No comments about THE WONDER BOOK OF DO YOU KNOW?.

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No comments about Born to Raise Hell: The Untold Story of Richard Speck.

3 comments about Born to Raise Hell: The Untold Story of Richard Speck -- The Man, The Crime, The Trial.

1. I vividly remember when the murders of the eight student nurses took place in Chicago on July 14, 1966, and have read various accounts of the crime. However, Dr. Marvin Ziporyn (Richard Speck's psychiatrist) along with Jack Altman have written a gripping account of the case. Dr. Ziporyn spent six and one-half months twice a week from one to three hours visiting with Richard Speck in the Cook County Jail in Chicago learning all he could about the infamous mass murderer. Much of the book relates verbatim accounts between Dr. Ziporyn and Speck, and Speck comes across as an insecure likable human being when not accompanied by alcohol and other drugs that set off his Mr. Hyde personality. In addition Dr. Ziporyn blames brain damage from various accidents Speck suffered over the years. Heredity and environment, Dr. Ziporyn believes, account for the way we are and we have no control over much that make us the way we are lest we boast. While certainly agreeing with the heinous crime committed by Speck, treatment, not punishment, Dr. Ziporyn believes should be the measure used for offenders. Speck claims he has no recollection of committing the murders, but the tragic resemblance of one of the nurses to his hated ex-wife may have contributed to murders taking place rather than simply robbery. This book was written with Speck's permission to Dr. Ziporyn with the hope that some learning about a deviant personality could be productive. In the book Speck appears to be remorseful over his actions. However, in an interview from prison several years later, when asked about the murders of the eight student nurses, Speck callously stated, "It just wasn't their night." Thankfully God allowed a ninth nurse, Corazon Amurao, to survive to speak for those whose lives were taken to convict Richard Speck.



2. I wanted to enjoy this book a great deal more than I did. I assumed because the book was co-authored by Dr. Marvin Ziporyn, the psychiatrist who treated Richard Speck for depressions and suicidal ideation while awaiting trial, that it would be and accurate portrayal of the man Speck was. Perhaps it is... but the story was lacking.
   
   Ziporyn's opinion of Speck was that he suffered from organic brain syndrome resulting from countless and severe head injuries dating back to Speck's childhood. There is considerable evidence to suggest this may be true of Speck. Similarly, empirical research since then would support that a history of head trauma can cause irreperable damage to the human brain in terms of impulsivity, agressive behavior, and rational thought. Moreover, I do not discount Ziporyn's opinion that Speck was NOT a sociopath. Much of the conversations between Speck and Ziporyn would suggest Speck was simply a low-functioning, not-so-bright individual who had his moments as a likable individual. He was not manipulative as much as dimwitted, egocentric, and childish.
   
   However, Ziporyn also suggests that because Speck was sufffering from organic brain syndrome, this - combined with severe alcoholism and drug abuse - renders Speck not responsible for the murder of 8 student nurses in an off-campus housing unit in Chicago. This is where my sympathy ends. In fact, Speck himself also disagreed with Ziporyn. On page 196, Speck disclosed the following assessment of himself.
   
   "I'm guilty for three reasons: one, I had a job. I should have waited to get it [begin working], and not mess around [drinking and drugging]; two, I knew my mother had told me not to drink [for years]; and three, my sister Martha gave me money to live on, not to waste it on girls and whiskey."
   
   I could not agree more! Speck may not have had a choice about the head injuries and the irreparable brain damage this may have caused, but he did have a choice about whether or not to continue drinking. For years before the murders, Speck had a long history of alcoholism, blackouts, and aggressive and impulsive acting out when drunk. The murders he committed were not singly the result of organic brain syndrome OR alcoholism... but the combined effects of both.
   
   As a practicing psychotherapist, I found Ziporyn's analysis tedious and repetitive, if not somewhat more sympathetic than Speck deserved. I also grew impatient with Ziporyn's comments about the degree of clinical depression exhibited by Speck. When Ziporyn had a pleasant interaction with Speck, he assumed the treatment he was providing was successful in that Speck was less depressed and hopeless about his future. When Ziporyn found Speck in a hostile or negative mood, he maintained that Speck's depresson had returned. I work with depressed individuals regularly and can state that a person exhibiting clinical depression does not rapidly shift in and out of that depression. One pleasant conversation does not equal successful treatment. Ziporyn appeared to give no thought to the possibility that Speck had "good days" and "bad days."
   
   Was Speck depressed? Proabably. He knew he would never see the light of day again and would be convicted and, most likely, executed. Was he severely depressed once he adjusted to imprisonment? Doubtful. He was friendly with several other inmates and busied himself with reading, building models, and painting. These are not the actions of a severely depressed person. Also irritating to me, Ziporyn often came across as a "bleeding heart" mental health professional with little consideration given to personal accountability, responsibility, and the choices we are all afforded as individuals with free will.
   
   For those of you who are interested in the crime itself and the severe brutality exhibited by Speck, I would suggest you locate a copy of CRIME OF THE CENTURY. The account of Speck's crimes in BORN TO RAISE HELL was vague and abreviated. While the purpose of BORN TO RAISE HELL was less about providing a description of the crimes and more about the man behind the crimes, I felt the lack of detailed information about the heinous nature of these murders cheapened the lives of the student nurses who died and provided a one-sided, rather glossy picture of Speck.
   
   Did Speck intend to murder? No one will ever know. Speck claims througout the book that he has no memory of the murders. And, his history would suggest he committed many agressive and violent acts during previous blackouts. However, I must weigh this against a televised prison interview I saw several years ago in which Richard Speck is shown wearing a pair of blue, nylon women's underwear and sporting breasts... the result of voluntary exposure to oral female hormones. It seems Speck has become the resident "pretty boy" of the pen. In this recorded interview, he says nothing of having no memory of the murders of 8 women. Instead, he appears detached, callous, and uncaring - stating instead, "It just wasn't their night." This might have been braggadocio for the camera and the other inmate with whom he was conversing, but again, no one will ever know.
   
   What I do know is this. Richard Speck was an impulsive, violent man who regularly drank himself into a stupor and thought nothing of fighting with and severely beating his own friends. He once physically attacked his own mother in a drunken rage. Had he not committed the murders for which he is now infamous, I believe he would be in prison serving a life sentence for murdering some poor sucker who found himself in a drunken barroom brawl with Speck. Richard Speck was a loser who alwyas seemed to find trouble. And, while Ziporyn mentions the deep hatred Speck felt for women, this is somewhat discounted as a motive for the crime.
   
   Having read both CRIME OF THE CENTURY and BORN TO RAISE HELL, I would suggest that the truth lies somewhere in the middle of both.



3. For the younger readers of this review, I will tell you that Richard Speck was an alcoholic, drug using, itinerant seaman who, on a July night in 1966, killed 8 student nurses in their Chicago residence. Older true crime devotees will not need this introduction.
   BORN TO RAISE HELL, co-written by professional writer Jack Altman and psychiatrist Marvin Ziporyn, is a highly intelligent, highly professional, and highly fascinating study of the persona of Richard Speck. Speck's life is examined in detail and what results is Ziporyn's analysis of Speck as a person and consequently of the likely reasons for Speck's rampage.
   Ziporyn's analysis is presented by means of excerpts from over 100 hours of conversation between Ziporyn, who was at the time the psychiatrist for the Cook County jail, and Speck. It is particularly refreshing that the sole focus of the book is Speck. There is no nothing in the book which suggests even an attempt to glorify Ziporyn, who is basically little more than an outstandingly intelligent messenger.
   And it is interesting that Richard Speck, a brain damaged man who one night, with no initial intention to do so, committed an atrocious crime - as opposed to a cunning, methodical serial killer like, for example, Ted Bundy - comes across in many ways as a likeable though intellectually primative person.
   BORN TO RAISE HELL is really not true crime since there was little doubt as to Speck's having committed the murder and since he was arrested within days after its commission. The section dealing with Speck's trial is mercifully short, as was the trial itself, and deals with only that information which is necessary for the completion of the story.
   BORN TO RAISE HELL is a must read for those interested in the psychology and sociology of criminal behavior. This is the third time I've read it over the past 35 years, and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

5 comments about Crime of the Century, The.

1. This book was written by the investigators of the 1966 crime which makes it more of a forensic novel -- more in line with modern crime stories. The plot follows the actions of mass killer Richard Speck who brutally bound, tortured and killed 8 Chicago nurses. In the confusion of his murderous frenzy, one nurse managed to slither under a bed, unnoticed, and later identified Speck as the killer.
   
   After recently meeting this sole survivor, I purchased The Crime of the Century for some of her friends to better understand what happened nearly 40 years ago.



2. The Richard Speck Massacre of 8 Student Nurses in Chicago during the heat wave on July 13-14, 1966 is almost still impossible to believe. In this book, it's well-written but I have one criticism regarding the victims. The cover of my paperback book has the faces of those victims but nothing to identify one from the other unless you do some research on the internet. 8 beautiful dark student nurses, 5 Americans and 3 Filipinos, who would have made substantiate contributions in their field were robbed from us. One survivor, Cora, lived or survived the massacre but not without the emotional and traumatic scars that haunts war veterans. Cora's description and courage during a time of absolute terror is evident in this book. The two authors here have my absolute focus because they are clear to the reader about what is going on. The background information of Richard Speck is vital in understanding how a monster came to be and how this terrible tragedy occurred.



3. ...If your answer is "A LOT", the CRIME OF THE CENTURY is a must read.
   
   In July, 1966, Richard Speck, an alcoholic social misfit and burglar killed 8 student nurses on Chicago's south side. Unfortunately for Speck, there were 9 nurses present, one of whom, Corazon Amarao, escaped death by hiding under a bed. She ultimately provided a sketch artist with information which led to Speck's arrest, and it was her testimony that led to his conviction.
   
   COTC is the joint effort of Dennis L. Breo and William J. Martin, who was the lead prosecutor on Speck's case.
   I generally don't like true crime by officials writing about cases they are connected to, and this book illustrates why. Let me say first, that the first 126 pages of the book, titled "The Murder" and "The Manhunt" are nothing short of outstanding. The depiction of the seedy southeast Chicago neighborhood where Speck was living and in which the nurses' residence was located and of Chicago's skid row - including the hotel where Speck attempted suicide before he was captured - is vivid and provides a starkly urgent sense of the drunken chaos that had become Speck's life. There is also a later section, chapter 27, that provides a lot of background on Speck's life prior to his arrival on the southeast side. This too is detailed and very well done. And finally there is an epilogue which contains some interesting information about Speck.
   
   But these sections total less than half the book. The remaining parts detail - and I do mean DETAIL - the state's attorney's protection of Amarao and her family; the brutally tedious investigation; the even more brutally tedious preparation for trial; and the only slightly less tedious trial itself. It is clear that Martin found the case - and also himself - fascinating, but personally I was not interested in reading on a continual basis about every minor insecurity he had while preparing for trial. Neither was I interested in what each and every detective or attorney was wearing at any given time. I didn't care about the background of every obscure judge who made a ruling at some point during the pre-trial litigation. And call me jaded if you will, but I just refuse to believe that EVERY SINGLE detective, attorney, and judge who had anything remotely to do with the case was among the finest example of professionalism and humanity as could possibly be found anywhere. Every detective - though perhaps a little world weary - was an expert at whatever he did, good humored if craggy, well and/or comfortably dressed, loved or respected - and often both - by everyone who knew him, and thoroughly professional. I lived in Chicago in the late 1960s and the police department was well and deservedly known for its rampant corruption, so I guess Martin just got really lucky.
   The same went in spades for the crack prosecution team. This group of young, dedicated professionals were concerned with only one thing - the conviction of Richard Speck. By golly, every one of them was sharp witted, earnest, and exceedingly kind to his wife and kids when he managed to see them, the case taking up so much of his time and all.
   And if it is of interest to you to know where the Chicago prosecutors and cops ate, what they ordered, and what the weather was like wherever they were, then you should rush right out and get a copy of COTC. Because it's all there, over and over and over....and over.
   
   And finally there is a recurring theme within the narrative of COTC which I found particularly bizarre. Martin and Breo spent what I considered an inordinate amount of time writing about and trying to discredit Dr. Marvin Ziporyn, the Chicago jail psychiatrist who became Specks's confidante and who was in the process of writing a book about him.
   This is rationalized as the prosecution's keeping tabs on Ziporyn who was expected to be a defense witness with his "shopworn diagnosis of organic brain syndrome." But the absurd lengths they went to to spy on Ziporyn -which oddly they describe without embarrassment - and their obvious personal animus toward him comes through loud and clear. He seems to have been an obsession of Martin's.
   
   CRIME OF THE CENTURY is well worth reading if you read only pages 1 to 126 and pages 226 to 252, Speck's biography. These sections are outstanding. The rest is boring and self-serving.
   And incidentally, I have read Ziporyn's book, BORN TO RAISE HELL, about Speck. It is considerably better than CRIME OF THE CENURY.



4. I remember very well when Richard Speck went on his mindless murderous rampage in July of 1966, and this book by authors Dennis Breo and William Martin provide the reader with the definitive story from beginning to end. This is a riveting read that is very difficult to put down. Even the courtroom proceedings unfamiliar to a general reader keep one glued to the story. The strategy between the defense and the prosecution is presented in a way that is understandable to any reader with basic comprehension skills. The high point in the trial is when survivor Corazon Amurao stood before the defendant, a low-life drifter named Richard Speck, and spoke in a firm voice and said, "This is the man." The authors conclude with an update on those who were involved in this tragedy. The story is as painful now as it was on that hot July night in Chicago in 1966. Truly a horrible waste of eight human lives by a psychopathic drifter who contributed absolutely nothing positive to society. However, God saw to it that there was a survivor to speak for those whose lives were taken.



5. it was okay, readable, promptly delivered, cost efficient, the picture pages were all falling out, but hey, if I wanted pictures I would read the comics