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askewmom86's review against another edition
5.0
I read this book in college back in 2004. I really enjoyed it, as I do all books involving true crime. This book was exceptionally intense becasue of the sensitive subject matter, i.e. the serial killer being a young boy. Very good read.
xxstefaniereadsxx's review against another edition
dark
informative
medium-paced
4.0
Jesse Pomeroy was born in Charleston, Massachusetts in 1859. He had a tumultuous home life, resulting in his mother leaving his father and taking Jesse and his brother with her. His father used to beat him in a way that was eerily similar to how he beat and tormented his young victims. From 1871 to 1872, several young boys were lured into isolated areas, stripped naked, tied up, and beaten mercilessly. His mother moved the family to a different neighborhood, where the attacks carried on. One boy that was attacked was able to tell the police that it was an older boy with a weird looking eye. Jesse had one very milky colored eye, making him prime suspect. He was eventually arrested for his attacks on the boys and sent to State Reform School for Boys until the age of 18. Stupidly, he was paroled and returned to his mother not long after. He was arrested again, this time for murder.
I love Harold Schechter. He always does a lot of research on his subjects, and this one was no different. I had never heard about Jesse Pomeroy before reading this book, and I just bought it because of who the author was. He was a severely disturbed person, but apparently fairly intelligent. He did a good job getting over on the people at the reform school, getting them to release him early for good behavior and reformation....what a scam. He also got up to plenty of shenanagins in prison. I can't wait to get to the other books by this author. If you are interested in true crime, check this book out and others by this author!
I love Harold Schechter. He always does a lot of research on his subjects, and this one was no different. I had never heard about Jesse Pomeroy before reading this book, and I just bought it because of who the author was. He was a severely disturbed person, but apparently fairly intelligent. He did a good job getting over on the people at the reform school, getting them to release him early for good behavior and reformation....what a scam. He also got up to plenty of shenanagins in prison. I can't wait to get to the other books by this author. If you are interested in true crime, check this book out and others by this author!
thaydra's review against another edition
4.0
I had never heard of Jesse Pomeroy, which is crazy considering what he did and then how he was punished. This YOUNG kid was just... sick. The things he did are brutal. He then spent over 40 years in solitary confinement... which is also insane. The fact that he appeared to be as "sane" as he did when released speaks (in my humble opinion) volumes on just how deranged his brain already was.
The author definitely had his opinions on the guy, and you could tell. But it seems like he stuck to the facts. The one thing I was in disagreement on was his description of Jesse. He is described (from more than just the author) as this disagreeable person to look upon, describing his features in very negative ways. When looking at the pictures, he just looked like a person... someone's grandpa. I didn't find his milky eye to be that obvious. /shrug
If you like true crime, then you should read it. Word of warning though- it has graphic descriptions of child abuse and murder.
The author definitely had his opinions on the guy, and you could tell. But it seems like he stuck to the facts. The one thing I was in disagreement on was his description of Jesse. He is described (from more than just the author) as this disagreeable person to look upon, describing his features in very negative ways. When looking at the pictures, he just looked like a person... someone's grandpa. I didn't find his milky eye to be that obvious. /shrug
If you like true crime, then you should read it. Word of warning though- it has graphic descriptions of child abuse and murder.
apbroussard42's review against another edition
3.0
3.5⭐️
I love you, Mr. Schechter, I do. And I love your commitment to detail. But Harold...the COPIOUS AMOUNT OF DETAILS in this one. Specifically the trial/media coverage. Too much. But I truly do love you.
Oh and btw the crimes perpetrated by James Pomeroy are brutal and horrific. Proceed with caution.
I love you, Mr. Schechter, I do. And I love your commitment to detail. But Harold...the COPIOUS AMOUNT OF DETAILS in this one. Specifically the trial/media coverage. Too much. But I truly do love you.
Oh and btw the crimes perpetrated by James Pomeroy are brutal and horrific. Proceed with caution.
agnexperience's review
3.0
An extremely thorough account of a young serial killer. I'm not really sure if his life merited such an expansive treatment because there is unfortunately nothing too remarkable about him - a deeply disturbed boy who killed and tortured - but here it is. And I guess he was legendary 100 years ago.
I think the most interesting part of the whole book was the meta-discussion on the historical context (people's views and attitudes) that affected how Pomeroy was seen.
But what really irked me were the sometimes voyeuristic descriptions of his victims' suffering. Sometimes, the same deed was described several times and in detail which seemed inappropriate for me. The book seemed to sort of linger on the vile details. It reduced the value for me.
All in all, a remarkable piece of investigation, but lengthy and cheap in a few areas.
I think the most interesting part of the whole book was the meta-discussion on the historical context (people's views and attitudes) that affected how Pomeroy was seen.
But what really irked me were the sometimes voyeuristic descriptions of his victims' suffering. Sometimes, the same deed was described several times and in detail which seemed inappropriate for me. The book seemed to sort of linger on the vile details. It reduced the value for me.
All in all, a remarkable piece of investigation, but lengthy and cheap in a few areas.
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