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horrorgami's review against another edition
4.0
I was surprised to find this book on this unknown boy shortly after I learned of his case. It always made me extremely sad to know that he's gone unidentified and nameless for so long. It was nice to see the different theories that the officers of this case tracked down and it really shows how much they cared for that unknown boy to follow through with the case - some even to their own deaths. I really hope one day the case is cracked and this boy in rescued from anonymity and finally given his name.
duchessofreadin's review against another edition
5.0
A child who was loved more in death than in life... I have to give this five stars for the excellent work that the author put in to writing this heartbreaking history. The tragedy of losing a child is made harder when the child is not reported missing or people coming forward to claim or identify a missing child.The case of the Boy in the Box, from Fox Chase Pennsylvania, is something that consumed the careers of many police officers and left many of the brightest minds scratching their heads. Discovered in February 1957, the young boy was seen a case that would be easily solved, as someone would come forward to claim the body. The medical examiner noticed the bruising and wounds on the body. Each person who worked the case of the Boy in the Box became so involved, that the child became an silent member of each family. With the hope of a fast solve quickly becoming dashed as the days turn into weeks and then stretching into months and years. The Boy in the Box was buried by the police department, everything being donated and contributed by the community and the homicide detectives. The case was never closed and they continue to work the case and follow any and all leads. Nothing was considered to small to follow up on, and the case moved from small files to the several boxes of notes and mementos. Today the case is still open, and the young boy who was more loved in death than he was in life, remains nameless, cared for by the policemen who take over the case and the community who have adopted him as their own..This book was a hard read. I love true crime and the many facets of what can make a person tick, but this story... this was enough to keep me awake nights. I don't often cry while reading or watching a movie, but this book had me in tears more than once. I found myself asking questions throughout this entire read.. how could anyone do this to a child? Who could not claim the young boy and give him his full identity back. I found myself wishing that they could have done more, even though they did everything they could and then some. While this case is still open, given the length of time, its entirely possible that this case will never be solved, and that makes it even worse. As a mother, I can't imagine how any parent could not come forward and claim their little child. I hope that this case will continue and that maybe with the leaps and bounds that forensic science has taken, that this little boy will be identified. Even if the person who caused the injuries or placed him where he would be found is gone, knowing the full story and getting a conclusion to the story would help complete the thousands of hours of work that the original officers and medical examiner put into trying to find the answer. Closure will never fully happen, but a completion and explanation will go a long way to helping a community and police department close the case of the young child who became the "Boy In The Box."
eclecticace's review against another edition
3.0
200+ pages of an interesting and incredibly heart breaking case. Rather well written, I hope they do eventually figure out who the boy was.
natreviews's review against another edition
3.0
As a person who isn’t new to true crime I found this book wasn’t written for me. Don’t get me wrong, I learned more about the case than I originally knew, but it’s written in a way that seems like a person who is interested in true crime for the first time would like.
I did like how the chapters were short, but that doesn’t mean they are always to the point.
The book does mainly focus on The Boy in the Box, but has chapters (mainly 18, 19, and 35) diverge. Some of the stories that are mentioned are brought back in later chapters a lot, but some are throw away sentences.
In the end, this book could have been many chapters shorter if they just wanted to focus on this one case. OR, in my opinion, should have focused on multiple cases of America’s Unknown Children.
This leads me to the title. Written very much for a person experiencing true crime for the first time. The Boy In The Box. Gets to what the case is. I think a better fit for the title would have been “Fragile: Handle With Care, The Unsolved Case of America’s Uknown Child”. Especially with how the book diverts to other cases about people murdering children or other unsolved cases involving children that have no identity.
The last thing I will point out is the fact that it is dramatized. Every true crime book to some extent is. When you point this fact out, it makes me second guess what’s dramatized and what isn’t? Where the thoughts dramatized, or some of the story elements? This fact is pointed out at the beginning of the book. What isn’t though is if you may have any leads on the case where to direct them to. Yes, the case happened in 1957, but the book makes a HUGE point that we shouldn’t forget cases like these. I believe another book I’ve reviewed “The Forest City Killer” does have a place to contact, even if that’s just the local police department. Those cases happened in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Still, it seems weird not to have anything about it. I also wasn’t comfortable seeing crime scene photos and photos of the boy dressed up (if you read the book you will know what I mean). You don’t have to show those. The poster is fine (since it was super crucial to the story), the shots of the area are fine, but I don’t need to see the photos of the boy on the autopsy table. It’s distasteful to me. In another book I read about the women who followed Charles Manson they also included photos, but NEVER of the victims or the crime scene. I think that’s why seeing the photos of the dead child upset me. I’d be fine seeing the death cast, but I don’t want to see the body of the child.
Will I read this book again? No. Would I recommend this book to a person really into true crime? No. Would I recommend this book to a person who wants to be introduced into the genre, but doesn’t know where to start? Yes, yes I would.
I did like how the chapters were short, but that doesn’t mean they are always to the point.
The book does mainly focus on The Boy in the Box, but has chapters (mainly 18, 19, and 35) diverge. Some of the stories that are mentioned are brought back in later chapters a lot, but some are throw away sentences.
In the end, this book could have been many chapters shorter if they just wanted to focus on this one case. OR, in my opinion, should have focused on multiple cases of America’s Unknown Children.
This leads me to the title. Written very much for a person experiencing true crime for the first time. The Boy In The Box. Gets to what the case is. I think a better fit for the title would have been “Fragile: Handle With Care, The Unsolved Case of America’s Uknown Child”. Especially with how the book diverts to other cases about people murdering children or other unsolved cases involving children that have no identity.
The last thing I will point out is the fact that it is dramatized. Every true crime book to some extent is. When you point this fact out, it makes me second guess what’s dramatized and what isn’t? Where the thoughts dramatized, or some of the story elements? This fact is pointed out at the beginning of the book. What isn’t though is if you may have any leads on the case where to direct them to. Yes, the case happened in 1957, but the book makes a HUGE point that we shouldn’t forget cases like these. I believe another book I’ve reviewed “The Forest City Killer” does have a place to contact, even if that’s just the local police department. Those cases happened in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Still, it seems weird not to have anything about it. I also wasn’t comfortable seeing crime scene photos and photos of the boy dressed up (if you read the book you will know what I mean). You don’t have to show those. The poster is fine (since it was super crucial to the story), the shots of the area are fine, but I don’t need to see the photos of the boy on the autopsy table. It’s distasteful to me. In another book I read about the women who followed Charles Manson they also included photos, but NEVER of the victims or the crime scene. I think that’s why seeing the photos of the dead child upset me. I’d be fine seeing the death cast, but I don’t want to see the body of the child.
Will I read this book again? No. Would I recommend this book to a person really into true crime? No. Would I recommend this book to a person who wants to be introduced into the genre, but doesn’t know where to start? Yes, yes I would.
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