5 comments about Charlatan: America's Most Dangerous Huckster, the Man Who Pursued Him, and the Age of Flimflam.

1. By the end of the book, I really didn't know what to think of John Brinkley. This is a great biography and case study of a man who was viewed as the greatest medical doctor, a man ahead of his time, a genius, a charlatan, a people's man, an innovative politician, and a mass murderer. Who he was depends on who you ask.
   
   Back in the early 1900s snake oil doctors were common. People flocked to such doctors for all kinds of remedies, and had faith in the cures they were given. Most if not all such cures did not work. If some worked, it was the result of the `placebo' effect. In other words, when a person believes that a medicine given to him will work, in some instances the patient's belief alone makes him feel better.
   
   Dr. John Brinkley noticed that goats were very sexually active. He therefore concluded that if goat testicles were implanted in humans, humans will turn into sexual beasts. In other words, goat testicles would be a cure for all sexual ailments, such as impotency. Without ever publishing his findings or doing serious research, he started implanting goat testicles in his patients. As later court testimony would show, in most cases he simply put the goat testicles in his patients without grafting them surgically. Many of his patients died as a result of this procedure, and many others were maimed for the remainder of their life. But nobody could stop John Brinkley for years, not even the government or the medical board. He became a multi-millionaire as a result of this bogus procedure, and lived a lavish life with a private yacht and a private aircraft. Remember this was the early 1900s!
   
   The book reads like a John Grisham novel. The book starts off with John Brinkley's life as a youth, and what motivated him to become a charlatan. It describes all of his medical procedures, and the fortune he amassed as a result. It describes his stint as a candidate for governorship, and how he changed the face of voting. He actually invented the strategies used today by running candidates. This chapter was very interesting and captivating.
   
   In order to have his ideas widespread, Brinkley built his own radio station in 1923. When this was closed by the government, he went across the border to Mexico and opened a radio station there. He was a very stubborn man, but very intuitive. He easily surmounted challenges, and was not afraid of the US government. The chapters on his radio stations were interesting and funny, and made for excellent reading.
   
   The book then goes on relating the court cases that finally exposed Brinkley as a fraud. As a result, his former patients sue him, and he is ruined. The medical board removes his license, and the government charges him with manslaughter. He soon dies thereafter, having never appeared in court to answer the manslaughter charges.
   
   This book will captivate you. Snake oil doctors are still among us today, and many of us still fall for their folly. The actor Steve McQueen believed that a Mexican healer had the power to cure his cancer that he flew to him to Mexico. Many today use the power of Shamans and other sorcerers to cure their ailments. Some of these cures work. But do they work because they are genuine cures or because of the `placebo' effect? In reality, no one knows.
   
   How many of us buy beauty products thinking they would actually rejuvenate us? Do all those supplemental vitamins work? The vitamin industry is a multi-billion dollar industry, but many doctors today would tell you that supplemental vitamins do very little good, and at times, might in fact be very harmful. Our vitamins should derive from a balanced diet, and not from the intake of pills. But by in-taking pills, we make many people very rich!
   
   This is a great case study of a character still very alive today! And our folly is still as alive!



2. I got this book after seeing the author on C-SPAN II's "About Books", and as an amateur medical historian, decided to purchase it when the library didn't have it. It seems that all the factors came together to make John Brinkley a rich and famous (and later broken) man, and that he introduced the Western Hemisphere to some fabulous music didn't hurt his cause either.
   
   I was completely surprised to read that the respected surgeon Max Thorek, who now has a hospital in Chicago named after him, was a participant in this scam! But unlike Brinkley, he knew what he was doing, surgically, and abandoned this project when it proved worse than useless.
   
   His wife's story appears to be at least as interesting as his, too.



3. John R. Brinkley is the man of the title, who was one of a handful of pseudo-scientists and medical hucksters who laid the groundwork for Viagra and its competitors by experimenting with methods to improve male potency. Operating in the 1920s through the 1940s in small towns like Greenville, South Carolina, Mitford, Kansas and Del Rio, Texas, Brinkley was basically a small-time hustler who stumbled on sexual dysfunction as fertile ground for his talents.
   
   So he began operating on the fringes of medicine, with a small smattering of training and dubious degrees from what we would now call "alternative" sources (alternative to the now much stronger American Medical Association, which derived much of its current cache and strength from battles with Brinkley and his compatriots on the fringe). Among other methods, he implanted goat testicles! Fringe medicine, indeed; without specific numbers (the true totals are probably unknown), Brock cites Brinkley as one of if not the most prolific of American serial killers based on the death rate from untested and insane techniques like these.
   
   Pressed by the AMA, Brinkley expanded into mass marketing, politics, franchising of pharmaceuticals (at least one of which was found to be pure water with a tiny amount of coloring) and the fledgling field of radio. Brinkley's downfall, as Brock describes in a rather abrupt coda, came at the hands of a civil court when he sued Morris Fishbein, the AMA's head huckster hunter, for libel, and lost, finally (for the unsuspecting public) and disastrously (for him) exposing himself as the fraud the AMA claimed.
   
   While the book was an enjoyable and easy-to-read introduction to this bizarre character (proof, yet again, of the truth-stranger-than-fiction axiom), I am only giving the book three stars for these two reasons: First, while a few primary sources are cited in the bibliography, the notes rely most heavily on a small handful of secondary sources, which makes me wonder if these earlier secondary sources may tell a more complete picture of the era. Two of the secondary sources cited:
   
   The roguish world of Doctor Brinkley
   The Bizarre Careers of John R. Brinkley.(Book Review): An article from: Journal of Southern History
   
   And secondly, while the truth indeed is strange here, Brock sometimes seems afraid to let the story tell itself, and tries too hard to pump it up with purple prose and overdone dramatics.
   
   Enjoy Brock's book, but if you are really interested in mining the details of Brinkley and his era, use the bibliography and notes as a reading list for digging deeper.



4. Very timely and funny. I read it in one sitting. Could not put it down.



5. Great fun. Highly informative. Terrific read. Although the story is set in the early part of the 20th century, it's relevant today - shockingly and amusingly so. People haven't changed. The scams haven't changed much either. Where there is a buck to made off the plight of some poor soul, there is always a line to fleece them. Dr. Brinkley was at the front of the line for almost 20 years, not only fleecing, but often butchering or killing his patients in the process. Dr. Fishbein, a man on a mission, to stop Brinkley from practicing, pursued him for decades. He finally had his day in court. Along the way, Brinkley's innovations in radio, marketing and political campaigning, are going strong today. A truly wonderful book.

5 comments about In God's Name: An Investigation into the Murder of Pope John Paul I.

1. From 1978 to 1983, the Vatican's strategy was to suppress the memory of the liberal 33 day pope and the true circumstances of his mysterious death. Then in 1984, David Yallop's `In God's Name' did a riveting job in proving this pope was murdered. In 1985, the Vatican recruited clergy in several countries to write brief biographical sketches that painted him out to be a man who ignored the issues of his day and spent his life on his knees. Nothing could be further from the truth, as for twenty years as a bishop he had been a rampaging locomotive running about the Vatican, the courts and Parliament of Italy struggling for human rights for the oppressed; the reason he had risen to the papacy.
   
   There have been several books written about this pope's unwitnessed death, of which I would give only two of them more than one star. Many of the others have been commissioned by the Vatican to spread the misconception that this man died of a heart attack. Only two of them tell the truth. This book 'In God's Name' and 'Murder in the Vatican' by Lucien Gregoire.
   
   Whereas, no one is going to walk away from either of these books without the firm conviction this man was murdered, there is a difference. Yallop claims the Pope was murdered because of his involvement in the Vatican Bank. Gregoire presents compelling proof that two Opus Dei bishops, who rose to high rank shortly after the Polish pope was elected, conspired with factions of the CIA and British Intelligence in the murders of John Paul and a dozen of his closest allies involved in the war on poverty in the fall of 1978.
   
   Yet, the credit goes mostly to Yallop, for had he not written his book, all the others would have never written their books.
   
   Murder in the Vatican: The Revolutionary Life of John Paul and The CIA, Opus Dei and the 1978 Murders



2. Murder in the Vatican: The Revolutionary Life of John Paul and The CIA, Opus Dei and the 1978 Murders
   
   Yallop does a riveting job in proving this pope was murdered; something that most Europeans already know, yet, Americans find hard to accept.
   
   Anyone who takes the time to read `In God's Name' will find that Yallop's investigation is not based on assumptions or conjecture, but absolute fact. Yallop presents substantial evidence pointing to Cardinal Villot, the Vatican Secretary of State, and Paul Marcinkus, the President of the Vatican Bank, as being among the culprits. I followed Albino Luciani for many years and I have read every book about his death, and I have found that all of Yallop's copycats have concluded that these two were among the conspirators.
   
   Recently I found an exception. Lucien Gregoire's `Murder in the Vatican - The CIA, Opus Dei and the 1978 Murders' points its finger in another direction. Gregoire writes, "`The death of the pro-Communist Pontiff Paul VI gave the CIA the opportunity to force election of a pro-American Pope. The CIA joined factions sponsoring the Opus Dei anti-Communist candidate Polish Cardinal Wojtyla. When Luciani (John Paul I), an avowed Marxist in every sense of the word, particularly in his ambition to rid the world of poverty, was elected, it struck a nerve of shattering proportions in the United States. Particularly, in that, as a cardinal, Luciani had openly supported Oscar Romero and the revolutionaries in Central America. The perils of potential multi-Cubas became imminent. The dangers to the security of the United States had become real. . ." CIA-Vatican intrigue of the first rank. Gregoire's book is supported by hundreds of direct press and other references that prove his case. see JohnPaul1 org
   
   Yet, anyone interested in this subject, should begin with `In God's Name'. There is a reason why it sold over six million copies. It's the tops, you know.



3. This is an erudite accounting of BOTH the putative murder of Pope John Paul I and Vatican finances. Written by an editor of the Wall Street Journal, this book reads like an arcane mystery or true crime book. It is a good reminder that the love of money breeds evil. A must read for crime buffs and good Catholics (I am one!)



4. Murder in the Vatican: The Revolutionary Life of John Paul and The CIA, Opus Dei and the 1978 Murders
   
   In 1984, David Yallop's `In God's Name' did a riveting job in proving this Pope was murdered. In fact, no one is going to walk away from this book without the firm conviction this man was murdered. Nevertheless, through the years, Yallop's best seller has ignited a mass of `papal murder' literature, most of which like Paul Williams' `The Vatican Exposed' adhere to Yallop's convincing hypothesis John Paul was murdered because of his involvement in the Vatican Bank. There are a few like `A Thief in the Night' by John Cornwell which try unsuccessfully to prove Yallop wrong - that this Pope died a natural death. It is a tall order to challenge Yallop's contention this Pope was murdered, as the facts as published in the world press which he details in brilliant methodical fashion prove his case.
   
   Concerning `why' the Pope was murdered, there are a few books which differ from the mainstream. One author, Lucien Gregoire, takes the investigation in a different direction. In `The CIA, Opus Dei and the 1978 Murders' Gregoire writes, "`The death of the pro-Communist Pontiff Paul VI gave the CIA the opportunity to force election of a pro-American Pope. The CIA joined factions sponsoring the Opus Dei anti-Communist candidate Polish Cardinal Wojtyla. When Luciani (John Paul I), an avowed Marxist in every sense of the word, particularly in his ambition to rid the world of poverty, was elected, it struck a nerve of shattering proportions in the United States. Particularly so, in that, as a cardinal, Luciani had openly supported Oscar Romero and the revolutionaries in Central America. As a pope, he changed the theme of the upcoming Pueblo (Mexico) Conference from 'Liberation Theology' to 'Liberation of the Poor' - he preferred to feed them food rather than faith - and announced that he, himself, would attend it. The perils of potential multi-Cubas became imminent. The dangers to the security of the United States had become real. . ."
   
   Yet, no one should read any book concerning the revolutionary life and mysterious death of this Pope without first reading `In God's Name', the classic Blueprint for Murder of a Pontiff.



5. I first read this book in the early 90s, a version in Spanish purchased in Panama. I find this book so revealing and wonderful that this kind of investigation and information is being made available to the public! I had looked for this book in english many years, and for a long time I couldn't find anyone that would sell it, until recently. Very happy that is now available. I've purchased David Yallop's book on John Paul II also, and I'm reading now, as there are more truths to be found. I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for truthful information, facts, about this topic.

2 comments about A Grave for Bobby: The Greenlease Slaying.

1. There is always something so heinous about the death of a child--especially if that death is at the hands of those they trust. We saw this in the deaths of the children in Houston at the hands of their Mother. This event happened nearly 50 years ago, and for those of us who remember it, it might as well have been yesterday. This is a well-written book and worthy of the effort of it's author.

   Mike Williams




2. Years ago I became interested in the Greenlease kidnapping and about that time, as luck would have it, I found this book at my local library. (So please keep in mind I am reviewing a book I read about 10 years ago.)
   
   Deakin does an impressive job detailing the story of the kidnapping, the murder, and the backgrounds of the perpetrators. The collection of the ransom becomes a comedy of errors that only succeeds because of the hope the parents have of getting their child back. Considering the amount of alcohol involved, it is amazing that they were able to collect and flee. But more alcohol mixed with paranoia makes a cocktail called mistakes (sorry for the bad metaphor).
   
   Most stories, fiction or non-fiction, end with the capture of the bad guys, in this case they get executed. But a second crime happens at the arrest. Half of the largest ransom ever paid for a US kidnapping (I believe it is still a record) strangely disappears. Did the kidnappers hide the money? Did the cops steal it?
   
   I do think the book could have been written better. Deakin's prose is cliched in places and awkward in others. But this did not stop me from enjoying the story as it unfolded. I did find it curious that he started the book with a description of St Louis because the central crime takes place in and around Kansas City.
   
   Overall, not the best written book but impressive research of a great true crime story. I'd give it 3.5 stars if I could.

2 comments about The Woodchipper Murder.

1. To let this book go without a review would have been a "true crime" and possibly caused many people to pass up "one great read". It's the story of a beautiful woman, and mother of two who suddenly disappears. Not a speck of evidence to be found. No leads for the police to follow. And if not for her loving friends, no one would have ever looked beyond the surface. Mr. Herzog's easy reading, enjoyable writing style and attention to detail gives you a clear picture of exactly what is taking place. Each page holds intriguing information about an unbelievable crime committed by an unbelievably arrogant criminal, who almost got away with it. This is one of those "tattered" books on the shelf that is taken back down and re-read every couple of years. It will keep you just as fascinated with every read. A definite "must have" for a true crime buff.



2. probably one of the best true crime novel I ever read. definitely purchase this book and I promise you will not be sorry.

5 comments about A Deed Of Death.

1. A Deed of Death is the best of the 3 main William Desmond Taylor books which have been written - the fictional A Cast of Killers and the case study volume William Desmond Taylor: A Dossier - being the other two.
   
   I recommend anyone interested in WD Taylor to have all 3 of these books in their personal library.



2. I found this book quite by accident. Mr. Giroux writes with a flair of being there. I enjoyed the exposition on characters and the history of the times. Being here in Los Angeles, I was able to use this book to visit locations detailed. To stand in the same places where the subjects of this book once walked is almost like stepping back in time. I would very much like to meet Mr. Giroux, that's how much of an impression this book has made on me. Please take the time to enjoy this book



3. Although I prefer the excitement and narrative of Sidney D. Kirkpatrick's book "A Cast of Killers," Giroux's account of the William Desmond Taylor murder is most likely the definitive version. Very well researched and methodical in its conclusions, it eliminates much of the sensationalism that has been attached to this case over the years (particurlarly Adela Rogers St. John's fanciful accounts). Although a murderer is never named, the murder itself is "solved." Want to know the ending? Buy the book! Although well written, it does lack some of the zing of Kirkpatrick's story.



4. There were many scandals in the 1920s, and one of the foremost is the unsolved murder of William Desmond Taylor. Even to film buffs, Taylor is not the most well known director; his body of work has been shrunk by the ravages of time and nitrate decomposition. However, his name lives on as the victim of a murder shrowded with mystery and lies.
   
   Robert Giroux grew up watching the films of Taylor's era and took an interest in the murder case just in time. He was able to interview various celebrities of the 20s to gather information for this book. Stars like King Vidor and Mary Pickford give their imput through interviews as well as other sources like Mack Sennett, Mary Miles Minter, and Mabel Normand who contribute through their autobiographies and early interviews.
   
   This book is vastly different from A Cast of Killers, a more well-known account of the murder. Giroux's book is well documented and therefore more intellectual. Both books are easy to read, although A Cast of Killers is written in conversations and A Deed of Death is written as a presentation of facts with many quotes throughout. The two books come to different conclusions, so it is interesting to compare them. Both are highly recommended for fans of the 20s and mystery readers.



5. Robert Giroux is an editor, publisher, writer, and reader who has worked with some of the most eminent writers of our time. He has been associated with the firm of Farrar, Straus & Giroux. The purpose of this well-written and fast-paced book is to restore the besmirched reputation of William Desmond Taylor ('Acknowledgments'). There is a 'Bibliography' an 'Index', and many photographs from the author's collections. The first ten chapters cover Taylor's murder on February 1, 1922, his known personal history, and the stories about the people he worked with. Taylor, an Englishman, joined the Canadian Army as a private in 1918 and was promoted to Major by 1919. Before this he wandered about America and held many jobs before becoming an actor. When another director became sick he filled in, and then worked as a successful director.
   
   Giroux says Taylor's reputation was sacrificed to cover up a Hollywood scandal (the drug trade). The instant stardom of young girls like Mary Miles Minter and Mabel Normand was followed by personal problems. [You can see that repeated today in news about Show Business.] In Chapter 11 Giroux examined the witnesses statements that describe the unknown man who was seen around the time of death and uses this to eliminate possible suspects. Giroux explains why it was a hired killer (pp.232-234). Taylor, the head of the director's association, was trying to eliminate drugs and drug dealers from Hollywood as part of the clean-up after the Arbuckle scandal. This was to stop any Federal regulation of the Motion Picture Industry. This succeeded until the 1934 Production Code which led to the ban on some early movies (like the first "Maltese Falcon" of 1931).
   
   This book tells little about the real business of Hollywood, where investors get a chance to win big on successful movies. It mentions how Mack Sennett lost control of his studio and fortune (pp.189-190). The war in Europe slowed European movie production, American industry now had less competition in the silent film business. Sunny Los Angeles was booming in those days for other reasons.

5 comments about Soliah: The Sara Jane Olson Story.

1. As a song of the era said: Something happened here. What it is ain't exactly clear.
   
   Kathleen Ann Soliah ("pronounced SOH lee ah - accent on the first syllable") was born January 16, 1947 in Fargo, North Dakota. She was involved with the "Second Team" of the Symbionese Liberation Army in California in the 1970's. (Most of the "First Team," who kidnapped Patty Hearst, was killed in a shoot-out with the LAPD in 1974.) There were bank robberies. There was a bomb placed underneath a police car.
   
   Time passed.
   
   In Minnesota on June 16, 1999, Sara Jane Olson, community activist, community theater actress, and doctor's wife in Highland Park, "one of St. Paul's most upscale neighborhoods," was arrested by a cadre of law enforcement personnel while driving her minivan, and extradited to California to stand trial as Soliah for alleged sins of the 70's.
   
   This is an intriguing part of Americana. But this book does not do it justice. Nor is the reader left, in the end, with a clear picture of whether justice has been done.
   
   Ms. Soliah is introduced in the beginning of the book, but then she all but disappears until "Act III" at page 113. In this interim, the author attempts to offer an historical context of the times.
   
   From her picture in the back of the book, suburban Twin Cities author Sharon Darby Hendry looks like she might be a part of the Baby Boomer generation- but from the way she describes the era, this reader did not get the sense that Hendry was THERE. If she was alive during these turbulent times, one gets the impression that she was busy procuring pedicures at the Edina Dayton's and attending Tupperware® parties. It's in the nuances and simple things. For instance: Arlo Guthrie's anthem "Alice's Restaurant" is directly quoted as "you could get anything you wanted there" (p.12) Uh, not exactly. I guess you had to be there. Ok, all you Boomers out there, Start singing! "You can get anything you want at Alice's Restaurant."
   
   Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley's version of the 1968 Democratic National Convention is unquestioningly set forth, even though it is later reported that "Attorney General Ramsey Clark was reluctant to enforce the new provisions [of the 1968 U.S. Civil Rights Act, which made interstate travel with the intent to incite a riot a federal crime] and viewed the Chicago violence as a `police riot.'" (p.22)
   
   To approximate the historical context, I suggests that you would be better informed getting Reunion: A Memoir, by Tom Hayden; In Our Time: Memoir of a Revolution by Susan Brownmiller; and Father Andrew M. Greeley's novelized retrospective: September Song: A Cronicle of the O'Malley's in the Twentieth Century (Family Saga).
   
   I wanted to learn from this book by a local author. But the slant and downright mistakes caused me to view the entire work with a skeptical eye. The book ends with the 2001 pre-trial Sacramento court "reunion" of those accused in the robbery of the Carmichael Bank - in which Myrna Opsahl, who was there to deposit the weekend's Church offering - was slain. Yes. Something happened here. But what it is ain't exactly clear in this book.
   
   /TundraVision, Amazon Reviewer



2. What brings an obviously bright young woman to an obviously corrupt organization like the SLA and then, even more mysteriously, has her completely change her stripes and become, inexplicably, a soccor mom. Because Sarah Jane lived in my back yard, so to speak, I wanted to know who she was: the soccor mom or the terrorist. The book refused to answer that question for me, as it should, but rather than making judgements it told her story, using facts and the voices of people in Soliah/Olson's life. This book was better than a summer mystery and reads like a novel: I couldn't put it down. I heartily recommend the book.



3. Soliah captures the in-depth history of the 60's and 70's and wraps the story around Kathleen Soliah. It is difficult to understand how this woman could create a false identy for herself. Particularly because she lied to her three daughters about her name, age, and her deceitful past. She activily participated in the events of the SLA and should pay the price for her criminal actions. I would recommend this novel to the true-crime seekers and everyone who lived in this time era. Also, to the younger generation who are interested in the Patty Hearst / SLA saga.



4. The Last book on the Symbiones Liberation Army was written 20 years ago (Every Secret Thing, by Patricia Hearst, released in 1988 paperback as "Patty Hearst" in conjuction with the movie by the same name). Beyond this the books seemed to stop in mid to late 1970's so excluding Hearst's autobiography, the first book in a quarter century on the SLA. Opinions on the SLA and Hearst have often been politically charged with the strongest opinions often held by those who have limited knowlege of the subject.

   Sharon Darby Hendry, like myself, is a very long term Minnesota resident. We were both here back in the 1970's. Quite frankly, the SLA wasn't a significant Minnesota story in the 1970's. Even though I lived among the lefties in Dinkeytown all during the 1970's, and even though I had a loose connnection to SLA member Cammillia Hall I had to take a crash course in the SLA after the June 1999 arrest of Kathlenn Soliah here in Minnesota. I followed the case since the June 1999 Soliah arrest through my website ... reading more than a dozen old books on the SLA. Most are rare and unavailable so the first part of the book SoLiAh is a good primer on this era. It upsets the romantic view of the SLA by including the unpleasant realities, such as the assasination of Oakland's first Black School Superitendent Marcus Foster by the SLA, which, ironically, preached an anti-racism credo.

   The portion of SoLiAh dealing with the June 16, 1999 arrest and aftermath explained the dramatic events and they unfolded from a Minnesota perspective. With nine trial delays, at least five lawyer changes and the plea "flip-flops" the book had to follow events as they were unfolding. The last dramatic event was the January 2002 arrests in the Myrna Opsahl murder (the "Harris's" and Borton have since made bail, Soliah-Olson is serving time for the LA plea). Is they story and the book SoLiAh open ended?

   Absolutely! It looks like the Opsahl murder trial won't start before 2003 at the soonest. Has justice been done and will it be done? That is for the reader to decide but they can better ponder it with information and background on the case. The Opsahl murder was long considered unprosecutable even though it was obvious that the SLA did it. Just getting the January 2002 indictments is one of the greatest cold case revivals in modern history. Reading SoLiAh with an open mind will help the reader, especially those, not "there", or with a romantacized view of the old far left to understand it and to also understand the roots of the domestic terrorism threat facing the USA now.

   ...




5. I would give this a 3.5 star rating if Amazon allowed me to do so. This book contains interesting and useful information about the Patricia Hearst/SLA/Kathleen Soliah story, and yet somehow does not truly capture the "feel" or atmosphere of the times and events it describes. Hendry's explanation of opposition to U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War is both oversimplified and overly brief, which limits her ability to analyze and explain the appeal of the New Left in general, much less the desperation and rage of the extreme, militant, revolutionary left of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Without such analysis, members of the SLA and Weatherman factions seem nearly inexplicable in their attitudes and actions, and this in turn limits Hendry's ability to make readers comprehend all that was at stake, or seemed to be at stake, in the SLA's worldview. Hendry could have explained this more effectively without, as one reviewer put it, "romanticizing" the violent, fringe New Left at this time.
   
   This book is most useful as a supplement to Patricia Hearst's memoir, _Every Secret Thing_, and to a good overview and analysis of the 1960s student and New Left movements, such as Gitlin's _The Sixties_ or Kazin and Isserman's _America Divided_. But no reader should pick up this book expecting to get a full or sophisticated explanation of how the New Left's early commitment to democratic socialism and participatory democracy morphed, for some activists, by the late 1960s and early 1970s, into an honest conviction that no peaceful solutions for change truly existed, that the U.S. politico-economic system was hopelessly corrupt and doomed, and therefore that electoral politics and working within the system were utterly pointless. Only by understanding such a worldview can readers truly begin to comprehend both the "logic" and the extremism of groups like the SLA. And only then can readers begin to understand what's at stake in the Soliah case and aftermath.

5 comments about Cape May Court House: A Death in the Night.

1. This book kept me up late at night because I couldn't put it down. At first, it seemed obvious that the husband committed murder. But deeper into the book, one begins to wonder what really happened. Highly qualified experts disagreed with each other, which was a major point brought out by the prosecution. If experts can't agree, they said, how does the prosecution go forward? What fascinated me most was the detailed look at both the legal system and the medical system. The author is extremely careful to list all of his sources, quoting newspaper articles when needed, to avoid a slander lawsuit. He also notes statements made by the people he interviewed, especially when they are contradicting statements by lawyers, media, the police, etc.



2. The book gives an excellent insight into the machinations and interactions of lawyers and the legal system. But the lack of a resolution detracts from the reason one escapes into books for entertainment. After reading about the inconsistencies in other reviews and editorials about the book, since I wondered if any of it was based on some facts, (I drive an Explorer, previous year of the one in the book) that I feel my car is safe. I just felt such a let down at the end. It tends to keep you interested that something "juicy" will happen and then your back to the dry legal interactions. So I mainly found this an entertaining form of education.



3. This book contained an interesting look into our legal system, and all the wrangling that goes on between lawyers in a high-profile lawsuit. I found that the book was bogged down with details occaisionally, and thus dragged a bit. However, if you're intrigued by the legal system, you'll enjoy this book. If you're looking for closure, you won't find it here, as the book forces you to make the final decision for yourself.



4. Cape May Courthouse: A Death in the Night. Cape. Until a minor traffic accident in a snowstorm one evening in Cape May Courthouse, New Jersey, not many people had ever heard of Tracy and Eric Thomas. Lawrence Schiller recounts this tragedy in light of legal twists that tossed Eric Thomas into a wrongful death action at the helm of media frenzy. While Cape May Courthouse does a good job detailing the nuts and bolts of the legal proceedings, it is, at times, dense with legal jargon. If you are though, as I am, a fan of All Things Legal, you may enjoy this true crime book.



5. Suppose someone sued a major corporation for product failure and the plaintiff ended up looking like the bad guy. That's the premise here. A grieving husband sues Ford claiming that his wife, Tracy, was killed when an airbag suffocated her in a low speed accident. Naturally Ford fights the suit all out - no company wants to be accused of causing the death of a pregnant woman.
   
   Except the facts never quite add up. What 6 month pregnant woman drives her sick 2 year old to the hospital on a snowy night while her perfectly healthy husband sits in the passenger seat? What kind of idiot plaintiff lies under oath during depositions about the amount of insurance he received as a result of the accident? What kind of lowlife tells his in-laws they can't see their grandchild unless they agree to remove all the pictures of their dead daugher and agree not to mention her to her own child?
   
   Eric Thomas, the idiot plaintiff and lowlife in question, makes you want to go out and kiss a class-action lawsuit lawyer. Why? Because in addition to the jerkiness noted above this cretin started a lawsuit claiming lose of companionship due to the death of his wife when he a) was having an affair during the last 6 months of his wife's life and b) remarried less than a year later. Because he took his wife's $400,000 life insurance policy and spent it on a pool, two new cars and other goodies without putting a dime away for his child. Because even if he didn't actually murder his wife he let her drive in a snow storm when she was six months pregnant while he sat in the passenger seat.
   
   Ford uncovers enough evidence to at they very least question the circumstances of Tracy's death. What happens next is a battle of the experts and a little old-fashioned detective work. At first Ford looks like the corporate behemoth beating up on the little guy, but as the inconsistencies mount the Plaintiff begins to look more like a defendent.
   
   As books on product liability lawsuits go, this one won't be giving A Civil Action a run for the top spot. I'll give Schiller credit for managing to eek some drama out of depositions. I've sat through depositions and believe me you're more likely to fall off your chair because you've fallen asleep than be on the edge of your seat with excitement. Usually books told from the lawyers' POV bore me to tears but this one held my interest. Still, it's hard not to get the impression that Schiller could have done more original reporting and a lot less ample quoting from the court record. This book may leave you frustrated with the incompetence of so many who should have properly investigated this accident from the beginning.
   
   Finally, Schiller could do with turning down the volume on his own publicity machine. "One of our best investigative journalists"? And "an esteemed motion picture director"? What's next, his old SAT score?

5 comments about There But For the Grace of God: Survivors of the 20th Century's Infamous Serial Killers.

1. I really enjoyed this book and I could tell that the author was passionate about his topic. I am a former CSI so it was very nice to read about the victims who do live. I have seen so many dead bodies that it was nice to see what came about of those who got a second chance. I also enjoyed the background on the cases. I am from Pensacola where Ted Bundy was (finally) caught and one of my dad's Police Academy students (David Lee) was the one who brought Bundy down. It was an easy read with a lot- while not overwhelming or boring- of background info on the cases. I would definitely recommend this book to any true crime fan who wants to read something just a little bit different.



2. The descriptions of the killings are very intenese and too vivid for someone of my character. I stopped reading the book in the second chapter because the graphic details of the murder of children left nothing for the imagination and proved to be too much for me to handle. I cannot attest to the entire book simply because I didn't want to subject my mind to those images. Not my cup of tea.



3. There but for the Grace of God are stories about survivors of the last century's most infamous serial killers like Tracy Edwards who survived Jeffrey Dahmer who was later arrested and confessed to the most horrific crimes in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. There is Kevin Bright who barely survived BTK Killer Dennis Rader who went undetected for 30 years since his sister Kathy's brutal rape and murder in Kansas. His story was the most heartbreaking. Nita Neary survived Ted Bundy because she maintained her silence during the massacre at the sorority house in Florida. She moved on with her life but recalls testifying against Bundy who also cross-examined her as well. There were survivors of Derrick Lee, the Baton Rouge serial killer, and Bobby Joe Long who killed in Hillsborough COunty, Florida. I thought it was a fast read and interesting. The author tried to fill in the gaps and explanations of each serial killer and the people who survived the attacks. He also writes about the Filipino nurse, Corazon Amaureo who got away by hiding under the bed from Richard Speck in the Crime of the Century while 8 nurses were raped and murdered in one night. Although he didn't get to interview her, her story is important even if it is through research. Rosen tries to provide biographies and backgrounds on the killers' themselves.



4. I was very sxicted to read this book. I was sadly very dissapointed that i read it. First numerous spelling errors. Many factual errors as well. The Bundy chapter was an insult. The author did very little in acutally writing any informaion on the survivors, it was more just a quik recap of certain serial killers. He aslo used this as an oppurtunity to bash the police officers on many cases. Funny how he can so easily point out the mistakes after the fact. He makes it seem as if he would have easily figured out things that they couldnt..... again after the fact. He aslo seems to make certain victims out to be people who did things the wrong way, and could have avoided their fate.
   The spelling errors are plenty to. At one point he refers to KAKA t.v., wich is wrong. Then later he correctly calls it KAKE t.v.. Written in bold lettering it stood out, and there should be no reason for the spelling error to have not been noticed.
   I bought this book hoping to learn about certain people who were lucky to ahve survived their attacker, expecially Nita Neary, and i got nothing. He did very little if any informationa bout them, and instead made it seem like he was doing them the favor of including them in his book at all.
   THe author is very arrogant, and seems to be very proud of himself. Sadly he has nothing to be proud of and should instead feel embarassed.



5. Mr.Rosen does some good things with this book. He highlights the lives of some survivors of serial killers such as Jeffrey Dahmer,Dennis Rader,David Berkowitz and even Richard Speck.
   The question of why some survive while others don't is an interesting one. He partially addresses that question.
   
   The writer vents a lot of anger at criminal profilers in the B.T.K. case and the NYPD in general regarding the "Son of Sam" case. I think it's a detriment to the book itself and in some cases he overstates the obvious, like the fact that Richard Speck was a drunk and an idiot,and two Milwaukeee police officers blundered big-time in returning an eventual victim to Dahmer.
   
   I didn't see the relevance of including transcripts of Dahmer's parents court battle over his brain and whether it would be donated to science or cremated. Speaking of cremation,what happened to Richard Speck in prison or to his body after death wasn't relevant to the subject either.
   
   Good subject matter, it's just that the author roamed unto other areas a little too much for my liking.

4 comments about The Texas 7: A True Story of Murder and a Daring Escape (St. Martin's True Crime Library).

1. I just ordered this book and can't wait to get it! This was such an interesting story and Gary C. King is the best for true crime. I love all of his books! Can't wait for the Binion book to come out to An Early Grave I watched the trial and it was fascinating...Hurry Amazon! Jude http://trialwatchers.com



2. Just finished reading this book and there is only one word to describe it EXCELLENT! thank you Mr. King Jude at trialwatchers.com



3. I read the Texas 7. It is about seven convicts who were fed up with the texas prison system. So the ringleader, George Rivas plans a briliant scheme to get him and six of his fellow prisoners out of the prison. This is a true story and it goes over everything the prisoners did to break out and how the police caught them. I first came upon thias book when i needed a bookto read for a reading class. One of my friends said it was the only book he ever liked so i borrowed it from him and read it. I thought this book was really comprehensive and would recommmend it to anyone who plans to go to or already is in prison.I give it 4 stars.



4. I came upon this book about a month ago. I was at my friends house one night when I remembered that I needed a book for my college reading class. I asked my friend if he knew of any good books and he said that the only book he ever liked was called the Texas 7. He let me borrow it and I read it. I thought the book was very well detailed and accurate. It is based on a true story about a prison break and I thought that it sounded interesting. It is a very informative novel on every detail ranging from how the prisoners broke out to the time they were captured over one month later. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes adventure and strategy. I give this book 4 stars.

3 comments about Going Postal (Pinnacle True Crime).

1. I am a postal worker with over 40 years of listening to and having to put up with the B.S. management deals out daily. Don Lasseters' book is just the tip of the iceberg. I have been taken out of my station on a stretcher twice, and I'm not the only one. I have seen other carriers have heart attacks, undergo Psychotherapy, have major marital problems. This is all due to the stress Postal Workers are put through on a daily basis. Don Lasseter Tells it like it is, the public has no idea of what management puts their charges through. The only thing management, from the Postmaster down to the lowly line supervisors are interested in are the numbers, how much volume is moved each day. Management doesn't care what the consequences are as long as they make their quota, even if it costs someones life. "Going Postal" is a good first step in understanding the behind the scenes of THE UNITED POSTAL SERVICE. I urge you to read this book, it will open your eyes.



2. This book becomes relevant again with the recent Postal shootings in California. As a postal worker myself I have witnessed firsthand the mistreatment and abuse of my fellow postal workers at the hands of management. The public should read this book. Maybe then they would understand why the postal clerk behind the counter seems so surly and rude. This book tells it like it is and pulls no punches. I'm sure Postal management would be very unhappy if the public were to read this book. When my friends express surprise that there have been so many of these incidents in Postal facilities, I tell them the only surprise for me is that it hasn't happened more often.



3. I purchased this book for two reasons: 1. I was hoping to learn the causes behind the horrors of the Postal service. And from this book I did. 2. I wanted to know if the environment in my workplace was similiar. And although perhaps no as bad there are a lot of similiar situations. It truly saddens me that these government facilities are being so neglectful to the needs of their employees and their environment. I guess that old saying is true "Its only going to bother them or become a concern with them when it affects them." Definitely a good read, especially if you can handle the truth!!!