Murder and Mayhem in My Bed: A Book Review

Why is it that I find this book so fascinating come bedtime? I put off reading this book about Mormon history, faith and violence, because I thought it might be a bit on the hateful side. I prefer my newspapers and non fiction books with a complete scope of facts, and am often disappointed by the lack of information conveyed due to a skewed view point. Yes, yes, the story of Mormonism's creation is ever so out there, just as is the stories of the creation of the Muslim and Christian faiths. Religion, well, it is not generally a credible thing. People use their faith as launching pads for great acts of charity as well as heinous crimes against mankind, no matter the brand. It is not the roots of a religion which ultimately matter, but the modern day applications of it.

The only beef I had with Krakauer's report, was his portrayal of the Elizabeth Smart kidnapping. He stated that she was more prone to succumb to the brain washing of a violent pedophile because of her Mormon upbringing, not because she was a child. Krakauer supported this idea not with facts but by failing to mention the threats made against Smart's family, in particular her younger sister, as well as statistics involving abducted children and Stockholm's Syndrome. Children are amazingly adaptable, and rely on their survival instincts more than their rationale. Aside from this minor disappointment, I thoroughly enjoyed this case study, per say, of the ladder of religiously inspired fundamentalism and violence.