Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith

Jon Krakauer is a writer and journalist best known for his books Into Thin Air, Into the Wild, and Under the Banner of Heaven. Krakauer has a degree in environmental studies from Hampshire College in Massachusetts. He made a career as a fisherman and carpenter before quitting to pursue writing full-time. In 1996, Krakauer attempted to climb Mount Everest and survived a deadly climbing disaster. Krakauer’s book on the expedition, Into Thin Air, details his experiences and was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize in 1998. Krakauer has published eight works of nonfiction and has received numerous awards.

His nonfiction work Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith received negative attention and scrutiny from the LDS church, claiming that the book is unorganized and lacks historical accuracy. However, Newsday called the book “stunningly researched” and USA Today referred to it as “well-researched and even-handed.”

Joseph Smith (1805-1844) was the founder of Mormonism. At the age of 18, Smith claimed to be visited by an angel named Moroni who revealed to Smith that there were golden tablets containing the word of God. Smith claimed to find these tablets and published their content in