Welcome to Litsy!

Going into this book I knew there would be A LOT of history not so much on the crime itself. I do wish there was more but I enjoyed learning more about FLDS and how the brothers got into some really fanatical beliefs. It blew my mind that they believed God gave them revelations to kill. Not random people but people that may have crossed one particular brother. 🤔 3.5-4 🌟

I have time to kill before I head into work so I am gonna kick back with an iced coffee and the latest Crimes & Cocktails book club pick. I have until next week to finish this one but I have been struggling. It just isn't pulling me in like the previous months picks. I really want to watch the show though so I NEED to finish it!

Finally digging into #20in4 with Under the Banner of Heaven. Lots of history! 😊

Housework and audiobooking, although I am beginning to think maybe I shouldn't be listening to this at a semi loud volume with my windows open. 🤔😬

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a sure fire way to get me to read books that have been languishing on my shelves for YEARS is to make a series or film adaptation of said books. I was expecting a 5 star read but did not realize that the history of Mormonism makes up the majority of the book. 😴 I was initially fascinated but quickly tired of it and began skimming those sections. Now off to Hulu I go!

This is totally readable, but I feel like the title is misleading. It‘s more like the “history” of violent faith. I‘m a history buff, but theology is not an area that I care about at all.

I was shaken to the core by all of the crimes committed in this book. It‘s sickening. It‘s rampant. It‘s wrong. If you read, there are triggers for everything you can think of. That being said, I will def be finishing the show! #truecrime #hulu

⭐️⭐️⭐️

A little time to relax. I‘m loving this book! No, it‘s nothing like the series on Hulu but I love the information that Jon Krakauer gives. It‘s interesting! Happy Friday! 😋

Very well done book. It juxtaposes the horrific murders of a mother and her toddler daughter against the history of the early LDS church that informs the extremist, fundamentalist sects of breakaway LDS groups today. I felt the book was fairly even handed in recounting atrocities both perpetrated upon and by the early Mormons, particularly in my home state of MO. If you are watching the show, don‘t expect the book to follow that track. 👇🏻

The Hulu show based on this book is amazing! But! I can‘t be waiting around each week for new episodes so I bought the book. It‘s so good!

When the new episodes air tomorrow, I don‘t want to be bothered about anything, so I made this pork chop casserole in advance. 😆😉
#truecrime #currentlyreading

Krakauer knows what he‘s doing when it comes to research, and relaying it in such an interesting way. It was so easy to fly through this one!

Struggling big with reading right now so I decided to give into my obsession with the TV series and start this book. I need to know more! 🤣

Has been on my list for years but the new TV show forced my hand lol. Whether you already know a lot of Mormon history or not this incredibly well researched book will be impossible to put down. Krakauer swiftly covers a large swath of Mormon and particularly Fundamentalist Mormon history from Joseph Smith to the Lafferty brothers. It‘s a book that is still sadly relevant today. After reading I recommend watching Prophet‘s Prey.

Im glad I read this. It made for a great book club discussion, but I really struggled to get through the first 125 pages. After that, it went much quicker. I do feel like I learned a bit. I have more questions & got frustrated a lot, but that‘s life sometimes!

And if I remain in the dark about our purpose here, and the meaning of eternity, I have nevertheless arrived at an understanding of a few more modest truths: Most of us fear death. Most of us yearn to comprehend how we got here, and why - which is to say, most of us ache to know the love of our creator. And we will no doubt feel that ache, most of us, for as long as we happen to be alive.

“If you want to know the truth,” he says, squinting against the glare, “I think people within the religion - people who live here in Colorado City - are probably happier, on the whole, than people on the outside.” He looks down at the red sand, scowls, and nudges a rock with the toe of one shoe. “But some things in life are more important than being happy. Like being free to think for yourself.”

I‘ve really enjoyed Krakauer‘s other books, but this one fell flat for me. Maybe it was the abridgment, maybe it was Krakauer‘s monotone reading voice, maybe it was something else. It just didn‘t pull me in like his others. 🤷🏼‍♀️

That moment when the audio file hasn‘t been updated and your book tells you it is continued on disc 2 😂💿 #MarvellousMarch

Well written. Highly disturbing. #19822022 for 2003 @Librarybelle

I really enjoy Krakauer‘s writing. I‘m looking forward to this one.

Fascinating. Weaving a compelling story around an historical account of the Mormon faith. It embodies the expression "page-turner."

This is one scary and disturbing book. The descriptions of the extreme fundamentalists' beliefs and actions are horrifying, but the book also includes a lot of interesting history about the LDS Church.

So far, I've managed 8 hours and 40 minute, for the #20in4 readathon, which is more than I expected to do by this point, so I'm pretty happy about that! @Andrew65

I think if I had read this closer to its publication in 2003, I would‘ve found it more shocking & revolutionary. Between a bunch of Mormon history I got in high school* & the subsequent books written about the Jeffs family, et al., I knew the meat and bones of this story. But the true crime part with Dan and Ron was new-to-me and fascinating. I‘m not usually a fan of true crime, but Krakauer is a fantastic writer. I still like Into Thin Air more.

You know you have celiac when...you have a gf prep area!

Enjoying this gluten-free (but definitely not healthy 😂) breakfast treat while listening to the final part of Under the Banner of Heaven.

#cheerwineandabook

A very comprehensive, disturbing, genre-defying book. I knew a decent amount about Mormonism before but the focus on plural marriage here had a lot of new content for me, and linking this specific murder to so much history was a really deep and fascinating approach. I got a little lost in some of the history (I‘m not American and I think I was missing some context?) but I really liked it.

#scarathlon2020 #teamharkness @StayCurious +6 pts

I expected this to be a true crime read about the Lafferty murders, and it is in part, but it‘s also much more than that. Krakauer provides an in-depth look at the history of Mormonism and the split between Mormon Fundamentalists and the mainstream Mormon church. Much of the content is very disturbing, but it‘s very well done and has a “page turning” quality to it.

I'm a fan of Jon Krakauer's work, and Under the Banner of Heaven is no exception. It tells the story of a murder committed by two members of a fundamentalist sect of the LDS church, and juxtaposes that act with the beginnings and formation of the LDS church more broadly. The book has drawn some criticism from the Mormon community, but I recommend it to shed some light on a piece of little-known American history. #heavenly #BoundTogetherJune

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ It‘s not often I finish a book and am truly haunted by what I‘ve read. I‘m still trying to process a lot of the information and understand how such terrible things can be done in the name of Faith. This is a really deep dive into the LDS religion and the splinter groups that form the FLDS. Krakauer takes the murder of an FLDS members wife and her baby and works outwards to explore how the church went from Joseph Smith to that.

4⭐
This was a deep dive into a topic that I knew not much about.

Do you ever read something in a book and your mind immediately goes to a person you know?

🤔

I found the first part of the book immensely interesting and well done. I read some stuff on the Mormons in high school and I found his explanations very clear. Later on, I just wanted to finish, though. I became so sickened and it just dragged on a bit too long for me. Very well done and incredibly well researched, but I just thought I would, somehow, enjoy it more.

🌟🌟🌟🌟 #nonfictionaddiction

Picked this one up again.
This book is shocking and borders on mind blowing.

Whoa!!!!!

I got confetti! 🥳🥳 I officially completed my Goodreads challenge of 75 books with this intriguing nonfiction book. I was fascinated by the true crime and fanaticism within the FLDS church that was examined by Krakauer. The history covered and trying to keep the many characters straight was sometimes a slog, but if you enjoy reading about religion, cults, or true crime, be sure to give this one a whirl. #goodreadschallenge #goalcompleted #success

Enjoying a rainy morning at a friend's house in NC with my new friend Walter. This book is fascinating. #dogsoflitsy #vacation #rainyday #gooddaytoread #nonfiction #religion

I am very much a mood reader but in order to meet my goals by year end a little bit of planning might be in order. These are my 4 must reads for September. Two for #LitsyAtoZ Rose Under Fire and Under the Banner which also checks my non fiction box. Little Women for my classic pic and Wunderland for #LMPBC. I have a great reading month ahead. What will you be reading?

As I read this book, the two words that ricocheted through my thoughts were “horrifying” & “heartbreaking.” At the end now, there are other words too. Krakauer is an excellent writer adept at plumbing the highs & lows of the human condition & it‘s impossible not to have a strong reaction to the story he tells—of the murders of Brenda Lafferty & her infant daughter Erica & the path her killers, her brothers-in-law, took to get to that moment.

Next up...

#bookhaul post one the Krakauer is in really good condition, the Karin Slaughter is slightly beat up and the others I‘m just taking a chance on

I couldn‘t decide whether to give this a pick or a so-so. Clearly the subject matter (polygamy, rape, incest in the name of religion) makes it a difficult read but I also found some of the historical elements about Latter Day Saints rather dry.

However, as it‘s so important that we know about these issues, I‘ve gone with a pick; it‘s a necessary book to read.

A well-researched history of the LDS and FLDS churches bracketed by the murders committed by two Fundamentalists, this book is very good for what it is. However, I was expecting (and wanted) a true crime book, so it was a bit of a challenge for me to push through. Don‘t miss the author note and appendix at the end.

#bannerbuddy

This is not about religion, fundamentalist Mormonism (FLDS) is about frustrated white men abusing women and children. I knew nothing about it, LDS is no big thing in my country but I am really shocked. And upset and angry. That is, if Krakauer used a balanced hand while writing. I tend to believe all he says, but maybe I shouldn‘t? What do you think, fellow buddy readers?

#bannerbuddy #ReadingUSA2019 #Utah

Page 15, about Mormon fundamentalists.

Property.

🤬

If it get through this book without throwing it, it will be a miracle.

#bannerbuddy

The weekend has started and with it the Banner Buddyread. Let‘s try to finish this one this week and share our thoughts with hashtag #bannerbuddy. If you wanna join us, do so!

I just read the prologue (I didn‘t know the story) and Googled Dan Lafferty. Scary man!

History and True Crime - 2 of my favorite genres