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14th out of 15 books
—
7 voters
Inside the Mind of Casey Anthony: A Psychological Portrait
by
Keith Ablow
The trial of twenty-five year old Casey Anthony for the death of her daughter Caylee was the most sensational case in America since O.J. Simpson’s—with a verdict every bit as stunning. After being acquitted in July 2011, Ms. Anthony instantly became one of the most infamous women in the world. Dr. Keith Ablow distills tens of thousands of pages of documents he has obtaine
Hardcover, 256 pages
Published
November 22nd 2011
by St. Martin's Press
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The information about her family history was interesting but I got tired of the metaphor about there being no oxygen in the family home and Casey psychologically dying in childhood. The first time I read that it was fine but it was repeated so many times that it became repetitive. Also the description of Casey giving birth in the presence of George was appalling the first time but it was referred to so many times I felt like saying yes, I know I remember! I also could have done without all the t...more
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After finishing "Inside the Mind of Casey Anthony: A Psychological Portrait" by Keith Ablow, I did not feel I had gotten inside Casey's mind.
Some of the book is interesting, especially the psychological parts, yet it was all conjecture based on author's interviews with "sources in several states", review of thousands of pages of legal documents, reviews of videotaped testimony, and many years of experience as a forensic psychiatrist.
Ablow seems to crucify both George and Cindy Anthony. He pick...more
Some of the book is interesting, especially the psychological parts, yet it was all conjecture based on author's interviews with "sources in several states", review of thousands of pages of legal documents, reviews of videotaped testimony, and many years of experience as a forensic psychiatrist.
Ablow seems to crucify both George and Cindy Anthony. He pick...more
It was actually a fascinating peek into the mind of the author, Keith Ablow since he was basing his hypothesis about Casey Anthony upon nothing but pure speculation and imagination. While, there could be an actual case for Casey Anthony having "Identity Suppression Syndrome," we will probably never know because Ablow never interviewed her nor spent any time with the suspect accused of murdering her small daughter, Caylee. I tired of hearing Ablow repeating ad nauseaum his conviction that Cindy A...more
Inside the Mind of Casey Anthony: A Psychological Portrait...wouldn't you think, by that title, you would get some insight as to what psychological issues Casey Anthony faced? Wouldn't you think you, from an author who is a forensic psychologist you would get some actual psychological theories as to why the players in this case acted the way they did?
You would think, wouldn't you?
But no, Keith Ablow, M.D. plays a lot of "in my imagination Casey is thinking this" or if I had been there this is...more
You would think, wouldn't you?
But no, Keith Ablow, M.D. plays a lot of "in my imagination Casey is thinking this" or if I had been there this is...more
This book was really really good. I love stories like these - although they are sad and a bit creepy, i'm so entertained by them. This was the story of Casey Anthony, who most people know as the mother who killed her 3 year old baby girl. Now I remember a while back hating her, i thought how could anyone kill their own child? But after reading this book, my whole thought and opinion changed on Casey Anthony. The book is spoken from a physiological point of view, from a psychiatrist who studied C...more
(From Barnes & Noble Overview)
The trial of twenty-five year old Casey Anthony for the death of her daughter Caylee was the most sensational case in America since O.J. Simpson’s—with a verdict every bit as stunning. After being acquitted in July 2011, Ms. Anthony instantly became one of the most infamous women in the world.
Dr. Keith Ablow distills tens of thousands of pages of documents he has obtained, his behind-the-camera, one-on one interviews, and his decades of experience in the world o...more
The trial of twenty-five year old Casey Anthony for the death of her daughter Caylee was the most sensational case in America since O.J. Simpson’s—with a verdict every bit as stunning. After being acquitted in July 2011, Ms. Anthony instantly became one of the most infamous women in the world.
Dr. Keith Ablow distills tens of thousands of pages of documents he has obtained, his behind-the-camera, one-on one interviews, and his decades of experience in the world o...more
message 1: by Dalonna - rated it 1 star 1 minute ago
According to Dr. Ablow you could not sum up Ms. Anthony as your typical sociopath, because she tried so hard to be liked by everyone, she was so wounded by her oppressive, controlling mother, sexual abusing father and molesting brother, that she buried all reminents of her own self as a defense mechanism. She became a camillion who would be compliant and angelic, all the while she lied, stole and killed without compunction. He coined a new psyc...more
According to Dr. Ablow you could not sum up Ms. Anthony as your typical sociopath, because she tried so hard to be liked by everyone, she was so wounded by her oppressive, controlling mother, sexual abusing father and molesting brother, that she buried all reminents of her own self as a defense mechanism. She became a camillion who would be compliant and angelic, all the while she lied, stole and killed without compunction. He coined a new psyc...more
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Oh boy! This book .... Oh I don't even know what to say. I gave it 2 stars because it was mildly interesting, but really, if I had it to do again, I would skip it! To start, the book seems very "thrown together". There is no real time line, it jumps back and forth. Things of little consequence are repeated again and again. It just seemed like a rough draft to me. The author asserts his opinion more than anything. I guess in this case it would be necessary for a substantial sized book, but this w...more
The first half of this book answered questions I had about the functioning of such a person as Casey Anthony. Dr Ablow went to the trouble to investigate the family that produced her back through three dysfunctional generations.
Cindy Anthony's pathological powers of denial (to such a point that she never noticed her daughter was seven months' pregnant) are explained. I certainly have a new understanding of Casey now, even if I remain unsure about the veracity of sexual abuse charges she levied...more
Cindy Anthony's pathological powers of denial (to such a point that she never noticed her daughter was seven months' pregnant) are explained. I certainly have a new understanding of Casey now, even if I remain unsure about the veracity of sexual abuse charges she levied...more
Really not what i expected & pretty disappointing. I do not agree with some of what the author thinks happened & i think he put way too much blame on Cindy & George. Casey was a grown woman & yes she was most definatly living in a controlling dysfunctional family but many people do as well & they don't kill their child. Also i'd like to point out that she had no problem telling her parents especially her mom to fuck off on several occasions so why would it be so hard for her...more
It was an interesting read. Having watched the trial I knew much that was in this book except for the history of Cindy's parents. I didn't really like how the book pretty much blamed Cindy for everything. Cindy was the monster in this family and drove poor Casey to do something to Caylee. That's the direction the book went in and I didn't really like it. He also based his entire psychological profile on Casey being sexually abused by her father and brother. This was brought up as the opening sta...more
Mostly, just another author cashing in on the tragedy. It was interesting to read the psychological point of view, but most of what he said has for sure been said before. Bottom line: he feels the problem in the family dynamics stems from mom, Cindy... shocker, there. I would have given it more stars, for research if nothing else, had he not lent any effort to the molestation accusations. He pretty much dismissed it as part of her fantasy, but did point out her personality symptoms (psych speaki...more
From the forensic psychiatrist standpoint, Ablow wrote his view and discussed his analysis of Casey Anthony’s psyche. He traced back three generations of dysfunctional family history and credited the lack of “emotional oxygen” to Casey’s stoic lethargic behavior. He also expressed his theories in what has had happened and led to the demise of little Caylee. All the theories sound plausible. They all have their merits. The constants are 1) the dynamic of the Anthony’s household was noxious and Ca...more
I remember when this happened and how it made me want to cry for the loss of such a precious innocent little girl. I got to say I didn't settle any questions I had over this case from reading this book. While I do believe Mr. Ablow has done his job with the research needed to write a true crime book, it felt like he was trying to convince me of how innocent she was and I'm not sure she is. Lots of people have bad upbringings.
See the thing is she may not have done the killing of her little girl...more
See the thing is she may not have done the killing of her little girl...more
I really didn't like this book, and can't believe I even finished it. Nothing like his case study on Scott Peterson. To begin with, Ablow acknowledges that he was unable to interview any of the Anthony's, and yet, he professes to know them and their relationships with each other very well.
Most of his writings are pure speculation, and there are parts of the book where he freely admits that he is giving people "fictional" responses. His disdain for Casey's parents comes through over and over aga...more
Most of his writings are pure speculation, and there are parts of the book where he freely admits that he is giving people "fictional" responses. His disdain for Casey's parents comes through over and over aga...more
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I usually like his writing, but there was so much repetition in this book. Maybe to drive home the point of his theories? Generational damaged goods. No fairy tale ending for her. Did she murder her daughter? Most likely? Did she get away with it? Yes. Some argue the media has distorted the judicial system with it's need for the next hot thing. Look at this current overly tanned mother charged with taking her young daughter (a redhead!) to a tanning salon. She's been in the news for weeks now. S...more
I'm really enjoyed this book alot. But, I can't help but feel that Keith Ablow is somehow on Casey Anthonys side in all this. He defends her throughout the book. From the way he describes Casey's family and childhood, it's as if he's saying 'how can we blame Casey for killing Caylee to spite her family.' I get that her parents were weirdos/control freaks, but that in no way justifies what Casey did. It just seems like Ablow puts way too much blame on the parents for how they raised Casey. That b...more
I really liked the way he wrote and I was looking for just this type of book. At first, I disregarded this book because how could he have interviewed her or drawn any conclusion about her since she has never been truthful to anyone. Also, he never treated or worked with her in any capacity. He is a forensic psychiatrist whose job it is to piece together testimony and observations into a comprehensive whole, which is what was done here. His book is the first, in my opinion, that actually gives an...more
Not worth reading. But I read it cover to cover 'cuz I was looking for more information about the Anthonys and a life that would make one kill their child then get a Bella Vita tattoo; talk about crying every night over the loss of a daughter, then quickly segue to the cute boots and bomber jacket Casey Anthony wanted to buy when she got out of jail. It's a lot of psychobabble and rehashing of the same stuff. This author didn't do much research into the case.
Sep 20, 2012
Nora Winslow
added it
Normally not the kind of the book I would read. I'm not sure I buy his entire theory, but it was interesting to think about. One nice thing is that the author doesn't spend a lot of time conjecturing about whether or not Casey killed her daughter(which we will never know) and isn't interested in that question. He is interested in what allowed Casey and the people around her to react the way they did after Caylee's death.
Can you give a book negative stars? He never talked to Anthony or her parents....you cannot diagnosis someone you have never met....when I started reading it, I thought that he just couldn't understand what happened and needed to justify it in his own mind and so wrote this book....it turns out, he's written at least one more of these "Inside the mind..." books....he is capitalzing on a case, trying to make money....
I was pretty disappointed with this book. A low speculates far too much. While there is some insight offered into Anthony's state of mind, much of this book is supposition upon supposition. I worry that a layperson or student hoping to gain insight into criminological explanations for behavior will et an incomplete picture. Ablow's repetitive use of phrases (psychological oxygen) and excessive use of metaphors is beneath him as a professional.
This book is full of psychological Mumbo jumbo and I can't even fathom half of it is true. The author claims the Anthony family is so crazy because they do such and such....all the while I'm thinking "I know people who have done those very things and I do not think they are crazy". Well, I still think Casey Anthony killed Or had something to do with killing her daughter but this book did not convince me of that.
I enjoyed reading this book to find out details I didn't know about the Casey Anthony case and her history, but unfortunately that wasn't a big part of the book because the whole thing seemed like a giant, presumptive theory on the part of the author, Dr. Ablow. I have to say I wasn't surprised when I finished the book and read on the back cover that he's a contributor on Fox News. He seems very extreme and was also very snarky and annoying while I read. I disliked how he would butt in while rec...more
I don't like this author. I think he had too much to say from a psychological stand point for someone who has never met Casey Anthony. I think he was right about a few things, and when he finally got around to telling events that occurred before the trial it was interesting, but he made too many excuses for Caseys actions. The book seemed to me to be more about the mind of Cindy Anthony.
I only was able to stand eighty pages of this gossip magazine posing as a novel. Painful to read, the author uses pure fiction to justify Casey's actions. He makes a scapegoat out of Cindy and George harping on alleged sexual molestation and family history. Ablow has no evidence or connection to the Anthony family to back up his ideas. I'd recommend this to anyone looking to torture themselves.
I enjoyed this book because it put forth a theory and then analyzed and supported it. The author wrote it in an interesting way, providing actual texts of interviews and conversations. I think that he made a lot of sense out of a situation that made no sense and resulted in the death of an innocent child--for which no one was held accountable.
In my opinion this was a terrible book! Not only did the author get some of the facts wrong there were multiple spelling and grammar mistakes. Further I found the comments by the author to be crude and led me to question his credibility. It took me about a day to read the entire book and the whole time I think I was thinking this writer is a narcissist! The only way I would recommend this book is for the sheer curiosity of how bad it really is
Interesting and somewhat disturbing. For those that followed the case a lot of what the book is about doesn't surprise you, but the details and analysis are something I hadn't thought of before. As sad as it is to think, Caylee may be better off where she is now than where she would have been today; that family is unhealthy.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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| Child killer Casey Anthony | 4 | 12 | Nov 18, 2012 08:34pm |
Keith Russell Ablow is an American psychiatrist, New York Times best-selling author, and television personality.
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