Details
Rent Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith
Author:
Format: Paperback, Abridged-CD
Publisher: Random House Inc
Published: Jun 2004
Genre: True Crime - Murder
Retail Price: $19.00
Pages: 399
Synopsis
Jon Krakauer's true-crime investigation, which explores the sick reality behind the murder of an innocent woman and her baby in 1984, goes further and looks at the history and the present-day practices of the Mormon Church. The two self-confessed murderers, both devout Mormon fundamentalists, claimed that God instructed them to kill their brother's wife and daughter, and that therefore they did nothing wrong. Krakauer traveled North America, interviewing Mormons of all varieties, from fanatical polygamists to 13-year-old brides and incest victims, to expose the truth about the horrifying extremist sect that these two men embody.
Reviews
I expect a crime drama, not a hybrid between an atheistic rant and a very slow to develop story. It took effort to finish and wasn't worth the effort. I am not a Mormon, am not insulted by his slams on the religion, but I resent all religous thought being dismissed as violent and negative. It felt like atheistic propoganda, which becomes a religon of sorts itself! Not what I hoped for!
I knew nothing about this book when I selected it. The writing was excellent. As a psuedo true crime, it bothered me that the author's bias toward God and religion permeated the book. But, it really gave insight into Mormonism.
very interesting book..