A gripping true crime account of polygamy, savage violence, and unyielding faith in the American heartland from the bestselling author of Into the Wild and Into Thin Air.
Now a major TV miniseries starring Andrew Garfield.
Brothers Ron and Dan Lafferty insist they were commanded to kill by God. In Under the Banner of Heaven, Jon Krakauer's meticulous investigation into the murder of a mother and her child uncovers a bone-chilling narrative of Mormon fundamentalism and renegade prophets.
This incisive look inside isolated Mormon Fundamentalist communities in America illuminates an otherwise confounding realm of human behaviour, offering a provocative exploration of the seductive power of fanaticism.
'A provocative look at the twisted roots of American fundamentalism.' – Will Self, Evening Standard 'Books of the Year'
'Excellent . . . a lucid, judicious, even sympathetic account not just of Mormon Fundamentalism but of the seductive power of fanaticism in general.' – Daily Telegraph
'Remarkable . . . for anyone interested in the wilder frontiers of spiritual conviction, this book is a must.' – Independent