Over the course of twenty-five years, Dr. Helen Morrison has profiled more than eighty serial killers around the world. What she learned about them...
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Dec 17, 2009
Lisa
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As a individual who holds a psychology major, and a criminology minor I was very excited to read this book... However behind the very intriguing title, lies a very disappointing read. Dr. Morrison, has supposidly spent a great deal of her life interviewing serial killers.. but she doesn't come to any concrete conclusions regarding their personality origins in this book. After trying to read the book - maybe completing 3 chapters... possibly 4, I felt that I could have done a better job describin
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Jan 12, 2009
Buffy
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Oct 07, 2011
Jen3n
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I really think this woman has no idea what she's talking about. She makes broad definitive statements that really don't make any sense when put up against actual science; like her theory that being a serial killer is genetic and people are either born bad or they aren't. There are several other examples but I'm too irritated to get into it.
She also flip-flops and back pedals to suit what ever point she is trying to make at the time. One example is when she states that it's a myth t More...
She also flip-flops and back pedals to suit what ever point she is trying to make at the time. One example is when she states that it's a myth t More...
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Jul 17, 2011
MeganEileen
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Helen Morrison has come into a lot of criticism for this book and I must say that I agree with most of it. Here is a list of problems with the book:
1. There is absolutely no evidence that she has interviewed 80 serial killers. Most other experts deny that this is possible.
2. Her definitions of serial killers are inconsistent at best and flat out wrong at worst. This includes things such as:
A. They have confused minds incapable of impulse control or order, yet they can More...
1. There is absolutely no evidence that she has interviewed 80 serial killers. Most other experts deny that this is possible.
2. Her definitions of serial killers are inconsistent at best and flat out wrong at worst. This includes things such as:
A. They have confused minds incapable of impulse control or order, yet they can More...
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May 24, 2009
Fox
rated it: 
My Life Among the Serial Killers was a fascinating view into the debate about what drives a serial murderer to kill. Although the book became technical at times, for the most part it was written in layman's terms and in depth enough to leave the reader feeling a bit more knowledgeable in regards to the somewhat esoteric subject.
Where the book went wrong were the long (at times more than half a chapter) rants about the author's life. While I understand that it is important to realiz More...
Where the book went wrong were the long (at times more than half a chapter) rants about the author's life. While I understand that it is important to realiz More...
Apr 18, 2009
Monica
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I read this book in an effort to understand why some people turn to serial killing as well as to try to glean insight on how to avoid being a victim. I want to prepare my daughter to be safe and alert when she goes to college. I learned a lot and think I am safer because of it. Still, there are some pretty brutal and sexually explicit scenes in this book. I quit reading it after chapter five because it was too much to handle. For this reason, I would consider this book as truly adult content. If
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Jun 18, 2009
Israel
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La doctora Helen Morrison es una de las expertas en asesinos en serie de mayor prestigio en Estados Unidos y ha pasado más de cuatrocientas horas a solas en una celda con algunos de los más renombrados criminales, internándose en las profundidades de sus mentes.
El libro pretende establecer un patrón del porqué actúan los asesinos en serie, que les hace "click" y a pesar de que la experta no llega a una conclusión o un motivo determinante (nadie lo ha hecho) nos deja un buen More...
El libro pretende establecer un patrón del porqué actúan los asesinos en serie, que les hace "click" y a pesar de que la experta no llega a una conclusión o un motivo determinante (nadie lo ha hecho) nos deja un buen More...
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Oct 16, 2008
Katie
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A little too much about "my life" and not enough about "among the serial killers." I don't really care about this woman's personal life. Just tell me about the nuts, already. A lot of name dropping (if you can call it that with serial killers). The chapter about Ed Gein was totally pointless. Only included, I think, to prove she'd talked to him in person -- added nothing to the book.
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Nov 09, 2010
Bunny
rated it:
Eh.
This was interesting from a True Crime point of view. Aside from John Wayne Gacy, and a moment with Ed Gein, she discussed serial killers I didn't have knowledge of, which was extremely interesting.
I also liked that she talked of her personal interviews with them. It's a little something extra that we don't often get with True Crime.
But there wasn't anything ground breaking here. She spends too much time fawning all over her research skills, with very litt More...
This was interesting from a True Crime point of view. Aside from John Wayne Gacy, and a moment with Ed Gein, she discussed serial killers I didn't have knowledge of, which was extremely interesting.
I also liked that she talked of her personal interviews with them. It's a little something extra that we don't often get with True Crime.
But there wasn't anything ground breaking here. She spends too much time fawning all over her research skills, with very litt More...
Jan 05, 2011
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May 06, 2009
Sheryl
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My gut feeling on this book was that the author did not learn very much in her years of study. I think the book was more to convince people that she is a normal sane, empathetic person. She probably has been attacked as being odd for wanting to study serial killers. She theorizes that it is not childhood abuse that is one of the big factors that cause people to become serial killers and yet I believe all of the ones she discussed had abuse or at the least an odd childhood. I did not listen t
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Mar 23, 2009
Brandon
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This was good, Dr. Morrison has lead a pretty interesting life among serial killers. It was fascinating hearing about her time and experiences with them.
The book though is less a biography and more of a proposal. After all her years she still wants to know what makes them tick and see if it can be predicted. Most of the book reads like a proposal to government and the powers that be to let her take her research to the next level. She makes a good case and her theories are interestin More...
The book though is less a biography and more of a proposal. After all her years she still wants to know what makes them tick and see if it can be predicted. Most of the book reads like a proposal to government and the powers that be to let her take her research to the next level. She makes a good case and her theories are interestin More...
Sep 02, 2010
Elise
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I was very disappointed in this book. It did deliver interesting synopses of various serial killers histories and crimes, and parts were interesting. However, mostly the book just came across as very defensive - this woman has often testified on behalf of the defense, and half the book seemed devoted to her re-iterating her critics words and then responding to them. Lady, I don't care what your critics say, I'm just interested in what it was like to meet and work with serial killers. On a si
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Apr 09, 2010
Anna
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Very, very, VERY gripping book about the minds of serial killers and what motivates them to kill. I'm not entirely sure if I agree with all of Dr. Morrison's eventual conclusions -- I would need to read others' opinions on this subject first -- but there is no doubt that she presents very convincing contentions backed up by a plethora of knowledge and research. Have already started recommending this book to everyone I see (okay, not literally, but it is one of those rare books that makes me wa
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Dec 01, 2011
Skipper
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It's time to put this one out of its misery. I thought I might be interested in serial killers in an "it'll be good for research" kind of way, in an "I'd like to better understand why this happens" way. Turns out I'm not all that interested in serial killers.
Barely out of school, a young Helen Morrison was asked by an FBI agent who'd seen her seminar on hypnosis to interview and hypnotize murderer Richard Macek. The agent wanted to find information that might sho More...
Barely out of school, a young Helen Morrison was asked by an FBI agent who'd seen her seminar on hypnosis to interview and hypnotize murderer Richard Macek. The agent wanted to find information that might sho More...
Jan 15, 2012
Liz
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The author's primary aim here seems to be to chronicle how awesome she is. (Granted, this is something I've come to expect from authors who prominently mention their professional degree on books intended for general audiences.) In between episodes of talking about herself, Morrison throws in horrific stories about the deeds of various serial killers, some of whom she has corresponded with and some of whom she hasn't. (A few of these seem really gratuitous, despite the fact that she introduces th
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Jun 12, 2010
Ryan Zimmerman
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Interesting book, but I think the author is doing some serious wishful thinking with her theory that serial killing is a genetic defect. A lot of people, especially in the mental health profession, really want the horrible aspects of humanity to be genetic; that way it isn’t anyone’s fault. My problem here is if it is a genetic defect then where are the statistics showing the children of serial killers are more likely to be serial killers? She also has a tendency to read motives into the actions
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Sep 20, 2008
♥ Marlene♥
rated it:
on Monday, August 25, 2008 I wrote about this book:
Well Now I remember why I did not like this book although it was such an interesting subject.
I totally do not agree with most of Helen Morrison's theories. Yes I am not a doctor but I've read so many books about serial killers and books from the people that have a different opinion than she does, I think I know a little bit and she is wrong.
One thing that comes to mind. She was asked if John Wayne Gacy would have ki More...
Well Now I remember why I did not like this book although it was such an interesting subject.
I totally do not agree with most of Helen Morrison's theories. Yes I am not a doctor but I've read so many books about serial killers and books from the people that have a different opinion than she does, I think I know a little bit and she is wrong.
One thing that comes to mind. She was asked if John Wayne Gacy would have ki More...
Aug 28, 2008
Rebecca
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I find the author of this book pretentious, arrogant, and not an engaging writer. The work she presents is interesting, but her theory certainly isn't the ONLY one to explain serial killers, although she presents it as dogma. Also, the lack of appropriate use of DSM in the book is disheartening. Psychiatric terms are thrown about in the most ridiculous, inappropriate way, and the appropriate context of terms like, "borderline" and "schizophrenia" aren't explained, so the aver
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Jul 27, 2007
Dyah
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Buku dengan subjudul "Inside the Minds of the World's Most Notorious Murderers" menceritakan studi dan pengalaman dr Morrison berinteraksi dengan beberapa serial killers, antara lain Richard Macek, John Wayne Gacy dan Robert Berdella. Beberapa hal yang dapat disimpulkan dari studinya adalah, serial killers adalah orang-orang yang "cacat psikologis", mereka tidak dapat mengontrol perbuatan, pikiran dan perasaan mereka. Mereka tidak punya motif dalam pembunuhan2 yang mereka lak
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Mar 07, 2011
Loretta
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Fascinating and morbidly entertaining in a psycological case study point of view. Dr. Morrison says again and again that Serial Killers are not human and yet listening to her read her own words describing these men and women, these disturbed killers are humanized in their horrific crimes, even in a distant way. I do not agree with her hypothesis that serial murderers are genetically predisposed, but that it is a combination of nature and nurture. A great read for the criminal-psych intrigued.
Oct 19, 2010
Jackie
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Dr. Morrison's amazing ability to compartmentalize her life; spending countless hours in her pursuit to understand what drives serial killers, yet maintaining a 'soccer mom' sort of life is evident in this account of her research years. Disturbing details of conversations with her subject are shared, but with the detached objectivity of her scientific mind. This makes the book more of a study than an inflammatory shock piece. She poses questions that will stick with me.
Nov 24, 2008
Tara
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I'll always say that criminology is one of my favorite social sciences. It allows the study of human beings from a different perspective, and draws fascinating correlations between the most banal parts of everyday life to the most bizarre. Morrison's approach to each case is matter of fact, and not in the least bit lofty, like some of her other peers. I really enjoyed this work, and I'll be on the lookout to see if I can find others.
Feb 25, 2009
Willow
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I actually liked most of this book, despite the pretentiousness and how she said every couple pages that serial killers have the emotional maturity of infants and that she knows this better than anybody else. However, in the last two chapters, I think my eyes rolled so far that I saw my cerebellum. When she used the phrase "serial killer chemical" in reference to neurology, I could not read any further, and just skimmed the rest of it. She thinks she is the best thing to happen to c
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Mar 11, 2010
Dani
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Overall, well writen; however, the author does go into defense mode many times on points that more or less is irrelavent to the writer and in some ways feels like she is covering up for her own personal emotions on the subject. Although there is a working Thesis through the book (Serial Killers are born with their condition vs. they are created) the book lack any clear proof and at times Morrison proves against her own thesis.
Jan 29, 2012
Aline
rated it:
It was really interesting, but quite scary too.
The author, Helen Morrison, is called "the true Clarice Sterling", because she spent almost the entirety of her medical career in studying serial killers. After years and years of reserches, interviews and studies, Morrison established 9 characteristics that you can find in all serial killers.
Among those, surprisingly, she underlines the fact that you can't become a serial killer: you are born a serial killer. She is convinc More...
The author, Helen Morrison, is called "the true Clarice Sterling", because she spent almost the entirety of her medical career in studying serial killers. After years and years of reserches, interviews and studies, Morrison established 9 characteristics that you can find in all serial killers.
Among those, surprisingly, she underlines the fact that you can't become a serial killer: you are born a serial killer. She is convinc More...
Jan 01, 2012
Melissa
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I tried to read this, but quickly realized I did not want to understand serial killers minds - after reading the letter the cannibal wrote to the mother of the victim- I returned it back to my shelf :-) other than my own disturbances with it, I did appreciate the factual way it was written and found it interesting reading if you have the stomach for it- which I apparently don't have.
Dec 03, 2008
Ellen
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This had the potential to be interesting or creepy. It was a little bit of both. While I'm not sure how much I agreed with her analysis (not that I have a leg to stand on) I did appreciate the technical stuff. The parts I didn't like were what the cannibals had to say and the chapter where she couldn't disclose what the person said so had to tell the story through what had happened.
Sep 29, 2011
Clay
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Not a whole lot to say other than Morrison offers a perspective on serial killers that few people can...
I wish she would have defined her terms a bit more - I felt like she was using very medical definitions for certain subjects, but those definitions were not always apparent to me.
I wish she would have defined her terms a bit more - I felt like she was using very medical definitions for certain subjects, but those definitions were not always apparent to me.
Jul 27, 2011
After three decades of studying serial killers up-close-and-personal, this phychiatrist makes some very interesting and logical conclusions about their genesis. The journey to get there is gruesome and frequently caused me to wince and shake my head in astonishment.
