<![CDATA[While They Slept: An Inquiry into the Murder of a Family]]>

false <![CDATA[While They Slept: An Inquiry into the Murder of a Family]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255617327m/2048874.jpg 2048874 2 Early on an April morning, eighteen-year-old Billy Frank Gilley, Jr., killed his sleeping parents. Surprised in the act by his younger sister, Becky, he turned on her as well. Billy then climbed the stairs to the bedroom of his other sister, Jody, and said, “We’re free.” But is one ever free after an unredeemable act of violence? The Gilley family murders ended a lifetime of physical and mental abuse suffered by Billy and Jody at the hands of their parents. And it required each of the two survivors–one a convicted murderer, the other suddenly an orphan–to create a new identity, a new life. In this mesmerizing book, bestselling writer Kathryn Harrison brilliantly uncovers the true story behind a shocking and unforgettable crime as she explores the impact of escalating violence and emotional abuse visited on the children of a deeply troubled family. With an artistry that recalls Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood, Norman Mailer’s The Executioner’s Song, and her own The Kiss, Harrison reveals the antecedents of the murders–of a crime of such violence that it had the power to sever past from present–and the consequences for Billy and for Jody. Weaving in meditations on her own experience of parental abuse, Harrison searches out answers to the question of how survivors of violent trauma shape a future when their lives have been divided into Before and After. Based on interviews with Billy and Jody as well as with friends, police, and social workers involved in the case, While They Slept is Kathryn Harrison’s unflinching inquiry into the dark heart of violence in an American family, and a personal quest to understand how young people go on after tragedy–to examine the extent as well as the limits of psychic resilience. The New York Times called Kathryn Harrison’s The Kiss “a powerful piece of writing, a testament to evil and hope.” The same could be said about While They Slept. 2053810 10 6 2008 While They Slept: An Inquiry into the Murder of a Family total:227|5:8|4:53|3:80|2:66|1:20| 227 644 477 88 2 6 false false Sun Jul 13 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Jun 26 15:09:03 -0700 2008 Sun Jul 13 09:03:39 -0700 2008 more...]]> 1 4 false false Sat Jul 05 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Jun 17 06:38:06 -0700 2008 Wed Aug 06 07:43:46 -0700 2008 more...]]> 1 1 false false Sat Jan 24 12:27:46 -0800 2009 Sat Jan 24 12:46:38 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 1 false false Sun Jun 22 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sun Jun 08 19:03:12 -0700 2008 Sun Jun 22 09:54:54 -0700 2008 more...]]> 0 1 false false Thu Feb 05 09:58:55 -0800 2009 Thu Feb 05 09:58:55 -0800 2009 Kathryn Harrison has clearly done her research. She gained the trust of both Billy and Jody, which resulted in multiple interviews and access to their personal papers. The narrative fairly buzzes with warmth and concern for the siblings. However, some critics, deeming it intrusive and pompous, took ...

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The author's insistence of bringing herself and her own history into this book drove me nuts. Why was she continually trying to compare herself to the Gilleys? Often these were forced compar...more...]]> 3 1 false false Mon Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Wed Dec 10 07:22:27 -0800 2008 Wed Dec 10 08:05:11 -0800 2008 more...]]> 2 1 false false Sun Apr 26 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Apr 26 11:22:29 -0700 2009 Sun Apr 26 12:21:22 -0700 2009
When she was 16 years old, subject Jody Gilley awoke when she heard her younger sister being murdered by her older brother, after he had already bludgeoned both of their parents to ...more...]]> 2 0 false false Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Wed Feb 25 23:03:52 -0800 2009 Sun Mar 01 21:23:15 -0800 2009 1
i have a few problems with it. kathryn harrison previously wrote books on her own experiences with abuse, which i have not read and know only about from this book. in this book before telling the...more...]]> 1 1 false false Mon Feb 16 06:10:21 -0800 2009 Sun Feb 15 14:19:03 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 16 06:10:21 -0800 2009 3 0 false false Tue Jan 13 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Thu Jan 08 00:26:37 -0800 2009 Thu Jan 15 02:29:49 -0800 2009
I liked the story and I liked the research and the way the story is presented totally non se...more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Dec 15 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Tue Dec 16 06:23:05 -0800 2008 Tue Dec 16 06:30:12 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Jul 25 18:52:33 -0700 2009 Sat Jul 25 19:03:37 -0700 2009 The Kiss is about her romantic relationship with her biological father.
While They Slept is about the murder of the Gilley family by the only son, Billy. He kills his mother, fathe...more...]]> 3 1 false false Sun Oct 26 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Aug 15 09:23:51 -0700 2008 Fri Oct 31 15:23:34 -0700 2008 1 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat Dec 13 16:27:49 -0800 2008 Sat Dec 13 16:33:48 -0800 2008 more...]]> 2 0 false false Sat Feb 28 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Fri Feb 20 17:07:03 -0800 2009 Sat Feb 28 04:58:05 -0800 2009 While They Slept is Kathryn Harrison’s rendering of the murder, its precipitating events, and its aftermath based on research that includ...more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu Apr 23 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Apr 16 12:34:00 -0700 2009 Thu Apr 23 15:12:39 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Aug 27 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Aug 22 18:24:35 -0700 2008 Wed Aug 27 06:20:26 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Jul 13 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat Jul 05 08:39:05 -0700 2008 Mon Jul 14 08:52:24 -0700 2008 Well, I finished it. But I'm still not crazy about the writing itself--mannered, impenetrable at times, and just workman-like in general.

However, the narrative itself is compelling. After suffering years of physical and emotional abuse, Billy Gilley beats his parents and youngest...more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Aug 27 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sun Jun 08 03:43:27 -0700 2008 Wed Aug 27 15:12:21 -0700 2008 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=2048874