I grew up, and still live, in a state with a significant population of Mormons. There are particular towns where many of the families share the same few names and it is not uncommon to see wedding announcements with the bride and groom having the same last name. In the way of small towns everywhere, you just sort of know the things you know about some people and some places. I went out with a couple of wrestlers while I was in high school and you could just sort of pick out the kids from certain towns at the meets. It’s a hard thing to articulate to people who don’t know because it is so ingrained in the culture, no one actually has to talk about it.
So as I was reading Under the Banner of Heaven, it was as if someone was turning on a light in a room I had been walking by my whole life. I knew there was a room there, the door was open and I could see some shadowy shapes but I had no idea what was actually in there or how big the room was. Jon Krakauer has a talent for pointing a flashlight at a story and then illuminating the entire shebang with thorough research and a dedication for following the story where it leads. I had always dismissed Mormonism as a kooky, but harmless religion – all the Mormons I knew were nice, kind of nerdy people who just seemed really into their families. Like many, my point of reference about the history of Mormonism was South Park (and Sherlock Holmes).
Under the Banner of Heaven is ostensibly about the murder of Brenda Lafferty and her infant daughter. Who killed Brenda and Erica Lafferty was never a mystery and Krakauer does not treat it as such. He doesn’t treat the motivations of the murderers as a mystery either but instead as the absolutely natural consequence of their beliefs. Krakauer peels back layers of history and myth-making to reveal a generational story written in blood and fear that draws a direct through-line to the actions of the Lafferty brothers.
It was easy to draw parallels throughout this book to current events, even though it was published in 2004. I don’t know if it gives me hope or even more despair to read about how deep the roots of American extremism run and how our national propensity for believing grifting bullsh*t is baked into the foundation of our country. I found myself wishing Krakauer would write an update to this story, if for no other reason than to remind all of us that Joseph Smith and Brigham Young are not ancient history and offenses are currently being committed in their names.
Under the Banner of Heaven is not an easy or comfortable book to read. It is not a salacious true-crime story, or a biography. It is a well-researched and meticulous story of a uniquely American belief system and the harm it continues to cause.
