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121 reviews for:
My Daddy is a Hero: How Chris Watts Went from Family Man to Family Killer
Lena Derhally
3.64 AVERAGE
121 reviews for:
My Daddy is a Hero: How Chris Watts Went from Family Man to Family Killer
Lena Derhally
3.64 AVERAGE
There is a special place in hell for people like Chris Watts.
In August 2018, Shanann Watts was raising two daughters, pregnant with a son on the way, and wondering where exactly in the last 5 weeks she had gone wrong in what, up until that point, had seemed like her perfect 6-year marriage to her husband Chris. The normally bright, bubbly, cheerful and outgoing work-from-home mom had been under extreme emotional duress in the months leading up to this point, but she was determined to make it work. She loved her family and the life she had worked hard to build in Colorado with her husband and she knew Chris did too. Or she thought she knew. But so much of what she didn't know ended up killing her and her children.
In the early hours of August 13th, 2018, Chris violently ended the lives of his wife, two daughters, and unborn baby in unspeakable crimes. The case quickly became a national sensation and Americans were collectively outraged that this seemingly normal, easygoing family man could snap and murder his entire family. It would be some time before the truth of the premeditation of these murders came to light along with many other disturbing details, but it took far less time for Chris Watts to become one of the most speculated about and hated men in America.
Lena Derhally unpacks the events leading up to and following these shocking family murders, and goes beyond that to consider the mental state of Chris Watts. Is he a psychopath? A narcissist? What could have happened in his brain to lead to such a devastating outcome?
I appreciate Derhally's handling of such a sensitive topic and murder case. She gives Shanann and her daughters a voice they so deserve and handles their perspectives with great compassion. She analyzes this case from every possible angle, and she does it with compelling storytelling. Living in Colorado and generally in this country I knew about this case and some of the surface level details, but there were so many more sinister text messages, behaviors, and events than I had realized. It was both fascinating and viscerally upsetting to learn about these murders. I don't condone violence, but if the other prisoners incarcerated alongside Chris Watts are interested in beating the life out of him, I would condone that. He is a sick and horrible human being, as evidenced by Derhally's careful analysis of his psychology. This portion of the book dragged on a bit too much for my tastes and was at times slightly too clinical, but I still appreciated the learning experience it provided.
Recommended for fans of true crime, criminal psychology, and those who followed this case closely. Rest in peace to the beautiful Shanann, Bella, Cece, and Nico Watts. Burn in hell to Chris.
In August 2018, Shanann Watts was raising two daughters, pregnant with a son on the way, and wondering where exactly in the last 5 weeks she had gone wrong in what, up until that point, had seemed like her perfect 6-year marriage to her husband Chris. The normally bright, bubbly, cheerful and outgoing work-from-home mom had been under extreme emotional duress in the months leading up to this point, but she was determined to make it work. She loved her family and the life she had worked hard to build in Colorado with her husband and she knew Chris did too. Or she thought she knew. But so much of what she didn't know ended up killing her and her children.
In the early hours of August 13th, 2018, Chris violently ended the lives of his wife, two daughters, and unborn baby in unspeakable crimes. The case quickly became a national sensation and Americans were collectively outraged that this seemingly normal, easygoing family man could snap and murder his entire family. It would be some time before the truth of the premeditation of these murders came to light along with many other disturbing details, but it took far less time for Chris Watts to become one of the most speculated about and hated men in America.
Lena Derhally unpacks the events leading up to and following these shocking family murders, and goes beyond that to consider the mental state of Chris Watts. Is he a psychopath? A narcissist? What could have happened in his brain to lead to such a devastating outcome?
I appreciate Derhally's handling of such a sensitive topic and murder case. She gives Shanann and her daughters a voice they so deserve and handles their perspectives with great compassion. She analyzes this case from every possible angle, and she does it with compelling storytelling. Living in Colorado and generally in this country I knew about this case and some of the surface level details, but there were so many more sinister text messages, behaviors, and events than I had realized. It was both fascinating and viscerally upsetting to learn about these murders. I don't condone violence, but if the other prisoners incarcerated alongside Chris Watts are interested in beating the life out of him, I would condone that. He is a sick and horrible human being, as evidenced by Derhally's careful analysis of his psychology. This portion of the book dragged on a bit too much for my tastes and was at times slightly too clinical, but I still appreciated the learning experience it provided.
Recommended for fans of true crime, criminal psychology, and those who followed this case closely. Rest in peace to the beautiful Shanann, Bella, Cece, and Nico Watts. Burn in hell to Chris.
dark
informative
sad
fast-paced
Definitely an interesting read and take on the Chris Watts case. The last few chapters were textbook heavy and this is coming from a psychology major that finds psychopathy truly interesting to study. It took more effort to read these chapters until she started to incorporate how she applied them to Chris.
Nevertheless, it's a heartbreaking story for those little girls and their momma who was pregnant with their little brother. My heart goes out to their family who will suffer for the rest of their lives with what happened to their daughter/grandchildren.
Nevertheless, it's a heartbreaking story for those little girls and their momma who was pregnant with their little brother. My heart goes out to their family who will suffer for the rest of their lives with what happened to their daughter/grandchildren.
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
"Sometimes the most dangerous people are the ones we least expect."
My Daddy is a Hero tells the devastating story of the murder of Shannan, Bella and Celeste Watts at the hands of the man they should have been able to trust most. It immediately feels victim-centric, opening with Shannan, who was 15 weeks pregnant, arriving home after a work trip to Arizona in the early hours of August 13th, 2018. Within a few short hours she and her daughters were dead, their bodies discarded in one of the oil fields where Chris worked.
Heartbreaking, moving and enraging, this was not an easy book to read but it was an important one. This shocking crime has haunted me ever since I first heard about it and I’ve read many online articles and watched a number of documentaries about the case in an attempt to fathom how a seemingly perfect husband and father can murder his entire family. In this in-depth exploration of the crime and investigation, Lena Durhally attempts to answer this and many other questions, crafting a wonderfully victim-centric account of this tragedy, skillfully balancing respect for Shannan, Bella, and Celeste with an honest discussion about the crime. Durhally examines the whole Watts family and delves into the psychology of psychopaths, narcissists and family annihilators in a more general way, asking how we can spot the signs and try to prevent these tragedies before they happen. But I think what is so terrifying about this particular case is the lack of red flags beforehand. Chris Watts appeared to be a model father and husband, betraying very few outward signs of his inner rage or sinister plans. It really is the stuff of nightmares and it is part of the reason he remains a danger, despite his current claims of redemption.
I’d recommend this book to anyone with an interest in true crime or the psychology of psychopaths and narcissists.
challenging
dark
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
Like others this case has struck a chord with me and I’ve taken an interest just tying to figure out how this could ever happen. As a mom of two little girls this was not easy to read at some points and I did have to skip much of the chapter that detailed what he did to his family (but the author did place a warning: suggestion of doing that in the beginning). It’s not an easy subject to read on and defiantly not light vacation read. The author did a great job of portraying the facts and adding her psychologist view in it.
I have to admit I didn’t actually finish the last 100 pages of this book once they started trying to “diagnose” what went wrong. But the first 2/3 are great if this case interests you. Incredibly disturbing, but well written.
Some Science included, and it’s good.
I read another book about the Watts murders that was full of gross victim blaming. This book was the opposite. This book was well thought out and organized. The explanations on personalities and things were great. This book was informative and not the ripped from the headlines feel you usually get with a true crime book. My only regret was not skipping the chapter with the warning.
I read another book about the Watts murders that was full of gross victim blaming. This book was the opposite. This book was well thought out and organized. The explanations on personalities and things were great. This book was informative and not the ripped from the headlines feel you usually get with a true crime book. My only regret was not skipping the chapter with the warning.