Week 12 Prompt

Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by Jon Krakauer

1) Where is the book on the narrative continuum? o   Highly narrative (reads like fiction) o   A mix (combines highly narrative moments with periods of fact-based prose) o   Highly fact based (has few or no narrative moments)

2) What is the subject of the book? This book discusses the Mormon religion, particularly, Mormon Fundamentalism. Although the book delves into the origins and history of the religion, the main focus is to describe and attempt to understand the reasoning behind the Lafferty Brother murders by understanding the religious extremism which they were driven by.

3) What type of book is it? Krakauer’s book is a mixture of Memoir, Biography, True-Crime and History.

4) Articulate appeal ·      What is the pacing of the book? -This book reads like a novel because of the fast pacing. The dramatic elements wrapped up in the tawdry and violent history of Mormonism and the horrific crime described keep the reader tearing through pages, racing toward the inevitable conclusion, even knowing, that the conclusion is the present. ·      Describe the characters of the book. -There are many characters described in this book, as a plethora of stories are highlighted when describing the history of Mormonism and Fundamentalist Mormonism. The main characters are the founders and key players in the origins of Mormonism, and the treacherous Lafferty brothers. ·      How does the story feel? -The entirety of the story feels dark and foreboding. It is impossible no to feel angry, sad and frustrated when reading the accounts of pain and injustice described in this book. The story also feels completely one-sided, to be fair. The author is not particularly objective when accounting the history of Mormonism, which leaves the reader feeling perhaps biased. ·      What is the intent of the author? -The author’s intent is to attempt to understand what drove the Lafferty brother’s to their despicable crime by understanding the religion which defined their lives and the crime itself. ·      What is the focus of the story? -It is difficult to define the focus of this book. Is it the history of the religion? Or, is it the description of the crimes? Although we know it’s a meshing of the two, that doesn’t always translate, leaving the reader to feel as though they are straddling two separate stories. ·      Does the language matter? -The language is relatively easy to understand. Although the author is describing religious history, traditional language of religious texts is spare, and there is a lack of jargon, making the story accessible. ·      Is the setting important and well described? -The setting is the American mid-West and West, with a few forays into the American East, Canada and Mexico. Each where Mormonism has flourished, or where the flame of this religion has been put out, is richly described. ·      Are there details and, if so, of what? -The religious, personal, atmospheric, historical, and setting details are richly accounted. ·      Are there sufficient charts and other graphic materials? Are they useful and clear? -There are no charts or other graphic materials; however, they would be helpful in keeping straight the many characters, family trees and historical details. ·      Does the book stress moments of learning, understanding, or experience? -This book stresses all of the above!

5) Why would a reader enjoy this book (rank appeal)? 1. Pacing- This book reads like a mix between a dramatic Historical Fiction and gritty, True Crime novel. 2. The Characters- There are little to NO characters who are likable throughout this book. The only likeable characters are victims, and basically all else are painted as utterly despicable. However, much as loving characters moves the reader along, hating them also keeps the reader tearing through pages, waiting to find out what will become of them. 3. Focus- History of Mormonism, Mormon Fundamentalism, and the Crime. All of these elements combine to create a riveting story-line as well as one which is full of opportunities to learn about the history of this massively popular and ever-growing religion.