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amazing account

Revisado: 03-07-23

the amount of petty neighbor dispute BS that eventually contributed to the state-sanctioned murders of these people is unreal

I REALLY appreciate the way Baker lays out the setting, by describing what New England was actually like in those times and dispelling the grade-school myths we learned about buckle hats and joyless, uptight Puritan life. Salem Village and Salem Town are painted as living communities with interesting problems and community members

I also never had any idea how much the hatred of indigenous peoples played a part in the leadup to the trials and in the actual apparitions of the devil people claimed to see. The wars going on at the time were not really taught in school

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recommend for sure

Revisado: 03-07-23

I was totally engrossed by the writing. Also learned a lot about this infamous case that I didn't know before. It was very sad to hear that one of the victims survived in a great deal of pain for a while before passing away at the hospital. I think because these were shooting deaths, I assumed they died quickly, but this was not the case -- Zodiac really drives home how brutal these crimes were and how scared the public was.

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wow!

Revisado: 03-07-23

I don't recall being overly impressed or unimpressed with the narrator but it was fine

the overall book was great and I learned a lot about the city and its history! So interesting. I had no idea about the physical architecture etc. of the world's fair. It was described in such a way that I could visualize it so well. And the HH Holmes tie-in was neat because he also built these weirdly complex death trap architectural creations. It really showed how the time allowed Holmes to operate...chilling

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thorough coverage of case

Revisado: 03-07-23

I liked it and also it was impactful to hear about the surviving families of the murder victims and how it affected them. the author laid out the theories very well and it was an engrossing read that was narrated well. For the most part, it seemed respectful to the victims, the exception being the occasional gruesome description of a victim's body. only one of them stood out as being graphic in a way that felt disrespectful as it focused a lot on the intimate details of her body. I do think there's a way to write about true crime without bring overly invasive of victims' violated bodies, and that one missed the mark. For some reason one stood out as being that way and the rest were fine. Wonder if the author just had more details on that case or something

apart from that, great read, very thorough and helpful to understand the case

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detailed and engaging

Revisado: 09-16-22

There were so many victims of the GRK that I was worried this book wouldn't be able to cover everything. But each victim gets their time and are portrayed with thought and care by the writer. It's very sad but very well done

the way Gary Ridgeway was slowly introduced over the course of the book was also highly effective

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good book

Revisado: 08-07-22

methodical thorough and convincing, an enjoyable and informative read. Maybe a little too heavy on some of the skepticism re: hinterkaifeck, but I could also see their points there.

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Do No Harm (aka this book's Hot Takes on suicide)

Revisado: 09-14-19

I would have loved this book, but the author's prejudices against mental health problems and suicidality are ignorant and callous. Especially for someone in the medical profession. Her father died by killing himself when she was a teen, leaving her with a lot of blame, anger, and feelings of abandonment. And then she had to console and counsel families of suicide victims who she autopsied. This was without any kind of grief counselling training (she talks about how she also functions as a grief counsellor) or any help for herself on handling her dad's death or on having to go through painful memories again while dealing with suicide victims and their families. From the personal angle, it makes sense that she has developed contempt and blame for suicide victims as selfish jerks. But from a professional angle AND what actually works to prevent suicide deaths -- decreasing stigma against mental illness, quitting victim blaming, not spreading stereotypes about suicide, etc -- her views ironically perpetuate the same stigmas against mental health problems and suicidal ideation that lead people to avoid seeking treatment and make them likelier to kill themselves. She says some truly noxious, harmful ish and almost talks about suicide as a crime.

I also know it's very possible to go through losing someone to suicide and NOT come out the other side with a hatred for all suicide victims. The author simply passes judgment, not even taking the angle of "if you're reading this and considering suicide, don't." The idea that someone with a mental health/depression issue might read her book was clearly not a concern.

I have strong opinions about how writers, from authors to journalists, should write about suicide and mental health ethically in order to minimize harm. In this case, the author has violated a guiding principle of the medical profession: First, do no harm.

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pretty good atmospheric horror

Revisado: 05-29-19

The performers were all excellent, and the "monster" wasn't what I had expected. There's a lot of sexual violence in this one, which for some reason is more disturbing to listen to than to read about or even watch on TV. I liked the way it ended, which was satisfying and took care of all the characters I couldn't stand.

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Wonderful listen, lots of questions remain

Revisado: 04-09-19

This was a compelling listen and carefully investigated. My only real complaint was that towards the end, the story of Sophie seemed to get lost a bit in the story of Ian, the spotlight-loving wannabe poet ex-journalist accused of her murder. Even if he was innocent, which the law presumes he is until proven guilty, he conducted himself like a vulture circling tragedy and making it all about him. Much of the audiobook was about keeping a narrative distance from him, asking him hard questions and making it clear this was not made to exonerate him or give him more spotlight in any way. Still, they had to reluctantly admit towards the end that Ian had sort of made this new life for himself out of Sophie's murder. I think this audiobook may contribute to that, which unsettles me.

This case is full of people I deeply disliked, like Marie and Ian, and there is no closure except for Sophie's family's insistence on vacationing in West Cork in her memory and to build a new life, not being held back by fear. It's a great listen, but prepare to be disturbed.

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If you fidget like me then avoid this

Revisado: 04-06-19

I'm glad others got more out of this, but if you're like me then you may want to give it a pass. I'll explain what I mean...

positives: The performance is good, with the narrator speaking in a calm and soothing way at a pace that made it easier to follow and drift off to. I did get SOME sleep after this and about half the time felt calmer/more relaxed after listening.

This guide uses mainly embodiment and breathing techniques, with some visualization. Visualization was helpful for me, i.e. once you're asked to imagine a beautiful garden; once, count sheep jumping over a fence -- I finally "got" why people "count sheep," with the combination of breath, the voice, and the image producing a hypnotic effect.

Negatives: Unfortunately, the embodiment/body awareness techniques weren't so great. If you have any issue with your body or how you process sensations, or are just the fidgety-est person ever (I am), then being asked to hone all your focus on one body part until you've categorized your whole body can be the opposite of relaxing. I found it annoying and upsetting because I have a painful few spots which this meditation brought into sharper focus rather than relaxing. I genuinely hated being directed to focus on my thumb or bizarrely, my "right fingernail" (???) and make it totally still. I tried to tune out the instructions and just be lulled by the monotone voice.

If you're a fidgeter, being told to be still just makes you want to fidget more. Also, the abrupt transitions between imagining your body being heavy like an anchor vs light like a feather were too quick to mentally achieve and unsettling because they were so different.

It also directed the listener to focus on a third eye space but without a lot of guidance about what that meant. The yoga breathing techniques were a big plus but they weren't featured long enough to help me.

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