alisonscott1010 's review for:

Kitty Genovese: A True Account of a Public Murder and Its Private Consequences by Catherine Pelonero

3.0

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I really vacillated between a 3 and 4 star rating. I appreciated the thoroughness of the author's research and her commitment to telling the whole truth (or as much as one can in this situation). At times, however, it felt stylistically flat and seemed as if comments from sources were copied and pasted directly from an email rather than woven in. I also would have loved more focus on Mary Ann Zielonko, although I understand that the author may have had limited information to work with in that respect. I found the Karl Ross angle fascinating, and I think the author did a decent job of revealing the complexity of his situation. On one hand it was horrific to imagine him hearing his friend crying out for help and not going downstairs to save her, and on the other I wonder how much his actions were motivated by fear of persecution. Would the police or public been quick to pin the blame on a gay man? Was he worried that it was a domestic situation between Kitty and Mary Ann, which might have raised suspicions? Nonetheless, it was hard to stomach the realization that if Ross and Greta Schwartz had gone downstairs when Kitty first cried out, they might have saved her life. At that time Moseley was looking for her on the opposite side of the building. Based upon the rest of his criminal history, I don't think at that point he would have attempted to attack Ross and Schwartz. I think it's likely he would have fled. But, I digress. All around this was a fascinating read and I would recommend.