Reviews

Arrested Adolescence: The Secret Life of Nathan Leopold by Erik Rebain

duchessofreadin's review

4.0

The murder trial of Leopold was something else - but afterward, he became a changed person. There was a presence that he had in prison, and he worked hard to keep a clean image behind bars. Many said it was not sincere, but there were some that said it was.

Interesting read. This case was a hard one, but the author lays everything out well. Great true crime for those that are interested in the genre.

jennie_cole's review

2.0

Arrested Adolescence is a biography of Nathan Leopold, of Leopold & Loeb. If you do not know who Leopold & Loeb are, they were young adults who in 1924 kidnapped and killed a child, Bobby Franks, in Hyde Park Chicago. It was the crime of the century. This biography is not about that crime but about Leopold's entire life. And I do mean entire life.

If you do know anything about the crime you probably heard that Loeb was the mastermind and that he manipulated Leopold through out their relationship. During the first part of the book where Rebain focuses on Leopold's childhood through the crime, there is a feel that the victim story is true, yet he spends a lot of time during the prison years giving a different impression that the image rehabilitation story of Leopold as a victim might not be true.

The third part of the book focuses on his post prison life in Puerto Rico. If ever you have any sympathy for Leopold or buy into his version of what happened in 1924, this part will shatter that. Leopold is a disgusting human being who prays on young boys and gets away with everything.

This is a long book and is too much. Rebain writes about every event that seems to have occurred in Leopold's life. In this case, I would have been fine with broad ideas of his life and maybe one or two examples but I did not need to know about every "boy" he had in prison and every actual boy he groomed in Puerto Rico. It is not a bad biography is just needed some reducing.

ckbarnard_0317's review

slow-paced

2.5

Good if you want to know more about Nathan Leopold. But that's basically all that this book accomplishes. I got no sense of the why behind the book or what was at stake,  and from a historical perspective, that really bugged me. Also, Leopold's incredibly predatory relationships with young men and teenagers is basically just glossed over. Ick.

27agraham's review

dark informative medium-paced

5.0

gmd316's review

2.75

I sighed with relief when the focus of this book FINALLY died. This is quite a macabre description of one man's life that begins with a horrific crime and then after the decades he survived in prison, continues to tout his goodness and brought terror and abuse to so many others. Simultaneously he used his personality and charm to win over dozens of people, who in turn helped him escape any sort of real punishment. I understand that this was a true look at Leopold's life, however it did feel just like a long string of offenses the man committed throughout his life and made me feel incredibly depressed and just have no faith in the world. Not an enlightening or fun read.

Thanks to the publisher, NetGalley and the author for the ARC. 

nandemmler's review

emotional informative sad medium-paced

3.5

I went into the book knowing very little about the Leopold and Loeb case or the men for that matter. I had heard of the 1924 murder committed for no apparent reason except that the boys wanted to know what it was like to murder someone and whether or not they could get away with it. But beyond that I knew nothing else. This book does not hold back on the events that led to the murder or afterwards and Leopold’s life both in prison and out.

Although the story was interesting, I did find the narrative a bit dry and at times long winded. I was fascinated by the way the cops caught the two boys after the murder and was appalled at the conditions in the prison they were sent to. It is surprising that Leopold was able to survive. He was able to do some ‘good’ work while in prison, such as starting a school for the prisoners and helping with medical research, but it was only so that he could gain privileges for himself. His work in prison reform was also interesting, but again he only saw it as a way to promote himself in the eyes of the public.

Nathan Leopold’s life was an interesting one and the author does not hold back on the good or the bad aspects of it. This is an honest account of everything Leopold did and accomplished. The author has done a meticulous job with his research and it shows. Even some of the most mundane details were told. But it all comes down to whether or not Leopold was rehabilitated and I have to agree with the author that he most definitely was not. He lived his life the way he wanted, and for the most part didn’t care if others were hurt by his actions. He cared for no one but himself, although he presented a much different persona to the world and was able to charm many people into thinking otherwise.

This is a biography with a lot to discuss and think about. I highly recommend it to those familiar with the case and even to those whose only interest is in true crime. It is a fascinating look at a very interesting life.