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The Mad Bomber of New York: The Extraordinary True Story of the Manhunt That Paralyzed a City
Between 1940 and 1957, 33 bombs--strategically placed in Grand Central, Penn Station, Radio City Music Hall, Macy's and other populous areas of New York--paralyzed the city, sending shockwaves of fear through an unsuspecting public.
George Metesky, the �Mad Bomber,” unleashed a reign of terror that reverberated through America's social, legal, and political landscape, ultim...more
George Metesky, the �Mad Bomber,” unleashed a reign of terror that reverberated through America's social, legal, and political landscape, ultim...more
Hardcover, 336 pages
Published
April 5th 2011
by Union Square Press
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********Whole-Review Spoiler Alert Y'all!**********
"So Monica," you might say, "what are you reading?"
"Oh, this?" I will answer. "It's a nonfiction book called The Mad Bomber of New York: The Extraordinary True Story of the Manhunt that Paralyzed a City."
"Holy crap! That sounds awesome! So he bombed people, huh?!"
"No, actually, he mostly planted bombs in public places, like movie theaters and subway restrooms."
"How many bombs did he plant?! It must have been a lot to paralyze a city!"
"Well, he s...more
"So Monica," you might say, "what are you reading?"
"Oh, this?" I will answer. "It's a nonfiction book called The Mad Bomber of New York: The Extraordinary True Story of the Manhunt that Paralyzed a City."
"Holy crap! That sounds awesome! So he bombed people, huh?!"
"No, actually, he mostly planted bombs in public places, like movie theaters and subway restrooms."
"How many bombs did he plant?! It must have been a lot to paralyze a city!"
"Well, he s...more
This is an excellent piece of "creative nonfiction." George Metesky's reign of terror was world-famous at the time, but nearly forgotten today, and this is the only full-length book I've found on his case. The author covers Metesky's life, the development of mental illness, his dispute with Con. Ed. and his resulting crimes, as well as the police effort, criminal profiling and journalist/police cooperation that lead to his capture.
In spite of his dangerousness and lack of remorse I had to feel s...more
In spite of his dangerousness and lack of remorse I had to feel s...more
Move Over, Vincent Bugliosi: The Particularly Fine Writing of Michael M. Greenburg
Writing books about true crimes requires a lot form the author: meticulous research not only into the actual crimes being described but equally fine tuned research into the period in which the crime(s) took place and a psychoanalyst's intensity of examination of the perpetrator of those crimes. Michael M. Greenberg ha few peers in his chosen field of writing: the only one who comes to mind is fellow attorney Vincen...more
Writing books about true crimes requires a lot form the author: meticulous research not only into the actual crimes being described but equally fine tuned research into the period in which the crime(s) took place and a psychoanalyst's intensity of examination of the perpetrator of those crimes. Michael M. Greenberg ha few peers in his chosen field of writing: the only one who comes to mind is fellow attorney Vincen...more
May 12, 2011
Richard
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
History buffs; anyone who likes true crime.
Recommended to Richard by:
I was intrigued by the subject.
This case was mentioned in another book I was reading about a serial/mass murderer who used the name of the bomber, George Metesky (aka Milauskas, Miliauskas, Mallauskas, Mulesky or Molusky). Not that his family used these names to avoid the authorities, it's just how it ended up being pronounced or spelled by non-Lithuanians.
This book covers events from 1903, when George was born, to his death in 1994. Along the way we get a lot of local history of the mental health system, the police and their...more
This book covers events from 1903, when George was born, to his death in 1994. Along the way we get a lot of local history of the mental health system, the police and their...more
Received this book from First Reads. Thanks! This was one of the best true crime books I've read. It is engaging and does not lose you in technical jargon. It flows nicely, very readable.
The story of George Metesky is one I had never heard of before, and I was surprised that something like the planting of bombs around New York City could be something sustained for 16 years. It is incredible to me that this was what lead to modern criminal profiling and yet I've heard so little of it until now.
Th...more
The story of George Metesky is one I had never heard of before, and I was surprised that something like the planting of bombs around New York City could be something sustained for 16 years. It is incredible to me that this was what lead to modern criminal profiling and yet I've heard so little of it until now.
Th...more
first reads book (advance reading copy)
First page:
"Between 1940 and 1957, 33 bombs- strategically placed ... paralyzed the city...."
This is bad copy. It implies that the city was "paralyzed" for 17 years. I doubt the city was even terrified for anywhere near that long. Come on people, be judicious with your use of hyperbole.
Anyway, I was skeptical going in based on this overheated blurb and was not encouraged by several instances of sloppy editing, from typos to improperly phrased idioms. (I...more
First page:
"Between 1940 and 1957, 33 bombs- strategically placed ... paralyzed the city...."
This is bad copy. It implies that the city was "paralyzed" for 17 years. I doubt the city was even terrified for anywhere near that long. Come on people, be judicious with your use of hyperbole.
Anyway, I was skeptical going in based on this overheated blurb and was not encouraged by several instances of sloppy editing, from typos to improperly phrased idioms. (I...more
Thank you for sending me this ARC, I truley enjoyed reading this book.
This is a very interesting, well researched and intriguing look into the making of the man who kept New Yorkers in the grip of uncertainty for years. Reading this book you are told of events that changed a seemingly ordinary man into a bomber capable of improving his techniques and hiding places over the years, resulting in bombs still left in hiding. The extent of the authors research shines as you get glimpses into the worki...more
This is a very interesting, well researched and intriguing look into the making of the man who kept New Yorkers in the grip of uncertainty for years. Reading this book you are told of events that changed a seemingly ordinary man into a bomber capable of improving his techniques and hiding places over the years, resulting in bombs still left in hiding. The extent of the authors research shines as you get glimpses into the worki...more
Was pleased to win this from first read.
I found the story of the Mad Bomber aka George Metesky to be fascinating. I could help but feel for the man and his perceived injustice. His sheer determination writing countless, to no avail which forced him to what he felt was proper escalation. Then the ingenuity of his earlier bombs and his use of a Parke-Davis throat disc for a timer was particularly interesting. It also covers the birth of criminal profiling and the mental health system to a small ex...more
I found the story of the Mad Bomber aka George Metesky to be fascinating. I could help but feel for the man and his perceived injustice. His sheer determination writing countless, to no avail which forced him to what he felt was proper escalation. Then the ingenuity of his earlier bombs and his use of a Parke-Davis throat disc for a timer was particularly interesting. It also covers the birth of criminal profiling and the mental health system to a small ex...more
Somewhere between the biography, true crime, and history genres, this book details the hunt and subsequent capture of George Metesky, nicknamed the Mad Bomber by the New York press, and his sixteen-year “career” of placing bombs all over New York City. This is an entertaining read that packs a ton of information and a variety of issues into its pages. It’s somewhere between a mindless, fast-paced account and a dry, methodical analysis of the legal issues (competency to stand trial, bomb squad pr...more
An interesting read for me. Hadn't heard of the Mad Bomber of New York before reading the book. George Metesky was truly off his rocker. His logic for the bombings are just as off the wall as he was. He was upset that his former employer, Con Ed, wouldn't compensate him for an on the job injury. You'd think after 33 bombs over 16 years, and he didn't get Con Ed's attention, he would have changed his tactics. not so. If he was really smart he would have tried to knock out one their power plants....more
George Metesky made tiny little bombs, and and planted them around New York City for more than 16 years. You would think that would make a chilling and exciting story. And it probably would (or will) someday. Very well researched, with many primary sources, the author uses word-for-word descriptions and reactions from first-person or print, and it just does not tie together and make an interesting book.
I might say one reason is that Mr. Metesky was a one-note character, a paranoid schizophrenic...more
I might say one reason is that Mr. Metesky was a one-note character, a paranoid schizophrenic...more
I enjoyed this book very much. It was informative and interesting. The information about the history of profiling was instructive and thought provoking. The efforts made by the police at that time would seem amateurish to most people today due to the many profiling detective shows on television that we all watch at one time or another, but this is the way new methods are discovered and brought into public awareness.
I felt that the most telling part of the story, however, was what it showed can...more
I felt that the most telling part of the story, however, was what it showed can...more
I was very pleased to get a First Reads review copy of this book. I had vaguely heard about the subject, but didn't really know much about it. It's a true crime story that probably very few people know about, unless they actually lived through the events in New York in the 1940s and 1950s.
The first two-thirds of the book -- describing the early life, crime spree, manhunt, and eventual capture of George Metesky, the "Mad Bomber" -- moves along briskly, and is genuinely engrossing. The author desc...more
The first two-thirds of the book -- describing the early life, crime spree, manhunt, and eventual capture of George Metesky, the "Mad Bomber" -- moves along briskly, and is genuinely engrossing. The author desc...more
Between 1940 and 1957, 33 bombs--strategically placed in Grand Central, Penn Station, Radio City Music Hall, Macy's and other populous areas of New York--paralyzed the city, sending shockwaves of fear through an unsuspecting public.
George Metesky, the “Mad Bomber,” unleashed a reign of terror that reverberated through America's social, legal, and political landscape, ultimately spurring the birth of modern criminal profiling when a crime psychiatrist was called in to assist in the manhunt. Comp...more
George Metesky, the “Mad Bomber,” unleashed a reign of terror that reverberated through America's social, legal, and political landscape, ultimately spurring the birth of modern criminal profiling when a crime psychiatrist was called in to assist in the manhunt. Comp...more
Knowing nothing about George Metesky, I found this to be a fascinating read. It was well written and highly entertaining. Greenburg does a great job with the main characters in this story. The only complaint I have is that he could have spent more time detailing some of the more major bombings. It seems like there must be more info out there considering the massive amount of media coverage at the time. Even more excerpts from Metesky's obsessive letter writing campaigns would have been nice to s...more
A good solid story. Good writing. But it seemed to drag and wasn't very dramatic...could be I had just read Columbine and it was so jarring that this seemed a tamer crime. Interesting how the "Mad Bomber" outlived everyone involved even with his illness and it was interesting how his case helped change how the legal system treats the mentally unstable. A solid history book.
Fascinating! it took me a couple of chapters to get into it but once i did, it was gripping. Very well researched. I knew absolutely nothing about this historic case and I'm embarassed by this now. This case had such an impact on so many things: criminal profiling, mental health in the law, workers compensation. And not to mention future "anarchists." you hear so many news stories now of workers who are mistreated by their employers and take drastic measures - here is a prime example - this man...more
This book is fantastic...well written and unbelievable! There are times that I wish an author would do a Q&A section and this is def. one of those books. I have so many questions for the author re: this story. I don't know if he meant to but it is amazing how much the NYPD came off looking like keystone cops. It didn't come across as the author's intention, but I just keep shaking my head about how long it took to catch this guy! The aspect of the book re: criminal profiling was also amazing...more
Interesting story, especially the psychological profiling and the mental hospital information, BUT the writer relied on cliched language anytime he tried to give "color" to the story. I would have preferred if he had skipped that sweaty effort and just presented the facts.
Here is the video review!: http://dft.ba/-madbomberreview
This is a book about a man who placed dozens of bombs all around New York City in the 1940s and 50s. It's a true story and you can tell by reading it that Greenburg did his research. I found it to be very interesting. Unfotunately, it gets kind of slow at points and that really bogged the book down for me. On the other hand, some sections of the book were absolutely facinating. Such as the section about the bomber and the section about a...more
This is a book about a man who placed dozens of bombs all around New York City in the 1940s and 50s. It's a true story and you can tell by reading it that Greenburg did his research. I found it to be very interesting. Unfotunately, it gets kind of slow at points and that really bogged the book down for me. On the other hand, some sections of the book were absolutely facinating. Such as the section about the bomber and the section about a...more
Having never heard of the 'mad bomber' this was very interesting. It is clear that this book was VERY well researched, and at times the details become overwhelming. Interesting, though not a quick read.
Having grown up in NYC I was surprised I had not known anything about these bombings, so when this book became available to me through Sisterhood of the Traveling Book on Goodreads I definitely wanted to give it a try. What an intersting read! George Metesky was a disdained Con Edison worker. He became ill will working there and blamed it all on Con Ed. They would not listen so he decided to bomb public places where sadly innocent victims were harmed. It was a very well written book but I give i...more
Apr 24, 2012
Kaethe
marked it as stricken
rather slow per Monica's review
It was informative, but lacked the strong writing that makes non-fiction works really gripping or entertaining. I'm glad I read it, though.
Mar 14, 2011
Landy
marked it as to-read
Thank you Goodreads First Reads for this free book. Looking forward to reading it when I get it.
Won this on Goodreads First Reads....thanks! Can't wait to review it!!
Fascinating story of forgotten NYC history, but really overwritten.
Thanks for the ARC. While not quite what I would call a page-turner, the telling of this 'extraordinary' story kept me interested and intrigued about what would happen next. I was not staying up all night to finish it, but did breeze through it in three days. The last third of the book has a different pace to it than the first two thirds, but was by no means less fascinating, in my opinion.
As this was an ARC, I hope that the editing mistakes (and there were more than a few) will all be caught...more
As this was an ARC, I hope that the editing mistakes (and there were more than a few) will all be caught...more
I was shocked that I knew absolutely nothing about this episode. It seems like the kind of thing that should have come up somewhere in my prior reading or education, but I was a blank slate. The Mad Bomber set off a series of small pipe bombs through New York City over a 16 year period from 1940-1956 before he was finally apprehended. The book covers the personal history of George Metesky, the police investigation, and then his long trip through the justice system as a mental patient.
I enjoyed this book. It was written to keep your interest as each page turned. Only a few slow spots, but nevertheless I thought the book was well planned and gave all the interesting details without making it hard for the reader to keep their interest. This is from the point of view of someone who finds non-fiction to be too boring most of the time. I congratulate the author on writing a book that is both interesting and informative.
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Apr 23, 2012 07:03pm
Apr 24, 2012 05:45am