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329 reviews for:
American Heiress: The Wild Saga of the Kidnapping, Crimes and Trial of Patty Hearst
Jeffrey Toobin
3.83 AVERAGE
329 reviews for:
American Heiress: The Wild Saga of the Kidnapping, Crimes and Trial of Patty Hearst
Jeffrey Toobin
3.83 AVERAGE
informative
tense
medium-paced
I'm impressed by the research that went into this book, but oh.my.god. was it detailed! At one point he described what shoes Patty Hearst's lawyer was wearing. That's too much information! I loved the parts about the trial (the last 1/4 of the book or so) but the goings on of the SLA were kind of boring.
That said, the last paragraph is SO good. Just my favorite thing.
That said, the last paragraph is SO good. Just my favorite thing.
I was lent this book and am not typically a true crime reader, so I honestly don't have a good lens to view this through. I can say my usual skepticism and kneejerk negative reaction to authors lending thoughts and feelings (i.e., fictionalizing nonfiction) was strongly present (especially since Toobin did not talk to Hearst himself).
Still, I mostly enjoyed this book. I knew the general story but not the many contradictions throughout the retellings by everyone involved.
One thing I thought was odd -- Toobin's random interjections of people's weight/build. I understand noting that Hearst lost weight while being with the SLA, but to say that Hall was "still overweight" was completely unnecessary. (If he was making a point that she didn't fit in with the rest of the group, he had already made it countless times by saying she wasn't comfortable with weapons and was the least recognizable in public.)
Still, I mostly enjoyed this book. I knew the general story but not the many contradictions throughout the retellings by everyone involved.
One thing I thought was odd -- Toobin's random interjections of people's weight/build. I understand noting that Hearst lost weight while being with the SLA, but to say that Hall was "still overweight" was completely unnecessary. (If he was making a point that she didn't fit in with the rest of the group, he had already made it countless times by saying she wasn't comfortable with weapons and was the least recognizable in public.)
challenging
dark
informative
slow-paced
I rather enjoyed this one, once I actually got into it. There are some long passages of background information, but for the most part it's a "Just the facts, ma'am" recitation of what happened with Patty Hearst's kidnapping and the events that followed. While biographical information about the Hearsts and SLA members is included, there's not a real sense of personality to any individual in this book, which seemed to be the main thing missing from this narrative. But if you're looking for a straight up "This is what happened" book, then this is the one for you.
medium-paced
I mean, it was okay. If you've read a Toobin book, this was a Toobin book. *Shruggie*
Even though I was already well aware of how this story would end, I still found the book really interesting, exciting and easy to read. After reading my first Jeffery Toobin book, it definitely wont be my last. Now if only we can keep him from masterbating on Zoom calls with his coworkers we'll be ok.