The story of the Amityville house is and will continue to be a classic story. The idea of it has all of the elements of a good ghost story. However, it is difficult to believe that the ghosts and demons in this story are fact. The true monsters of this story are DeFeo for murdering his family so coldly and possibly the Lutzs for potential child abuse and money grabbing schemes.

I wouldn't have ever picked up this book on my own if it wasn't required reading for my class. However, I am glad that I read it. I probably won't ever reread it, but I am happy to have known it.

If you are easily offended, don't like gallows humor, and are prone to throwing up, don't read this book. Everyone else should check this book out. Kevin Hazzard has the best war stories and I thoroughly enjoyed them. But it isn't all blood and guts and broken bones poking out of the skin, the books also pose good existential questions regarding our careers. I am not a paramedic, but this book still made me question my own career choices. This book also explores life in drug-addicted communities and the healthcare system. And Hazzard has awesome stories.

I think Carolina Maria de Jesus is an individual that deserves more recognition; she opens our eyes to poverty and racism in the 1950s-1960s Brazil. This is the only book I've read by Carolina and I don't feel like it would be right to comment on her writing ability based on her personal diary. I found her diary very interesting, but also very redundant. Carolina also doesn't give a lot of context or background so events can be vague or confusing. Anyone looking for insight into poverty or racism should read this book. However, I would highly recommend that you supplement this book with "The Life and Death of Carolina Maria de Jesus" by Robert M. Levine. Levine puts more of Carolina's struggles into perspective by giving a more biographical account of her life including historical background on Brazil. As an individual, I have a lot of respect for her; she had an amazing determination and was an incredibly hard worker. I don't know if I would recommend her diary to everyone, but I would recommend people learn about her.