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rballenger's review against another edition
3.0
Type of read: Commuter (listened to and from work)
What made me pick it up: I saw it on a recommended list after I read 'We Carry Their Bones' and thought it looked interesting.
Overall rating: Sometimes I wonder how I'm so oblivious to certain historical happenings. 'Hell's Half-Acre' is an interesting tale of the Bender family and how they somewhat stealthy wreaked havoc on the American frontier. I think for me what made this book especially interesting is that not only have I lived in southwest Kansas and still have family throughout the state, I knew many of the places they referenced. I feel like that gave it an extra sense of reality for me. Although it's a nonfiction work with historical information, 'Hell's Half Acre' is told in a very storybook way, even if there are times where the amount of facts, figures, and names gets a wee bit long. If you're looking for something to get a glimpse into some gruesome Americana, 'Hell's Half Acre' isn't half bad.
What made me pick it up: I saw it on a recommended list after I read 'We Carry Their Bones' and thought it looked interesting.
Overall rating: Sometimes I wonder how I'm so oblivious to certain historical happenings. 'Hell's Half-Acre' is an interesting tale of the Bender family and how they somewhat stealthy wreaked havoc on the American frontier. I think for me what made this book especially interesting is that not only have I lived in southwest Kansas and still have family throughout the state, I knew many of the places they referenced. I feel like that gave it an extra sense of reality for me. Although it's a nonfiction work with historical information, 'Hell's Half Acre' is told in a very storybook way, even if there are times where the amount of facts, figures, and names gets a wee bit long. If you're looking for something to get a glimpse into some gruesome Americana, 'Hell's Half Acre' isn't half bad.
jhbandcats's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
4.5
I had never heard of the Bender family before encountering this book. I suppose I should have focused on their being brutal murderers but instead I kept noticing how filthy they were. This has nothing to do with the murders - it was just their way of life - but it made an impression on me.
I was equally appalled at the crowds of gawkers who showed up to get mementos of the crimes. Everything within the cabin and stable was stolen by excited murder-tourists. Some even dismantled the cabin to take home bits of wood. Others jumped in the graves to see if the people recovering bodies had forgotten anything.
In addition to the information on the murders, the book gives an in-depth look at prairie life in the second half of the 19th C. The location of the nascent railroad could literally put a town on the map. The desolate areas in between towns had few spots offering food or lodging. In an area known for its outlaws, a glimmer of a lantern was welcome, and travelers were tired enough and trusting enough that they let down their guard.
I appreciate learning about this period and this area of the country. The author is mostly straightforward in telling the story of these people and this time. There’s slight literary license - fog in an alley - *was* there fog in an alley? Had the author looked at the weather reports for that area on that day? But there’s so much other solid research that I’m quibbling.
I’m looking forward to the author writing more.
I was equally appalled at the crowds of gawkers who showed up to get mementos of the crimes. Everything within the cabin and stable was stolen by excited murder-tourists. Some even dismantled the cabin to take home bits of wood. Others jumped in the graves to see if the people recovering bodies had forgotten anything.
In addition to the information on the murders, the book gives an in-depth look at prairie life in the second half of the 19th C. The location of the nascent railroad could literally put a town on the map. The desolate areas in between towns had few spots offering food or lodging. In an area known for its outlaws, a glimmer of a lantern was welcome, and travelers were tired enough and trusting enough that they let down their guard.
I appreciate learning about this period and this area of the country. The author is mostly straightforward in telling the story of these people and this time. There’s slight literary license - fog in an alley - *was* there fog in an alley? Had the author looked at the weather reports for that area on that day? But there’s so much other solid research that I’m quibbling.
I’m looking forward to the author writing more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Child death, Colonisation, Death, Gore, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, and Violence