theremightbecupcakes's Reviews (2.86k)

This book is not for everyone. The authors are very honest about what Kermit Gosnell, and what Gosnell did went far beyond abortion. He murdered and decimated. If you are uncomfortable with Ed Gein’s story, do not read this book, for Gosnell was the same type of hoarder.

This book was finely investigated, so I only deduct one star for these reasons:
* the unnecessary, in my opinion, long chapter lecturing the reader on proper journalistic practices. It’s near the end of the book, so by the time it is reached, I as the reader have the full picture of the bizarre news dodge of this story. I don’t need a mini journalism class to drive it home.
* the occasional use of “pro-abortion” in place of “pro-choice” in general (the only person I have run across who is truly pro-abortion is Dr. Gosnell, for pro- implies enthusiasm, gusto); and, in companion with this, the introduction written by a member of the Duck Dynasty family. This case is so vile, it didn’t need to be politicized at all, in any way. Just tell the reader what Gosnell, his wife, and his staff did. You’ll probably change a lot of minds on abortion. I think these leans of bias make the annoyance of the lesson of the unbiased Fourth Estate stronger. To truly make this point, the book should have carried absolutely no agenda—including no biased language (a no-no in basic journalism) and no biased celebrity endorsement.

I can’t say this enough: this is an important case, and, despite its above flaws, an important book. But I am going to type a phrase below that was in the crime scene report about Ed Gein, and please let it be your litmus test for whether or not you should read this book.

That phrase is: cup of noses

There was way too much internal dialogue—beyond the pale. This was a true crime book, not a novel. I cannot believe that David West was able to report that much of his inner life to Jack Olsen. Were it not for Kevin Pierce’s superb narration of the audiobook, I would have bailed.
Plus, the book was supposed to be about the killer couple, not about the male of the couple and the wacky but well-meaning PI that caught him. So very odd.

If you’ve seen the first two seasons, there is no need to read this book. Maybe two stories are off-air; one is debunking, the other a fraud. If you want to hear Grant Wilson’s voice, it’s literally confined to two sentences or so at the end of every chapter.