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2 comments about Deviant: The Shocking and True Story of Ed Gein, the Original Psycho.

1. I am from WI so Ed Gein was a household name. I had
   read one book before, but this one was MUCH better.
   It grabs you from the moment you start it. Even though
   you know the ending, it gives you a lot of insight into
   Ed Geins world, which was wicked. What you saw on the
   outside. A man with no family left, a mother who taught
   him women were evil. People made mention of the fact
   that he was "weird" but just Eddie Gein. Little did
   they know the evil inside his mind and his farmhouse.

   Yes, he was mentally ill but I do believe he knew what
   he was doing,as he made lampshades etc.
   In a way you do feel sorry for him, only a little.
   It took me one day to read. Lets just thank he was never
   let out....




2. This is a well-researched book about Ed Gein, the mild mannered, Midwestern psychopath from Plainfield, Wisconsin who, in the nineteen fifties, would shock the nation with his gruesome crimes. Ed Gein would become the basis for the best selling book by Robert Bloch, "Psycho", as well as for the Hitchcock film of the same name. Accounts of Ed Gein's heinous crimes would also enter the consciousness of a young Tobe Hooper who, as an adult, would write and direct the classic cult film, "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre".
   
   The author writes a cogent, factual account of the life of Ed Gein and the grisly crimes that shocked the nation at the time of their discovery. It details the hold that Ed's domineering mother had on him, a hold that would manifest itself in unimaginable ways. It is almost hard to believe that this small, inoffensive man could be such a madman, but who but a madman would do what he did? Ed Gein, it was discovered, had turned his small farmhouse into a gruesome charnel house, replete with furnishings adorned with human flesh and bones.
   
   Aficionados of true crime will find this book fascinating, as it is a well-written account of one of the most horrifying and bizarre series of crimes ever to be committed. Eight pages of photographs are included in the book and serve to provide the reader with a brief, visual glimpse into the life of Ed Gein, a man with a secret hobby so depraved that it would shock the entire nation when it came to light. Lovers of true crime accounts will be fascinated by this well researched foray into the life of a seemingly innocuous man from America's heartland who ended up being so deviant from the norm.

5 comments about Ed Gein--Psycho!.

1. I bought this book because I thought it would give me more details about weirdo serial killer Ed Gein, after I had read Deviant by Harold Schector. I was sorely disappointed. Psycho doesn't really go extensively into more facts about this interesting man and I firmly believe that Deviant does. This book is too short. The final chapters rave on about the movies,songs and comics they made about him and even though that has some indirect relationship to the man, I mean really... what does it have to do with Ed Gein? Ed Gein was probably unaware that any movies were being made about him while he was in the institution and he certainly wasn't like the Zodiac Killer; he didn't care.
   The story is that Ed Gein was raised by a strictly religious mother, Augusta Gein and an apathetic father who took to drinking heavily to escape his mundane existence. Ed Gein idolized his mother, like his brother too but Edward Theodore Gein was more of a momma's boy.
   Ed's brother Henry dies in a fire and there is suspicion that Ed had something to do with it but there is no proof.
   Later, when Ed's mother dies, after his father, Ed takes to grave-robbing and wearing human faces as masks over his face.Not to mention he makes furniture out of human skin. Ed denies that he has sexual intercourse with these corpses because they smell too bad but who knows?
   After Ed dies in 1984 of respiratory illness, he becomes a hero.Maybe we are living in a sick society where a murderer of two, possibly three women is considered a hero.
   I recommend Deviant by Harold Schector. Avoid this one.



2. I've always been pretty interested in serial killers, and naturally came across Ed Gein's name in a few "collections" of serial killer biographies. Wandering through the bookstore oneday, I picked up "Ed Gein: Psycho." That's what it says on the cover. Inside, it's called "Ed Gein: Psycho!" The exclamation mark tells you all you probably need to know about the mentality of Paul Anthony Woods, the "author" of this self-loving piece of garbage.

   Many, many reviewers already have pointed out the things that turn one's stomach about this book. The writing is sophomoric and ridiculous, and way, way, WAY too much liberty is taken with the story, which, ideally, is non-fiction. The imagined conversations, thoughts, and feelings of Ed that the author relays are ridiculous, and the tone of the book is really grating. I mean, Ed Gein was a really odd duck who did some really creepy and bad things, but he's a person of some note. To read Woods refer to him as "our boy" in certain passages makes me angry. The cavalier style with which it is written is really smarmy, and one can imagine Woods sitting at his typewriter, smiling at his own wit, patting himself on the back.

   Beyond the incredibly obnoxious way in which the book is written (and trust me folks, the author's skills are far below that of the average writer who gets published) and the silly "conversations" between Ed and his fellow Wisconsonians (who, in the book, have a kind of...gulp...southern drawl?), there is the fact that no new information is presented, and I didn't learn anything I didn't already know from reading 10 or 15 pages in another book. And the last part, where the author "examines" the pop-culture that has been created around the Gein legend only confirmed my suspicions throughout the rest of the book...he's just a silly, pseudo-psychologist fan with no respect for his elders.

   Pass!




3. The quality of this book is the kind I normally find littering the fictional section of bookstores. I was truly appalled to discover the shoddy workmanship hidden behind the covers of "Ed Gein - Psycho!". I have seen better research and work in high school English Lit papers!

   The entirity of his "research" apparently comes exclusively from books written upon the subject by other authors who _did_ do their homework, magazine articles and movies which only use _pieces_ of the truth of Ed Gein. He also felt compelled to use language which would never pass muster in the average English class or editor's office. Language, which I might add, which did not add in any fashion to the book or the subject.

   As well, his cavilier attitude and joking fashion of writing left an extremely sour taste in my mouth. His attempts at expressing a form of "camraiderie" or connection between himself and Mr. Gein in the form of refering to him as "our boy" were truly disgusting. And the use of photos randomly throughout the book, apparently just to take up space as were the annoying movie reviews, was as unnessicary as they were out of any form of logical order or revelance to the progression of the book.

   Also, beware of the annoying southern dialect used by pretty much anyone who opens there mouth to say anything. Don't worry, you can't miss it. It's spelled out dialectially, i.e. poorly.

   Just as a random comment, I might call this nothing more than tabloid trash, but even tabloid trash has a level of compentancy which is never even touched by Mr. Woods.

   All in all, if you're looking for an example of how _not_ to write a true crime novel, or any other kind of novel for that matter, this is a book for you. Otherwise, don't waste your money, instead save it for a book like Deviant by Harold Schechter. This one is just a waste of time, money, paper and ink.




4. If you're not into true crime, you won't like it. NO, it won't win the Pulitzer Prize for literature, but I guess I'm sick too, because I LIKED it. What we're dealing with here is a psychopath the likes of which we probably haven't seen before. Sure Ed Gein was sick. But this was a very interesting book, hard to stop reading. He was the basis for "Psycho", "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre", and "The Silence of the Lambs". I don't have a problem with the writing style, it's sort of like pulp, but it's good. So what if there is junk at the end like pictures of the sideshow attractions, "Come and see Ed Gein's Murder Car!" The influence it made on modern culture happened. My favorite book on the subject is Harold Schecter's "Deviant". But I'm not ashamed to say I liked this one too. I'll bet all the reviewers who put it down, didn't put it down until the last page! LOL



5. I must say, I was horribly disappointed with this book. Do not buy this if you are looking for accuracy! It is historical FICTION! I will say this, Paul a Woods has a talent for blurring the lines between fact and fiction, truth and lies! This book is nearly useless to a person who is interested in learning about the True case... Paul a Woods has created a monstrosity of truth diluted with lies... I won't read another book of his- EVER!

5 comments about Deviant: The Shocking True Story of Ed Gein, the Original Psycho.

1. This was a great book! I was completely obsessed with reading it. I finished it in two days. The prose wasn't terribly difficult. This book really went into the facts of the case in an interesting way. You end up feeling a little sorry for Ed Gein, but still never wanting to have been around him in any way. I recommend this book for anyone who loves true crime stories or like to read about psychopaths.



2. Ed Gein was just CRAZY INSANE!!!!! The author did a good job in trying to figure out what in the WORLD could have compelled someone to such insanity. Good read



3. Quest que cest,yes, just what is it about those psychokillers past,present and future that holds our attention.Words are used to define their acts such as ghoulish,fiendish,psychotic necrophilic deviants etc, but why do they do it and just what is the root cause of their extreme antisocial behaviors.How can one live with these episodic,violent bloodbaths and continue to function as if all was right with the world.Deviant is an excellent start on your quest for comprehension.It chronicles the life and times of one of the most notorious killers who wasn't all that notorious at all, at least during the daylight hours.Edward Gein,a local town simpleton who took the oedipal complex way too far and acted out in the only way he knew how, was well on his way to becoming a legendary boogieman. The research is sound and factually based on the circumstances of his early life, his distorted relationship with his mother and those around him.His penchant for nocturnal,necrophilic activities such as grave robbing, his unique use of skin and bone applications in home decorating ideas you would never find in Better Homes and Gardens,and the art of human butchering are all here for the reader to digest.For those who enjoy this stuff it is a fast read,a real page turner.Gein is practically iconic now given that this occurred in the late 1950's.The setting is yet another rural,midwest,one horse town described by some as the dead heart of Wisconsin,an appropriate description for Plainfield, a dismal,barren,isolated patch of mostly dead farmland with nothing to do except slowly go insane.Ed Geins actions are considered to be the bedrock of most of our literary and cinematic killers,all fashioned and linked in some way to what he did and how he did it.Schechter does a good job in keeping with the facts without too much conjecture or sensationalization.Deviant is all you'll need if you want to know about the grandaddy of them all,the actual example all of our most nightmarish killers were modeled after.Just how many deaths,local disappearances and actual grave robbings took place has remained a mystery. He admitted to some things but could not recall others.A real cool character that Ed Gein.He was someone you would never suspect which is why he evaded detection for over a decade.How could the local idiot commit such horrible acts?This is the crux of the facinating field of forensics and psychiatry with regard to the criminal mind.There is a potential Ed Gein in every town in America,hell the world as well.Read and learn about them and hopefully you might not be next on the menu for decapitation and flaying which for Ed Gein assisted in his hobbies of dress and jewelery design. This book is a winner and will enhance the macabre section in your library.



4. Good book if you looking for information on Ed Gein. Some very good picture included in book. Lots of inside information about the ghoul of Wisconsin. Some information in book is widely known, but there's lots of information that is generally new from most news reports on Gein. Really helps you to understand (somewhat) the makings of a killer.



5. Excellent for fans of true crime novels. Very strange facts about killer, Eddie Gein. Couldn't put it down!