Michelle in New York City

A Thoroughly Researched and though provoking Book

Revisado: 11-18-16

This is the shocking story of Anders Breivik, who, alone, killed 77 people in a one day terror attack on his fellow citizens of Norway. Many of these victims were teenagers who were attending a summer camp. This book is very well written and tells, not only the progression of this mass murderer's life , but also weaves in personal stories of the progression of many of the victims' lives. I thought this was a very important part of the story...so the reader can get a better understanding of the impact of this event.
This is really a very thoroughly investigated book and this writer tells a complete and thought provoking story.
Although the courts found this man sane, I think his own writings and actions prove differently. He is truly a madman with a murderous rage and no empathy for others. He also has an extremely high opinion of himself. The book that he was writing is an example of his disorganized, bizarre and grandiose thought. I was shocked to find that he was only given 21 years in prison... the maximum penalty in Norway. He is most certainly a danger to society and I am not sure what Norway will do with him upon release.
The narrator has a very pleasing voice and is a positive addition to the audio version of this book.

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esto le resultó útil a 11 personas

The true story of a monster "mother"

Revisado: 10-24-16

This is the tragic true story of one little boy who was tortured by his mother for his entire 5 years of life...until one day she either intentionally or accidentally took her awful game too far and killed him.I had seen this story on 20/20 and on that show they had the video tape of this poor little boy's last interactions with his mother. The fact that she sits there and stares at him patiently waiting for the poison to take effect is chilling. Lacey Spears is a callous, sadistic psychopath with no feelings for her own flesh and blood. After she killed her son, she set up a Go Fund Me account within hours to try to extract money and sympathy from the public. Everything about this woman is horrendous... this book will make you sad and angry. It seemed that even doctors were fooled by her , at least initially. She also had all her friends fooled , even though many of them had concerns about her behavior. I hope that this book makes the reader more aware of Munchausen by Proxy; because there are most certainly other woman out there right now that are doing similar things to their own children . The telling of this story could cause someone to recognize someone in their own life that is exhibiting the same types of behavior...and maybe save a child's life.
This is a well written account of the awful story of Lacey and Garnett Spears. The narrator has a very pleasing (British) voice. I recommend it to people who are interested in this genre of book.

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esto le resultó útil a 9 personas

Awful Narrator...

Revisado: 09-30-16

It is really difficult to review this book because it was very hard to understand the story as read by this narrator. He has an extremely odd reading pattern in that he stops as if there is a period in the middle of sentences to catch his breath. As a result, it often changes the meaning of a sentence. I think he reads to the end of each line and stops for a breath instead of the end of each sentence. I was quite distracted with this and had to stop the recording and go back and listen when sentences did not make sense. I realized it was because he does not use periods or commas as reading guides. This made the story very unenjoyable and I would not purchase a book with Don Kline as the narrator in the future. I volunteer in a recording studio; editing books that have been recorded for people who are blind and I wonder if this book was put through any review process before it was offered for sale. Because I think most sound editors would flag this book .

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esto le resultó útil a 18 personas

If Susan Stelling was my daughter , I would cry

Revisado: 09-02-16

I was also a single girl in the 1990's out in the Hamptons so the story peaked my interest. Now I am a therapist and a mother so my review is coming from all those points of view. My heart cried for Susan throughout this book. I wanted the book to explore why Susan found this to be an acceptable situation; Why she accepted Graham from prison when they were not even a couple anymore AND their original relationship was only a brief one. A much more interesting story is Susan Stellin...
But for my review of THIS book: It kept my attention and engaged me . I recommend the book, but I also recommend Susan write a story explaining what caused her to go down this path... there is definitely a story to be told.
I hope Graham stays sober in the future...

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Kept my attention during a cross country drive

Revisado: 09-02-16

I thought this book was written exactly the way an episode of Investigation Discovery would play out. So if you like this type of show then you would like this book. I enjoyed the book.

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esto le resultó útil a 4 personas

Entertained me on a cross country road trip

Revisado: 09-02-16

First, when I began listening to this story I thought Peter was a self important a--hole doctor who thought he was too good for rehab and that his wife should have endured his nonsense. However, as I continued to listen I realized that this attitude was "tongue in cheek" and he realized what an intolerable d-bag he was to everyone around him. He also realized that he wanted to change and that he wanted to be a better person for his kids. I thought his story was sad, funny, poignant , idiotic and thought provoking and I was happy that I had this book to entertain me during my long drive. It always kept my attention and , in the end, I was hoping for the best for this "self absorbed jerk".

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esto le resultó útil a 5 personas

Very Interesting and Well Written Story

Revisado: 09-02-16

First, I listened to this story during a cross country drive and I can tell you that it kept my attention and interest in it's entirety. This is a well written and thought provoking story. I had never heard of this case before or listened to any of the podcasts so I began this story with a blank slate. Although , I finished this story with an opinion that Adnan is most likely guilty-- even with Rabia's constant explanations of how the listener should interpret different aspects of the case, I highly recommend this book. Based on the evidence shared in the book, I do agree that his original lawyer was impaired and that he should receive a new trial.
The reasons I give 4 stars instead of 5 is that Rabia speaks way too quickly and she instructs the reader about how they should interpret the evidence / facts presented. Obviously that is understandable since she is so close to Adnan and the case, but I think a less instructive narrative may have been better for her story. Sometimes I felt that she was forcing / leading me down a path that I , as a listener , disagreed with.
I definitely recommend this book. I hope that justice is served in a future retrial.

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esto le resultó útil a 6 personas

A Cautionary Tale from our National Parks

Revisado: 03-16-16

I thought this was a well written and entertaining book which describes the , for the most part, unseen heroics of our national park rangers. It is also a cautionary tale as it is pointed out many times throughout the book that most people who get into serious trouble in our national parks are people who are ignoring warnings or who came unprepared for nature. I think anyone who has visited any national park has probably seen the tourists who seem oblivious to danger and climb up on ledges, waterfalls and other precarious places. These are the stories of those type of tourists... and the aftermath of their reckless actions.
There were a few chapters that seemed to go on for too long (the ones in which the writer is trying to get us interested in the personal lives of the rangers outside the parks). A little more rescue/recovery and a little less "romance" and this would have been a perfect adventure book. However, overall, this was a vey interesting and well written book.

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Annoying, Privileged Teenager Tells his Story

Revisado: 03-15-16

I did not enjoy this book at all. I finished 1/3 of the book before I gave up. The primary reason being: the main character is not likable. He is a self centered and self important teenager at the beginning of this book...and a serious drug abuser. He is very impressed with his elite prep school, his rich friends, his dinners at fancy restaurants, etc. At one point he tells his father that his current, temporary apartment is not acceptable for him and demands to go to a luxury hotel... and off they go. When he started describing his obsession with getting into Princeton, I thought I must have missed part of the story that would explain why his teachers or parents thought he was a candidate for one of the most elite universities in the world. But , no, I did not miss anything. There were no indicators that he was a candidate for Princeton...which seeks out highly intelligent, accomplished and well rounded students.This is just one example of his over inflated ego. I knew that this book was not for me when I found myself getting angry that he might actually get into Princeton. I found myself ,not only, not caring what happened to this "brat" but, hoping that he would be knocked down to earth.
Also , the author's vivid and graphic descriptions of his sexual encounters did not add to the story and I found these parts of the story to be quite gratuitous.
Lastly, I feel as though I have heard this same story many times in books and in movies. There was nothing here that seemed unique.
I looked closely at a lot of the previous reviews here, and on Amazon, trying to figure out why it received quite a few glowing reviews. I did notice that many of the reviews are from people who have only ever reviewed one book: this one. I am weary and suspicious of these type of reviews. I should have looked more closely at the reviews before purchasing this book.

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esto le resultó útil a 12 personas

Someone should have Intervened

Revisado: 03-04-16

As I was listening to this story, I became more and more disturbed that no one in this young man's inner circle noticed how unstable he was. The fact that he was living with his parents and younger brother should have made it much more difficult for him to continue his bizarre obsession. But it didn't seem to impede his intentions at all. In fact, this author indicated, on multiple times in this book , that his mother (and other people he knew) seemed to be in awe of him because of his interactions with these serial killers. Of course, that was only the opinion of the author and I know from reading this book that his reality was quite distorted. The fact of the matter is that this was a young man just out of high school in his first semester of introductory psychology. He had no training . He was quite grandiose and, even though he had no qualifications, called himself a "good behavioral psychologist". He claimed that all of his actions were for a psychology assignment. I am surprised if he had actually consulted with his professor about his ongoing sexually-charged conversations with John Wayne Gacy and his intentions to meet him in person, why the professor (who presumably is a licensed clinician) would not have advised him of how unwise and unsafe his plans were. These plans were not only unsafe for the author but for his entire family. This author was giving out his home address to multiple serial killers and pretending to have the same goals and mindsets as the various serial killers. He spoke on the phone and, eventually, in person to John Wayne Gacy. The author was leading him on as if he wanted to be his boyfriend.The author told J.W.G that he (the author) was molesting his own 14 year old brother in an attempt to "gain his trust". He accepted money and gifts from John Wayne Gacy. In fact, John Wayne Gacy paid for him to come visit him in prison. A fact that the author claims his parents knew about and were ok with. Then he acted surprised when he went to the prison and J.W.G. tried to kiss him and fondle him. I am not sure how any of this could have actually been for any type of college assignment let alone one for a first semester psychology student.
This young man appeared to be slipping into his own mental illness and no one seemed to notice.When the entire story is reviewed, it is clear that there was no clinical point to any of this. What did he learn? That John Wayne Gacy was a bad man? ...that Richard Ramirez was dangerous and creepy? That Charles Manson is a mad man? Everything he learned from his so called "research" was already well known.
I ended up googling this author before the book was finished because I thought I would find that he had ended up psychiatrically hospitalized... instead I found out that he had killed himself 10 years ago. How sad. He really was a disturbed and troubled young man and this erratic behavior was a crystal clear indication of his mental status. This book is an unsettling story of this young man's descent into mental illness. It really is difficult to listen to.

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esto le resultó útil a 39 personas