Author(s): Jon Krakauer

Politics

A riveting account of Taliban-like theocracies in the American heartland controlled by renegade Mormon prophets from the best-selling author of Into the Wild and Into Thin Air. Here, Krakauer shifts his focus from extremes of physical adventure to extremes of religious belief within the USA. At the core of his book is an appalling double murder committed by a pair of brothers, Ron and Dan Lafferty, who insist they were commanded to kill by God. Beginning with a meticulously researched account of this "divinely inspired" crime, Krakauer constructs a multi-layered, bone-chilling narrative of polygamy, savage violence, and unyielding faith. Along the way he uncovers a shadowy offshoot of America's fastest growing religion, and raises provocative questions about the nature of religious belief. Weaving the story of the Lafferty brothers and their fanatical brethren with a clear-eyed look at Mormonism's violent past, Krakauer examines the underbelly of the United States' most successful home-grown faith, and finds a distinctly American brand of religious extremism. The result is vintage Krakauer, an utterly compelling work of non-fiction that illuminates an otherwise confounding realm of human behaviour.