Joanne Arkush

Law Breaker

Revisado: 04-11-24

Unbelievable, self righteous, know it all Hanna proves crime does pay. Seriously deranged plot. So disappointing. I have loved other books by this author.

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Everyone should read (or listen to) this book

Revisado: 06-22-23

Poetic and so well crafted structurally. Urgent, and often heart wrenching. Thorough. On my list of favorite nonfiction.
Fans of books like Braiding Sweetgrass, The Worst Hard Times, and Voices In The Ocean will not be disappointed.

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Graphic descriptions of abuse

Revisado: 07-22-21

Large sections (maybe the majority?) of this book were hard to listen to, consisting mostly of ‘unflinchingly’ detailed descriptions of prolonged torture, coercive control, and physical and emotional abuse (and I have a pretty high tolerance and have read a lot of true crime). The story necessitates this, to an extent. And though Olson’s level of detail in describing the violence only further condemns Shelly, focusing so much of the book on it feels gratuitous. There are other elements of the book that deserve the same level of focus and detail but don’t receive it. For example, there is only a short Afterwards about the psychology of these various situations, it seems like an afterthought. I wish Olson had included more perspectives and examination/insight, and gone more into the events after 2002–because Olson had me so invested in each sister and victim’s story. This also might’ve balanced out the violent sections.
The timeline was also a bit unclear in parts; I wasn’t totally sure of the sequence of certain events, if they happened before or after or simultaneously. But this was a minor issue and didn’t really effect my overall understanding of the events.

All that being said, the story is undoubtedly compelling, and admittedly hard to put down. I think I listened to it in like a day and a half.

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Really good, one critique

Revisado: 05-07-21

Very good. Egan describes the land, events and people in poetic detail. A little dry in the first few hours but once the dust hits the fan the narrative picks up. An important reminder in human caused ecological disasters, one that will only increase in painful irony as the Oglala continues to be sucked dry. Eventually this story will likely read as both reminder and premonition come to pass.
Anyways, definitely recommend. Really my only critique is that Egan only halfheartedly acknowledged the land rights of the First Nations people. I get that he is focusing on the sod-buster and cowboy side but it’s important not to gloss over the genocide of the people who lived with and tended to the plains for thousands of years before cowboys, homesteaders, sodbusters, and suburbia. Pairing this book with Robin Wall Kimmerer’s book Braiding Sweetgrass is the way to go.

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