I, like most well-to-do college students, spend most of my semester going out too frequently, starting projects too late, and barely making every one of my story deadlines. So, when I have a break I like to replace the stresses of school with a few good books. This break was no different and, while I enjoyed them all (especially the life-changing Revolutionary Road, which is Gatsby meets Mad Men, and required reading for you and all your friends), there was one that truly amazed me.

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Under the Banner of Heaven, was written by Jon Krakauer, author of both Into Thin Air and Into the Wild. It tells the story of two Mormon brothers who, because of a revelation one of them received from God, murdered their third brother’s wife and baby girl. But, beyond that, it is about the history of the Mormon faith, and the power of religion to motivate and mold.

Understandably, this isn’t a cheery or optimistic book. The murders are absolutely brutal and, while you know they are coming, difficult to read. This is the work of two men who don’t believe they are doing anything wrong, and, at the time of Krakauer’s reporting, still hold to that belief. There is no remorse, and that is what makes these characters so mesmerizing. You must know what drives these men, and what allows them to sleep easy.

Krakauer’s reporting is staggering. The pages are heavily footnoted, and the bibliography extensive. Krakauer spent more than two years gathering information, reading books, interviewing countless Mormons on both sides of the Fundamentalist issue, and the brothers involved in the murders. While the book faithfully tells the events of the day of the murder, it is so intent on uncovering why the brothers did what they did, that Krakauer does his best to unfold the religion’s murky history, from Joseph Smith’s childhood, to today, with all the many splits in between. While it has been contested by the Mormon church, it is a fascinating read.

The book runs into trouble when Krakauer momentarily strays from his diligent journalistic methods. There are times when it becomes clear that Krakauer holds Mormonism, and people who believe wholeheartedly in any religion, in contempt. It’s a shame because the story of the murders and the history of the Mormon faith seem to effortlessly write themselves; it is when Krakauer’s editorializing seeps in that the quick read bogs down.

Fortunately, these interruptions are few and far between. As a whole, the book is hard to put down, and amazing if only for the amount of reporting Krakauer had to do to assemble this long and complex narrative.