Under the Banner of Heaven

Saturday Samplers, a Bernardsville Library book group, will discuss Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by Jon Krakauer at its next meeting this Saturday, Dec. 1, at 3:30 p.m.  New members are always welcome to attend Saturday Samplers meetings.

Under the Banner of Heaven is an examination of an extremist religion born and bred in America, that of the Fundamentalist Latter-day Saints, an outgrowth of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, otherwise know as the Mormon Church.

Centering on a savage murder by two Fundamentalist brothers in 1984, the narrative of this fascinating nonfiction book follows the Mormon faith from its inception to the splintering off of polygamous sects which have spread throughout the American southwest, Canada and Mexico.  Mormonism as practiced by the modern LDS  is also brought under the glare of Krakauer's far-reaching, well-researched book.  The intertwining of faith, zealotry and delusion makes Under the Banner of Heaven a very compelling and thought-provoking book.

Bernardsville Library Maintains Its 5 Star-Rating

Bernardsville Public Library is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a 5-star rating by Library Journal for the fifth consecutive time.  Over the past five assessments from 2009 to 2012 (two editions having been published in 2009), Library Journal has selected a list of America’s Star Libraries whose performance it rates 5 stars based on criteria such as expenditures to population size.  Five stars is the highest rating used by Library Journal.  

The journal’s rating table includes libraries nationwide that have earned any number of stars from 1-5, but this year Library Journal celebrated the consistent winners of 5 stars over 5 editions.  Bernardsville Library is included in this select group.  Below you will find Library Journal’s thumbnail profile of our library.