A review by bennysbooks
Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer

4.0

Fascinating and hard to read in equal measure. I wanted to read this less as a true crime account (I skimmed the murder bits; what happened to Brenda and Erica is worth knowing, but I didn't feel like I needed details), but for an insight into the way religious fundamentalism tilts toward violence. As such, I was pleasantly surprised by how much of the focus was on Mormon history, and I've added many of the books Krakauer referenced to my tbr list. It was interesting to read in light of some of the recent abuses related to LDS/FLDS groups (the Daybells, Franke, etc) but also as someone paying acute attention to the rise in Christofascism, esp. in the US. And what a day to have finished the book...

"It's amazing how gullible people are," DeLoy continues. "But you have to remember what a huge comfort religion is. It provides all the answers. It makes life simple...and that's a real big part of what holds this religion together: it's not having to make those critical decisions that many of us have to make, and be responsible for your decisions."