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Graphic: Violence, Murder
Moderate: Racial slurs
Minor: Pedophilia, Rape
Graphic: Racial slurs
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Gun violence, Racism, Violence, Death of parent
Minor: Child abuse, Rape, Sexual content
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Violence, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Grief
"Just remember: If one bird carried every grain of sand, grain by grain, across the ocean, by the time he got them all on the other side, that would only be the beginning of eternity."
Graphic: Violence, Murder
Graphic: Death, Racial slurs, Violence, Murder
Moderate: Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Suicidal thoughts
It conjures a story, characters and themes from a list of facts and testimonies, while still managing to refrain from sensationalism and approaching the events with a surprising degree of empathy and tact. Its style of oral history/mosaic/reconstruction amalgam feels surprisingly current (no doubt because of its impact) and clearly recognizable in the thousands of hours of true crime mini-series and documentaries on any given streaming service nowadays.
Unfortunately, just like many of its inferior successors, it also feels a bit repetitive, stretched thin or unable to prioritize some content over other at points. I understand that if you conducted this much independent investigation, cutting things must feel like pulling teeth, but that doesn't make segments like the in-depth description of the crimes of each inmate who happened to be on death row alongside Dick and Perry or the endless circumstantial opinions of the locals any less excrutiating to read. On the other hand, this "boring" meticulousness is also one of the biggest strengths of the book, especially when bringing the killers' portraits to life without leaning into voyeurism or romanticization.
Not the quickest or most fun read, but still timeless and fascinating nontheless.
Graphic: Racial slurs, Torture, Violence, Murder
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Hate crime, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Racism, Sexual violence, Suicide
Minor: Religious bigotry
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt
Graphic: Violence, Murder
Moderate: Racial slurs
Minor: Rape
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence
Moderate: Rape, Violence
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Violence, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gore, Racism, Grief
Minor: Pedophilia