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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
It's difficult to write about serial killers without abstracting the story into poles of dark and light. Serial killers lend themselves to torture porn, flat reportage, and academic treatises. We devour these stories. Their names are famous, their deeds infamous, and their victims - anonymous. In Green River, Running Red, Anne Rule writes about the Green River Killer, except she doesn't - instead, she writes about his victims. We come to the story through their stories and it is a powerful experience. Robert Kolker achieves something similar in Lost Girls, the story of five of the victims of an as-yet unidentified serial killer (or killers) who is at least dumping bodies in a desolate stretch of Long Island. Told from the point of view of the victims and their families, Mr. Kolker unearths not just a mystery, but a story of economic hard times, of family, and of the way we assign value to victims.
The Internet has changed prostitution in some fundamental ways. Advertising on Craigslist (when you still could) or Backpages or other websites that take adult ads removes the street and, in some cases, pimps from the equation. It allows people who might not have become sex workers easy entry into the field. Get a room, post a picture with a phone number, schedule the appointments, walk away with better money than you can get from most jobs (minimum wage work, anyone?). On the flip side, when you take away the street, you take away the buffer - on the street you have a moment to size up the customer, to at least pretend to yourself that you can get a feel for them, that you can more easily walk away. Talk to a customer for five minutes on the phone and they're on your doorstep in moments. There is no crowd to see, little protection, plenty of risk.
Mr. Kolker tells a good story, writing of the lives of these young women and their families before and after their disappearances. He tells the story of law enforcement and societal indifference and slut shaming. He speaks of real people, forever changed by their encounters with someone who took indifference to its logical conclusion. He does not tell the story of their unknown killer(s), but they're there in the shadows and in the judgments we make about others. Highly recommended.
The Internet has changed prostitution in some fundamental ways. Advertising on Craigslist (when you still could) or Backpages or other websites that take adult ads removes the street and, in some cases, pimps from the equation. It allows people who might not have become sex workers easy entry into the field. Get a room, post a picture with a phone number, schedule the appointments, walk away with better money than you can get from most jobs (minimum wage work, anyone?). On the flip side, when you take away the street, you take away the buffer - on the street you have a moment to size up the customer, to at least pretend to yourself that you can get a feel for them, that you can more easily walk away. Talk to a customer for five minutes on the phone and they're on your doorstep in moments. There is no crowd to see, little protection, plenty of risk.
Mr. Kolker tells a good story, writing of the lives of these young women and their families before and after their disappearances. He tells the story of law enforcement and societal indifference and slut shaming. He speaks of real people, forever changed by their encounters with someone who took indifference to its logical conclusion. He does not tell the story of their unknown killer(s), but they're there in the shadows and in the judgments we make about others. Highly recommended.
Lost Girls is a heartbreaking true story of families torn apart by the cruel tragedies humans face in this world. Robert Kolker gives a realistic, human voice to those who no longer can speak for themselves. No matter which theory of the case of L.I.S.K you believe, the bottom line is many women lost their lives. Kolker also gives voice to the world of escorts & how culture and the internet allow for commercial sex to be an “acceptable” living in the shadow. A must read for any murderinos & unsolved cases fans.
dark
informative
slow-paced
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Too many asides about the color of different character’s skins. Definite turn off.
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
dark
While the details of the case were interesting and presented thoughtfully and respectfully, the narrative itself was garbled and poorly constructed. The timeline felt out of order, particularly in the first section, and the sections were pressed together with no indication of which girl was being focused on. The ending in particular felt lackluster with very little to say about the case as a whole. Overall the book felt unfocused and without direction.
3.5 Stars
I remember hearing this story in the news a few years back . This was a very compelling story, moreso since this was a true story . It reads like a fiction novel so if reading non-fiction isn't normally your cup of tea I would suggest you try this.
Shannan Gilbert, an escort/prostitute is heard screaming for help and running for her life in a quiet gated community in Long Island. She knocks on people's doors begging for help. She calls 911 and is on the phone w police for 22 mins. Yet, She disappears and no one knows what happens to her . The police start to search for her and end up discovering 4 skeletons wrapped up in burlap sacks on a beach. It is discovered they are all also escorts/prostitutes.
In our society, prostitutes tend to be looked down upon . If something bad happens to them it's usually shrugged off- "oh well who cares? They're whores". This book tells Shannan's story as well as the 4 bodied. It gives them names- Amber, Maureen, Melissa and Megan. It humanized them . It asks the question- why does no one care when prostitutes are killed? They are still people. They are daughters, sisters, mothers, friends.
Overall this book was entertaining but also very thought-provoking.
I remember hearing this story in the news a few years back . This was a very compelling story, moreso since this was a true story . It reads like a fiction novel so if reading non-fiction isn't normally your cup of tea I would suggest you try this.
Shannan Gilbert, an escort/prostitute is heard screaming for help and running for her life in a quiet gated community in Long Island. She knocks on people's doors begging for help. She calls 911 and is on the phone w police for 22 mins. Yet, She disappears and no one knows what happens to her . The police start to search for her and end up discovering 4 skeletons wrapped up in burlap sacks on a beach. It is discovered they are all also escorts/prostitutes.
In our society, prostitutes tend to be looked down upon . If something bad happens to them it's usually shrugged off- "oh well who cares? They're whores". This book tells Shannan's story as well as the 4 bodied. It gives them names- Amber, Maureen, Melissa and Megan. It humanized them . It asks the question- why does no one care when prostitutes are killed? They are still people. They are daughters, sisters, mothers, friends.
Overall this book was entertaining but also very thought-provoking.
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
I love a true crime book that is focused on the victims. This was heartbreaking.