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A review by kaitquinn
We Keep the Dead Close: A Murder at Harvard and a Half Century of Silence by Becky Cooper
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.5
Though initially daunted by the heft of this book, the unfamiliar subject matter (anthropology/archaeology), and the journalistic style, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
I was really impressed with Becky Cooper's research, perseverance, and level of detail + how she managed to write in a way that felt engaging, despite all the details thrown at us. I like that there are multiple topics at play - Jane Britton (her life and death, the investigation of her murder), anthropology & archaeology (both as subjects and the academics/politics of it), and the misogyny & politics of the anthropology department at Harvard (and of the institution itself).
I don't think everyone will find this subject matter interesting and want to spend 500 pages with it, but I think if at least two of the above topics interest you, you might find We Keep the Dead Close an interesting read. If you're only into true crime and/or just want to know more about Jane Britton's murder, this probably isn't the book for you.
I'll note that A LOT of names come into play, sometimes with so many pages between one mention and the next, I forgot who they were. But this is only the case with maybe 2-4 people mentioned in the book.
It's also not chronological. Of course, it goes back and forth between the past and the time in which Cooper was working on the book, but it also jumps around within those time frames. This didn't really bother me, and it felt intentional. Just something to note.
I was really impressed with Becky Cooper's research, perseverance, and level of detail + how she managed to write in a way that felt engaging, despite all the details thrown at us. I like that there are multiple topics at play - Jane Britton (her life and death, the investigation of her murder), anthropology & archaeology (both as subjects and the academics/politics of it), and the misogyny & politics of the anthropology department at Harvard (and of the institution itself).
I don't think everyone will find this subject matter interesting and want to spend 500 pages with it, but I think if at least two of the above topics interest you, you might find We Keep the Dead Close an interesting read. If you're only into true crime and/or just want to know more about Jane Britton's murder, this probably isn't the book for you.
I'll note that A LOT of names come into play, sometimes with so many pages between one mention and the next, I forgot who they were. But this is only the case with maybe 2-4 people mentioned in the book.
It's also not chronological. Of course, it goes back and forth between the past and the time in which Cooper was working on the book, but it also jumps around within those time frames. This didn't really bother me, and it felt intentional. Just something to note.