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annieturnsthepage's Reviews (486)
Hands down, this might be my favorite book of the year (to date). I loved the style this was written in, as a straight up interview with different points of view from all around the world to tell a whole story.
Some of my favorite stories were:
*The Battle for Yonkers
*The Wilderness Park in Canada
*Learning about Quislings (people who acted as zombies) and bonus shout out to my place of employment "I’ve heard stories about Walla Walla, you know, the prison where hundreds of them were fed and clothed and even medically cared for."
*Kyoto, Japan and the otaku.
*The Chinese submarine story
*The Astronauts on the ISS
*Paris catacombs
I did enjoy the film based on this book, but now after reading it I feel that it could have been so much more.
That submarine story alone would have been amazing to watch on the big screen. It might be my favorite one in the whole book honestly.
Max Brooks told an amazing story through the eyes of other people.
Some of my favorite stories were:
*The Battle for Yonkers
*The Wilderness Park in Canada
*Learning about Quislings (people who acted as zombies) and bonus shout out to my place of employment "I’ve heard stories about Walla Walla, you know, the prison where hundreds of them were fed and clothed and even medically cared for."
*Kyoto, Japan and the otaku.
*The Chinese submarine story
*The Astronauts on the ISS
*Paris catacombs
I did enjoy the film based on this book, but now after reading it I feel that it could have been so much more.
That submarine story alone would have been amazing to watch on the big screen. It might be my favorite one in the whole book honestly.
Max Brooks told an amazing story through the eyes of other people.
I had never heard of Dorthea before, and starting the book man, she had a sad and hard life growing up. I felt bad for her.
Until her utter lack of actual care and feeling for others entered the story, which was fairly young. Would she have been different if she had a different upbringing? Possibly.
But even some of the things she did before the boarding houses she ran, still was next level wtf. And then the boarding houses...that was interesting. She did help some people, and seemed to legit put effort into it, but a lot she just robbed blind and murdered.
She was a menace to those who are forgotten.
Until her utter lack of actual care and feeling for others entered the story, which was fairly young. Would she have been different if she had a different upbringing? Possibly.
But even some of the things she did before the boarding houses she ran, still was next level wtf. And then the boarding houses...that was interesting. She did help some people, and seemed to legit put effort into it, but a lot she just robbed blind and murdered.
She was a menace to those who are forgotten.
The Pied Piper is the sixth book in the Bloodlands series. This one was super interesting to me. I had never heard of Charles Schmid Jr. before.
He convinced a girlfriend and friend to help him find a girl to rape and murder. After this he was anything but quiet about it, but no one ever took him seriously or reported it.
Then, he murdered his girlfriend (different from the one who helped him lure the first victim) and her young sister. Again, he didn’t really hide this fact. A friend who knew of the body dumpsite, finally told his father who called the police.
He was sentenced to death, escaped prison and was eventually recaptured. The death penalty was abolished by the Supreme Court and he was serving life without parole when he was stabbed to death by two other inmates. No motive was given, but I imagine it was due to basically getting away with his life after killing the 3 young women.
This was probably my favorite book in the series. All in all, it was a great series of lesser known true crime stories of the past.
He convinced a girlfriend and friend to help him find a girl to rape and murder. After this he was anything but quiet about it, but no one ever took him seriously or reported it.
Then, he murdered his girlfriend (different from the one who helped him lure the first victim) and her young sister. Again, he didn’t really hide this fact. A friend who knew of the body dumpsite, finally told his father who called the police.
He was sentenced to death, escaped prison and was eventually recaptured. The death penalty was abolished by the Supreme Court and he was serving life without parole when he was stabbed to death by two other inmates. No motive was given, but I imagine it was due to basically getting away with his life after killing the 3 young women.
This was probably my favorite book in the series. All in all, it was a great series of lesser known true crime stories of the past.
This book was amazing. It was a very well researched book about The Grim Sleeper. What I really liked about the book was the author took the time to tell you about the victims. They weren’t just nameless faceless people found murdered. They were real people, mothers, sisters, daughters, and loved by their families.
The author made them real again, and told their story. Easily one of my favorite true crime books of the year.
The author made them real again, and told their story. Easily one of my favorite true crime books of the year.
The Brick Slayer is the third book in the Bloodlands series. It tells the story of Robert Nixon, a young serial killer who murdered his victims with a brick. His story was unknown to me prior to reading this story.
Nixon was a young black man, only aged 17-18 at the time of the first murder. Eventually he confessed to 4 murders, but maintains that the last one was committed by his accomplice Earl Hicks.
Nixon testified at his own trial that he was beaten and abused by police officers until he signed a confession for the murders that he was on trial for. On cross examination he himself cast doubt on his claims. Ultimately he was found guilty and after 7 minutes was sentenced to death. From searching it appears that Hick was sentenced to 14 years for his role in the murder/robbery. Hicks was then sent to Los Angeles where he was sentenced to 5 years to life for attacks there.
A lot of this story focused on the prejudices of the time, especially as the perpetrators were both young, wandering black men, and the crimes were against white women and girls. A book was written by Richard Wright, Native Son, that pulls from the story of Robert Nixon and how he and the crime was portrayed by the media during the 1930’s.
Nixon was a young black man, only aged 17-18 at the time of the first murder. Eventually he confessed to 4 murders, but maintains that the last one was committed by his accomplice Earl Hicks.
Nixon testified at his own trial that he was beaten and abused by police officers until he signed a confession for the murders that he was on trial for. On cross examination he himself cast doubt on his claims. Ultimately he was found guilty and after 7 minutes was sentenced to death. From searching it appears that Hick was sentenced to 14 years for his role in the murder/robbery. Hicks was then sent to Los Angeles where he was sentenced to 5 years to life for attacks there.
A lot of this story focused on the prejudices of the time, especially as the perpetrators were both young, wandering black men, and the crimes were against white women and girls. A book was written by Richard Wright, Native Son, that pulls from the story of Robert Nixon and how he and the crime was portrayed by the media during the 1930’s.
Panic is the fourth book in the series Bloodlands. Instead of focusing on one story, it focuses on an overlying theme: the 1937 child murders that seemed to dominate the news.
The stories involved many young girls who were raped and murdered, not far from their own homes or the safety of family members. America was in the Great Depression, and everyone’s anxieties were high. Despite crimes like this being on the decline during the time, they dominated the news and scared parents nationwide that perverted sex criminals were roaming the streets in the thousands.
They scared some to the point of a father killing his 3 young daughters with a gun, just so they wouldn’t fall victim to one of these people.
This book explores a mix of unfounded fears, moral crusades, and the dangers of collective thinking.
The stories involved many young girls who were raped and murdered, not far from their own homes or the safety of family members. America was in the Great Depression, and everyone’s anxieties were high. Despite crimes like this being on the decline during the time, they dominated the news and scared parents nationwide that perverted sex criminals were roaming the streets in the thousands.
They scared some to the point of a father killing his 3 young daughters with a gun, just so they wouldn’t fall victim to one of these people.
This book explores a mix of unfounded fears, moral crusades, and the dangers of collective thinking.
Rampage is the fifth book in the Bloodlands series. It covers mass murderer Howard Unruh, who went on a “walk of death” and killed 13 people in his neighborhood.
This might have been my favorite in the series, as I know a little about his case. He was found insane after the crimes and spent the next 60 years locked in mental health facilities. Some of his victims were pre-determined, and others were just people who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
His own family speculated that his time serving in WW2 changed him forever and could have led to this horrible incident. I think that since he was in his late 20’s and that is when certain mental illnesses raise their heads, it was unfortunate timing.
He never fully explained why, just made statements to things he believed they did and said about him and that was enough reason for him. His mental stability decreased over the years and he finally passed away in 2009, after 60 years of confinement.
This might have been my favorite in the series, as I know a little about his case. He was found insane after the crimes and spent the next 60 years locked in mental health facilities. Some of his victims were pre-determined, and others were just people who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
His own family speculated that his time serving in WW2 changed him forever and could have led to this horrible incident. I think that since he was in his late 20’s and that is when certain mental illnesses raise their heads, it was unfortunate timing.
He never fully explained why, just made statements to things he believed they did and said about him and that was enough reason for him. His mental stability decreased over the years and he finally passed away in 2009, after 60 years of confinement.
This was a quick read and is the first in the Bloodlands series by Harold Schechter. I had never heard this story before but it was fascinating how even in the 1860s they were able to track and find the killer fairly quickly. The legwork put in was absolutely outstanding.
It is a mix of history, true crime and a bit on the macabre side.
The story is about Albert Hicks, who murdered the crew of a oyster sloop and stole what money and belongings they had. The bodies were never found, as he dumped them at sea, but they were still able to get a conviction and sentence him to death, but not for the murders! He was sentenced to death due to piracy, and one of the last people executed for that in the United States. He was executed in front of a crowd of 10 thousand witnesses anchored in the waters off of Bedloe's Island (now Liberty Island, where the Statue of Liberty resides). It was an absolutely fascinating story.
This is the first thing I have read by Schechter and I am looking forward to the rest of the Bloodlands series.
It is a mix of history, true crime and a bit on the macabre side.
The story is about Albert Hicks, who murdered the crew of a oyster sloop and stole what money and belongings they had. The bodies were never found, as he dumped them at sea, but they were still able to get a conviction and sentence him to death, but not for the murders! He was sentenced to death due to piracy, and one of the last people executed for that in the United States. He was executed in front of a crowd of 10 thousand witnesses anchored in the waters off of Bedloe's Island (now Liberty Island, where the Statue of Liberty resides). It was an absolutely fascinating story.
This is the first thing I have read by Schechter and I am looking forward to the rest of the Bloodlands series.
Second in the Bloodlands series, Little Slaughterhouse on the Prairie, tells the story of the Bender family. Their story is one that I have heard in the past.
They ran a store/inn for travelers and murdered them if they dared to sit in the chair above the trap door to the cellar. While they did rob them of the money/valuables they had on them, it appeared that really they would kill anyone they wanted to, even if they didn't get anything monetarily out of them.
In this story, they were never brought to justice, at least that anyone truly knows. They might have escaped and lived out their lives in other areas of the US, or even France. Or they might have been tracked down by one of the many posse's that formed to find them after the discoveries of the horrors in their cellar. We really will never know what happened to them, and I assume they did escape their captors and blended back into the fabric of society.
Truly fascinating story of a family of serial killers in the 1870's.
They ran a store/inn for travelers and murdered them if they dared to sit in the chair above the trap door to the cellar. While they did rob them of the money/valuables they had on them, it appeared that really they would kill anyone they wanted to, even if they didn't get anything monetarily out of them.
In this story, they were never brought to justice, at least that anyone truly knows. They might have escaped and lived out their lives in other areas of the US, or even France. Or they might have been tracked down by one of the many posse's that formed to find them after the discoveries of the horrors in their cellar. We really will never know what happened to them, and I assume they did escape their captors and blended back into the fabric of society.
Truly fascinating story of a family of serial killers in the 1870's.
