in the name of God, Krakauer takes us back and forth in history to understand what led to this crime. 

The author uses his storytelling and journalist skill to pepper the book with an array of firsthand accounts and news stories to depict all the factions of this religion; both extreme and peaceful.

Ultimately this is a story about the potential darkness of devotion and seeks to explain why a man can have absolutely no remorse for the murders he committed. In the end you will be left with the question of if faith, at its most extreme, results in the absence of reason.

This is a great backlist pick for anyone with a curiosity about religion and faith.  Despite the focal point being of a darker nature, the book is not one sided.

Footnote: While this is the book I elected to review out of Krakauer’s repertoire, they are all excellent choices.  He is an exemplary writer with a particular skill in the structuring and unwinding of a story.