You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
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
The writing of this book deserves 5 stars. It is a balanced, well-written account of the Patty Hearst story. I have no issue with the text but I just didn't love the book. I had no empathy for Patty Hearst and I find the way that she used her privilege to avoid the consequences of her actions. I found it difficult to get through the text simply because I had a hard time maintaining interest in her story.
This book is very...informative. I didn’t hate it, but it just seemed way too long. I understand a lot happened in this case, but I also believe a lot of drawn out places could have been summed up a lot quicker. I did feel like I now know everything that one could possibly know about this case and the research was excellently done. I’m glad I read it, but I’m glad it’s over.
I am a few years older than Patty and remember my fascination with this story and my mixed thoughts about her her degree of willing participation. Toobin's book clearly, in my opinion, shows her culpability. The book is very well researched and told me so much more than was ever made public at the time. It's also a peephole into those radical years and the causes so many felt that they had to speak for. So, in general, I liked the book.
This was really good. An excellent portrait of the kidnapping placed in a larger context of the collapse of the New Left and the beginning of the New Right backlash.
An astonishing and intriguing tale of a spoiled rich girl turned 70s revolutionary and the amount of crazy and illegal stuff she was able to get away with. Well written and presented by Toobin and well read by narrator. Very fascinating glimpse into an odd time in our recent past.
As a young person I was aware of events of the 70s, but so very interesting to read about them now as an adult. I think Tobbin does a fair job of acknowledging the trauma of Heart's kidnapping with the choices she made after joining the Symbionese Liberation Army. He argues that anyone without the wealth and power of the Hearst family would not have received the same treatment. A crazy cast of well known characters make appearances in the book: Jim Jones of the Guyana tragedy, "Squeaky" Fromme who tried to assassinate President Ford, Bill Walton , a professional basketball player,Jane Pauley, the newscaster, Robert Mueller now special council for the Russia investigation. Recommend for the kidnapping saga, as well as a slice of time from a turbulent past.
DNF at ~40%
I think this is just one of those topics where I’m perfectly satisfied just reading the Wikipedia article. There’s nothing wrong with the book, and I loved Toobin’s The People v. OJ Simpson, but I wasn’t as interested in the subject as I thought I’d be.
I think this is just one of those topics where I’m perfectly satisfied just reading the Wikipedia article. There’s nothing wrong with the book, and I loved Toobin’s The People v. OJ Simpson, but I wasn’t as interested in the subject as I thought I’d be.
Comprehensive but somewhat dry story of the Patty Hearst kidnapping. I was a young teenager at the time and somewhat caught up in the drama but not terribly concerned with the details, and this fills in a lot of blanks. Toobin isn't shy about making his opinion known about Patty's innocence or guilt, which stands in stark contradiction to Hearst's autobiography. Favorite part - finding out that a sportswriter who played a small part in hiding the fugitive Hearst was BFFs with basketball star/sportscaster Bill Walton.