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Reviews tagging 'Mass/school shootings'
Rogues: True Stories of Grifters, Killers, Rebels and Crooks by Patrick Radden Keefe
6 reviews
maggies's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Keefe is such a compelling writer about all topics that capture his imagination, and this selection of essays is no different. Plus, read by the author—and what a narrator he is. Very enjoyable
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Drug abuse, and Mass/school shootings
Minor: Self harm, Domestic abuse, and Suicide
librarymouse's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
4.5
The time Patrick Radden Keefe spends with each client shows his dedication to his craft. This book humanized people and events often sensationalized beyond individuality by press coverage. This is a really interesting and engaging read, with chapters long enough for readers to be invested in the stories being told. Each story is self contained, allowing for this book to be read at whatever pace you'd like to read it.
When I got to the last chapter, I was waiting to understand what crime Anthony Bourdain had committed or had been a part of uncovering, beyond drug use, before I realized that in the subtitle also notes rebels.
When I got to the last chapter, I was waiting to understand what crime Anthony Bourdain had committed or had been a part of uncovering, beyond drug use, before I realized that in the subtitle also notes rebels.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Hate crime, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Gun violence, Death, Drug use, Grief, Cancer, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Addiction, War, Trafficking, and Infidelity
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Adult/minor relationship
just_one_more_paige's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
4.0
I was so impressed when I read PRK's Empire of Pain last year. HIs research is meticulous and the writing is both compelling and thorough. So, I knew I'd eventually pick up his other works. This one was the next...
This is a collection of essays/articles in which Keefe tells the stories of the sub-titular "grifters, killers, rebels and crooks." The subjects range wildly, from cartel kingpins to wine forgers to perpetrators of gun violence/murder to whistleblowers of questionable intention to bomb-makers/terrorists to "reality" tv masterminds of image to black market arms dealers and more.
Well, yet again, I was blown away by the clear diligence in Keefe's research. In each essay, it is so clear how much effort and attention he gives to gathering information. He presents so many perspectives - and is careful to always note which POVs were unable to be included/unwilling to talk with him - to make sure the reader knows what is missing. And for all the details that he manages to get into such short pieces (as I imagine that each of these essays could be expanded to a full-length book, just like Empire of Pain), I never felt like I was experiencing an info-dump or any confusion of timeline/interconnectedness. That is such skill.
I also really appreciate how, even for the profiles that I was less personally interested in, he was able to keep my attention. It did help that these were essays, and thus a shorter format, of course. But it would still be so easy to lose a reader's interest and it just...never happened. It is worth noting that, for sure, I was less into some of the chapters, topically. For example, the one about the resurgence of Trump's image, the insider trading situation and the mass shooter backstory one weren't necessarily favorites and I never would have picked up a book about them alone. On the other hand, I was absolutely fascinated by the ones related to gangster families and cartel leaders and arms dealers. And the wine forging was so interesting - I learned a lot from that one. Overall, even with the topics I was less excited (is that the right word?) by, the breadth of types of stories - how varied the “crooks” and “killers” are - was fascinating. Though note, for some reason, I was expecting a slightly lighter-hearted read whereas most of the stories are quite heavy (other than the wine one, really). If I really think about it, that does make sense, but I think the cover design and sub-title made it seem more like "fun caper" vibes than it ended up being. Just, heads up.
This is a short review, but there's not much more to say really. The research journalism writing tone is spot on. The research itself is just stunning. The reading experience is spectacularly detailed and yet somehow still wildly interesting and follow-able, cohesive and complex while not overdoing the information or narrative is just…wow. These short snippets (or I guess, short for a book, but like, regular length for articles articles) are just enough to generate and keep interest. I was fascinated and entertained and if these topics sound like something you'd be into, you should go read and learn/experience these stories for yourself.
“When violence suddenly ruptures the course of our lives, we tend to tell ourselves stories in order to make it more explicable. Confronted with scrambled pieces of evidence, we arrange them into a narrative.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, Murder, Grief, and Gun violence
Moderate: War, Trafficking, Colonisation, Drug use, Addiction, Mass/school shootings, Mental illness, and Infidelity
Minor: Suicide
issyd23's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.0
My fav chapters were the first and the last: Bill Koch gets scammed by fake wine and a profile on Anthony Bourdain 3🏴☠️
NB I love survivor but fuck Mark Burnett.
NB I love survivor but fuck Mark Burnett.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cancer, Child death, Classism, Colonisation, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Cursing, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mass/school shootings, Mental illness, Police brutality, Racism, Torture, Violence, War, Animal cruelty, Blood, Bullying, Murder, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Cultural appropriation, Death, and Domestic abuse
ashwaar's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
I have greatly enjoyed Keefe's previous books, Say Nothing and Empire of Pain, but I was also intimidated at times. Both are grand, shocking and eventful books covering crucial and compelling topics. However, Rogues felt just a little bit more accessible in comparison.
So to start with, this book is so easy to read compared to the others. You can take your time getting through it without forgetting what has happened in the previous pages. It also gives you so many interesting stories and anecdotes to tell other people. I relayed every chapter to my boyfriend after I read it because of how weird and interesting the stories were. My favourites were The Hunt for El Chapo, Winning, and The Worst of the Worst (in case you were wondering).
However, so many of these stories didn't have much of an ending. I felt a bit unsatisfied when I finished one of them, as although the crux of the story is interesting and compelling, these people and their stories and repercussions are never-ending. The story of the Jefferson wines, although fascinating, didn't end with anything more than a warning that the majority of highly collectable wines may be fakes, and the chapter on Falciani, who stole data from the Swiss banks, was open-ended. We don't really get any answers to the questions that crop up when we start each chapter.
But I understand these stories can rarely be tied up with a neat little bow. Crime is often confusing and complex, with different actors saying different things about their roles in the scheme. The lack of a finale doesn't take away from the stories in any way, it leaves the reader to contemplate the messiness of our modern world and the different ways we tell our stories.
Read more on Wordpress at Bookmarked by Ash: https://book990337086.wordpress.com/
So to start with, this book is so easy to read compared to the others. You can take your time getting through it without forgetting what has happened in the previous pages. It also gives you so many interesting stories and anecdotes to tell other people. I relayed every chapter to my boyfriend after I read it because of how weird and interesting the stories were. My favourites were The Hunt for El Chapo, Winning, and The Worst of the Worst (in case you were wondering).
However, so many of these stories didn't have much of an ending. I felt a bit unsatisfied when I finished one of them, as although the crux of the story is interesting and compelling, these people and their stories and repercussions are never-ending. The story of the Jefferson wines, although fascinating, didn't end with anything more than a warning that the majority of highly collectable wines may be fakes, and the chapter on Falciani, who stole data from the Swiss banks, was open-ended. We don't really get any answers to the questions that crop up when we start each chapter.
But I understand these stories can rarely be tied up with a neat little bow. Crime is often confusing and complex, with different actors saying different things about their roles in the scheme. The lack of a finale doesn't take away from the stories in any way, it leaves the reader to contemplate the messiness of our modern world and the different ways we tell our stories.
Read more on Wordpress at Bookmarked by Ash: https://book990337086.wordpress.com/
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Gun violence, Drug use, Child death, Drug abuse, Death, and Mass/school shootings
yo_adrien_reads's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
3.5
Admittedly I did not look into how this one was formatted, I just knew I love everything this author writes. Rogues is comprised of exposé like pieces all tied together by this one theme. The rogues discussed range from the criminal to people who choose their own path in their profession, such as the admirable death penalty lawyer who defended the Boston Marathon bomber to Anthony Bourdain.
Like any collection, some of the examples Radden Keefe wrote about were more interesting than others. My brain kinda blanked when insider trading was discussed. Most of the subjects were fascinating enough that I continued with the stories.
Be forewarned, there are DETAILED descriptions of what happened to the Boston Marathon victims. It makes sense to include them since the section focused on the defense and therefore the trial, but I had to skip those sections.
Like any collection, some of the examples Radden Keefe wrote about were more interesting than others. My brain kinda blanked when insider trading was discussed. Most of the subjects were fascinating enough that I continued with the stories.
Be forewarned, there are DETAILED descriptions of what happened to the Boston Marathon victims. It makes sense to include them since the section focused on the defense and therefore the trial, but I had to skip those sections.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Mass/school shootings
Moderate: Colonisation, Death, and Grief
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