UNDER THE BANNER OF HEAVEN A Story of Violent Faith

UNDER THE BANNER OF HEAVEN is a fascinating story of religious extremism and its impact on the Mormon Church. Krakauer, the author of the bestselling INTO THIN AIR, focuses on the activities of generally pro- polygamy Mormon fundamentalists, from Joseph Smith and Brigham Young to the Lafferty brothers. He details how these extremists twist their religious views to justify a variety of behavior, including murder and kidnapping. The decision to have Krakauer read the book is an unfortunate one. He has a dry, almost monotone, voice that does not do justice to his written material, which is thorough and, at times, chilling. Despite the subject matter, it's easy to "zone out" while listening. Although, at times, Krakauer reads with more intensity and emotion, those moments are all too rare. D.J.S. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC 03/JAN 04]