Under the Banner of Heaven is the first book I’ve read by Jon Krakauer, author of other non-fictions books such as Into the Wild and Into Thin Air. Unlike those stories that feature the non-fiction stories of individuals, this is more the history behind a movement, Mormon Fundamentalism, framed against the stories of two brothers, Ron and Dan Lafferty, caught in that movement at present.
I’ve been fascinated with this new religion and I found this story told in this book compelling, at first. Unfortunately though, as the story continued, I honestly got confused and lost track of who and in what time period we were learning about as the story bounces from the past, to the 2000s to the 1980s and back again. It also didn’t help that so many featured in the story have similar names and even the same last names (a side affect of when one man can sire 60+ children).
Overall though, I’m glad I read it and while I did not enjoy it as much as some of my other favorite non-fiction books (e.g., The Devil in the White City and Destiny of the Republic), I can still recommend it.