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A review by thechadow
The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century by Kirk Wallace Johnson
informative
medium-paced
2.75
This book would be 4.5/5 stars from me if it ended after part 2. Unfortunately, the author spends part 3 inserting themselves into the pursuit of "justice unserved." The author on many occasions calls into question the suspect's Asperger's diagnosis which was central to their legal defense.
The author, an American researching a crime committed in the United Kingdom, is incapable of imagining restorative justice, and is focused exclusively on punitive measures. Part 3 is really filled with the American & colonialist ideal of exporting one's own beliefs onto a situation which does not involve oneself.
During an interview he conducted, the author quotes himself in the book as having said: "Emotionally, wouldn't [jail time & withholding the suspect's degree] have been somewhat satisfying?"
No. It wouldn't be.
The author, an American researching a crime committed in the United Kingdom, is incapable of imagining restorative justice, and is focused exclusively on punitive measures. Part 3 is really filled with the American & colonialist ideal of exporting one's own beliefs onto a situation which does not involve oneself.
During an interview he conducted, the author quotes himself in the book as having said: "Emotionally, wouldn't [jail time & withholding the suspect's degree] have been somewhat satisfying?"
No. It wouldn't be.
Content Warnings
Minor: Colonisation and Mental illness