Scan barcode
redhdlibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
Really enjoyed this read. Took a critical eye to true crime, lowbrow and highbrow, with research and talented writing. I like the piecing of the articles that all detailed different murders, the investigations around them, or the lack of follow-up by police and forensic testing. More of a critique of true crime. Will be recommending to other true crime readers. Raised good questions.
rodneywilhite's review against another edition
5.0
This is an excellent True Crime anthology—compassionate, victim-centered, and concerned with the larger sociological context of how the transgression reflects the culture. I loved that almost every essay interrogated the ethics of why we read about crime as entertainment. Highly recommended!
ohhdeanna's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Reading this made me feel like I was back at uni! I loved doing my criminology degree and wish I was doing more work in the criminal justice system then I am in my current job.
I thought this was a really interesting and thoughtful collection of true crime articles that covered a wide range of topics and issues. I've seen some reviews refer to this collection as 'boring' or that it doesn't even cover 'crime' - I think perhaps some people were expecting gory descriptions of murder. However, the criminal justice system is not just about gory murders. And there's so much more to this book than that. Please go in with an open mind, because I guarantee you will learn something from this book! I certainly did (the article about blood spatter, for example - who knew?!).
I thought this was a really interesting and thoughtful collection of true crime articles that covered a wide range of topics and issues. I've seen some reviews refer to this collection as 'boring' or that it doesn't even cover 'crime' - I think perhaps some people were expecting gory descriptions of murder. However, the criminal justice system is not just about gory murders. And there's so much more to this book than that. Please go in with an open mind, because I guarantee you will learn something from this book! I certainly did (the article about blood spatter, for example - who knew?!).
ridgewaygirl's review against another edition
5.0
Sarah Weinman's latest project has been to gather together a collection of long-form journalism articles about crime. She has assembled some of the best non-fiction crime writing published today, from well-known crimes like the story of Dee Dee and Gypsy Rose Blancharde, and the two girls who stabbed their friend to please Slenderman, to the story of the first woman shot by the sniper in the tower of the University of Texas in 1967, long before mass shootings became ordinary, and how an untested forensic procedure became accepted in criminal trials. Each article is fascinating and different from the others.
If you have any interest in long-form journalism, I highly recommend this book.
If you have any interest in long-form journalism, I highly recommend this book.
hywar's review against another edition
3.0
Unspeakable Acts is a collection of 13 short articles that all center around true crime. Some of the articles were definitely more interesting than others, as in normally the case in collections like this.
The book focuses on a variety of true crime cases, some of which are arguably more well known than others - I'm not sure there are many true crime fans out there who haven't heard the case of Gypsy Rose - as well as some articles that cover the science around crime, including a short piece on bullets and blood spatter analysis.
The short nature of the articles made the book an easy read, though it also meant that little detail was given to most of the topics. I wouldn't say I'm well-versed in true crime, but most of the details in these articles weren't new information or anything that was surprising.
Altogether, it's a good read if you want some general information about a variety of true crime cases, but don't go into it looking for anything detailed.
The book focuses on a variety of true crime cases, some of which are arguably more well known than others - I'm not sure there are many true crime fans out there who haven't heard the case of Gypsy Rose - as well as some articles that cover the science around crime, including a short piece on bullets and blood spatter analysis.
The short nature of the articles made the book an easy read, though it also meant that little detail was given to most of the topics. I wouldn't say I'm well-versed in true crime, but most of the details in these articles weren't new information or anything that was surprising.
Altogether, it's a good read if you want some general information about a variety of true crime cases, but don't go into it looking for anything detailed.
moviebuffkt's review against another edition
3.0
Compilation of true crime articles, deep dives in to the obsession over true crime, and actual criminal justice work. I enjoyed the first 1/3rd the most and skimmed a lot towards the end, but all in all a great collection.
ula_j's review against another edition
5.0
Thoughtful, heartbreaking, rage-inducing essays about crime and true crime as a genre.
evenshadow's review against another edition
2.0
Some of the essays were well thought out and informative, even when speaking on cases that most people who are interested in true crime have heard multiple times before. Other essays, especially the last few at the end of the book, were boring and tedious, especially as a non-American. Wish there had been more focus on actual true crime cases, especially ones that hadn't already had a lot of media attention.