Nonfiction Navigators discussion

In the nonfiction book, Under the Banner of Heaven, by Jon Krakauer, the readers learn about the origins of the Mormon faith and the fundamentalist outshots of the modern day LDS church. The book is framed by the story of the murders of Brenda Lafferty and her daughter Erica by Brenda’s brothers-in-law, Ron and Dan Lafferty, who were inspired by their extremist views on Mormonism. Krakauer explores the beginning of the faith, its exodus through the United States to the Southwest, and it early leaders, including founder Joseph Smith and his successor, Brigham Young. In recent history, Krakauer delves into the secretive world of fundamentalist Mormons and their polygamous settlements in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. He also gives an in-depth look at the sexual abuse faced by many underage girls within these settlements. The books concludes with the Lafferty trials and an interview with an ex member of a fundamentalist Mormon cult.
While the Mormon faith seems foreign to many Americans, it is the fastest growing faith in the United States and the only major world religion to begin in North America. Krakauer presents a clear historical picture of the religion, helping readers to understand the ties between the modern day LDS church and the original religion that started less than two centuries ago on the East coast. The book does a great job of explaining the movement of the Mormon religion through mainland USA and the often violent persecution members of the faith faced in the Church’s early years. One of Krakauer greatest achievements in the book was his ability to objectionable describe some of Church’s more controversial issues in a way the lets readers develop their own opinions. Due to radical nature of these issues, including polygamy and underage marriage, any author would struggle to maintain neutrality while still presenting the facts. However, Krakauer is able to walk the line between reporting and picking a side with ease.
While the book was an overall success, it lacked a clear path from beginning to end. Chapters alternated between historical accounts to the present day and stories were abruptly ended only to be revisited later in the book. This made parts of the book incredibly difficult to follow and comprehend. Characters introduced in earlier chapters would suddenly reappear in later chapters, which lead to some confusion and rereading. Due to the extensive amount of the subjects, this was partly unavoidable. However, the issue was exaggerated by the lack of chronological order in the book. While certainly not unenjoyable, the book takes quite a bit of concentration to understand.
Many books have been written about the Mormon faith and extremist branches of the LDS Church. Even TV shows, like TLC’s Sister Wives, have given the public glances into the world of polygamy and fundamentalist Mormon beliefs. However, compared to other media outlets, Krakauer was incredibly successful in explaining the mentality of these religious sects. By giving an in-depth account of the original beliefs of the Church and explaining how these beliefs changed, Krakauer is able to show how and when many of these fundamentalist groups broke off from the mainstream. The book provides connections between these radical beliefs and those originally pioneered by Joseph Smith that is uncommon for most accounts of the religion.
While Under the Banner of Heaven is sometimes confusing, it is an essentially read for anyone curious about fundamentalist Mormon groups or the LDS church in general. As Mormonism continues to grow, people are more likely to interact with members of the Mormon Church than ever before. Krakauer helps to explain the fundamentalist cults while clearing away misconceptions about the mainstream Church. This book is a must read for anyone interested in learning more about the Mormon faith.