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Jun 23, 2010

Alicia rated it:

The author makes the arguable statement that 2 most failed groups of people in the last decade are the Iraq (and all recent war) veterans and the residents of New Orleans after hurricane Katrina. And Zach, the subject of this book, was both. This book isn't so much a question of "why did this horrible act of violence happen" as it is "why can't we take care of each other more?"

I enjoyed how it was like a mini lesson in both the Iraq war (which I feel very un-schoole More...

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May 16, 2010

Humangirl rated it:

I just finished reading this book & agree with Doug that this is short stories; (1) the story of the 527 MP Co. in Iraq & Afghanistan (2) Mr. Brown's experiences living in post-Katrina New Orleans, which I have no interest in. Mr. Brown is also very obvious with his sympathies to Zack Bowen. He attempts to justify why Zack killed then dismembered Addie.

Quite honestly, I was appalled that while Mr. Brown was humanizing Zack Bowen he painted a picture that other murderers in post-Kat More...

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Mar 01, 2010

Doug rated it:

This book is about Zachary Bown, who, on a morning in New Orleans, goes to an expensive hotel and spends the afternoon drinking. After a while he goes up to the roof of the hotel and throws himself off to his death. The police find in his pocket a suicide note that is also a confession to a murder. He has killed and dismembered his girlfriend Addie Hall, and the note leads the police to their shared apartment.

Although this is a true crime novel, it cannot focus on the police i More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Oct 27, 2009

Brenda rated it:

I wrote a long, quite possibly fabulous review of Shake the Devil Off and then accidentally deleted it. Basically what I wanted to say was that it was quite clear that Ethan Brown's sympathies were with Zachary Bowen, who strangled and dismembered girlfriend Addie Hall in 2006. We read of numerous interviews with Zack's family, friends, co-workers, and military colleagues but do not hear from anyone who knew Addie outside of the few years she spent in the French Quarter. Brown even travels out o More...

4 comments like (2 people liked it)

May 28, 2010

Ken rated it:

I picked this up during my annual visit to New Orleans for Jazzfest. Along with great music and food the festival is a celebration of the arts which includes writings by NO authors or writings about New Orleans.That;'s where I picked up "Shake the Devil Off." Ethan Brown's true crime story is about New Orleans (and Katrina), but ambitiously branches out to include the broader issue of PTSD in Iraq/Afghanistan war veterans. It's potent stuff and there is a lesson to be learned from th More...

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Oct 20, 2009

Denali rated it:

This book is two books. The first tries to reconstruct the life of Zack Bowen and is full of thoughtful insights, good reporting, and detailed descriptions of New Orleans, Kosovo & Iraq. It's well written if a little heavy handed in parts.My biggest complaint is the lack of background on Addie Hall (the murder victim) outside of her life in New Orleans.

The second book is the story of Ethan Brown reconstructing the life of Zack Bowen, a far less interesting book subject to ramblings More...

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Nov 11, 2009

Tom rated it:

Very atypical of a "true crime" read, Brown delves into some of the causes of the psychological breakdown of Veterans afflicted by PTSD. It is not presented as an excuse for the protagonist's actions, rather as a challenge (should be demand) for the VA to acknowledge, properly diagnose and treat PTSD. As it is now, VA counselors are encouraged to mis-diagnose or mis-label Vets and active duty Military with PTSD. PTSD plays a big part in the unconscionable suicide rate of returning V More...

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Apr 23, 2011

Crystal rated it:

The Bowen/Hall folie-a-deux utterly shocked already-fragile post-Katrina/levee break New Orleans.

This is a solid piece of reporting on the murder-suicide with speculation on the perpetrator/victim cycle of psychological trauma, but Ethan Brown was forced by circumstance (primarily the understandable non-cooperation past a certain point of the Hall and Bowen families) to leave a lot between the lines.

Brown's book is good companion reading to season 2 of the HBO televisi More...

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Nov 17, 2009

Karen rated it:

This was a story that was unfamiliar to me. I think I might have seen it on the news, but we're fairly far away from NO. It is, in part, the story of a murder-suicide that happened not long after Hurricane Katrina - and a pretty gory, horrific one that ended when the murderer jumped off the balcony of a hotel building.

It's also, in part, a story about the shameful way that we (and yes, I do mean all of us; this is funded by OUR tax dollars, yours and mine) treat our veterans. Espe More...

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Jun 03, 2010

Carla rated it:

The author finally admits, when the book is almost complete, that he is sympathetic to the murderer. He stops shy of this admission, actually, writing that his wife felt he was, to the point of being angry with him. This book is an apology for the murderer, and the author forgot that the murder was not a quick act of passion, but rather a planned, gruesome saga that involved living with the corpse for over two weeks, and setting up a horrid tableau in order to scar those who followed the instruc More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 12, 2009

Lisa rated it:

I have a lot of thoughts about this book and I don't know how to even begin to put them into words.
This book is so much more than I thought it was going to be. I bought it because I spend a lot of time in New Orleans and was familiar with The murder/suicide of Addie and Zach. I had even met Addie once when she was bartending at the Spotted Cat. I thought it was going to be another grisly "true crime" recap of the horrific details of the murder. I was not expecting to read such a More...

2 comments like (2 people liked it)

Oct 14, 2009

Katrina rated it:

I found parts of this book interesting and I did finish it, so that says something but overall, this book was underwhelming.
However Brown tries to draw a parallel between our military's indifference to many of its veterans and the indifference that our government showed during Katrina. The parallel is easy to make because Addie Hall was murdered in New Orleans and Addie and Zack decided to ride out the hurricane and subsequent tragedy in the French Quarter rather than evacuating. But t More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Feb 13, 2009

Big Apple Book Addict rated it:

I started this book late last night and was completely drawn into the story. It's horrific and fascinating. While being a close and personal look at the life and death of Zach Bowen and his girlfriend Addie Hall, it is also a close examination of post-Katrina New Orleans and veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. It is truly sad how as a government we have utterly failed both the people of New Orleans and our soldiers returning from war.

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Nov 10, 2009

Sarah rated it:

The author did a great job researching Zack Bowen, but I found myself thinking it was unfair to Addie. Almost all of the background on her was negative, with just a few scattered compliments about her being "a poet" or "artistic." But I also realize that because she came from such a messed up former life, there probably weren't a whole lot of resources who knew her well or wanted to speak to the author about her.

I did appreciate the background on the war, and I a More...

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Oct 17, 2009

Gina rated it:

"I don't want realism, I want magic."---Blanche DuBois
A Streetcar Named Desire
Thomas Lanier Williams III of Columbus, Mississippi
Tennessee Williams

Eris, Goddess of Discord and Strife

"nothing is funnier than unhappiness"---Samuel Beckett

"narcissistic wound" - transitioning from the military to a low-level civilian job

US Marines: FIDO "F it and drive on"

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Feb 23, 2011

Jason (FNORDinc) rated it:

i did not enjoy this book but my wife did.
after 3 chapters, i was wishing i had never started it. being a true crime buff, i thought this would be up my alley, but really couldnt get into it.

my wife however, clearly liked this. it is not one that she would have picked up on her own. she stated that it should be read for the story, but if no other reason exists, to raise awareness of how our troops are mistreated and psychologically damaged/misdiagnosed upon their return to home af More...

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Dec 04, 2009

Mary rated it:

I liked this book, but it seems as if were three magazines articles bound together. A long article on the murder, a historic treatise on the military and PTSD's -- I particularly like how the name for it has changed over the years -- and a shorter memoir on how the author and his wife are adjusting to their life in New Orleans.

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Aug 18, 2010

Marianne rated it:

The title gives away the subject but what I found most fascinating was the background the author gave on what life was like for the people who stayed in New Orleans during Katrina and how they made their way in the storm's aftermath. This was a side of Katrina I had never really heard about, that in the true spirit of the city, found a sense of joy in tragedy. And the story of the actual crime was good as well.

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May 06, 2010

Kimberly rated it:

An excellent read! I finished the whole thing in one sitting! The author did a really great job, and spent a couple of years interviewing people who were directly involved with the case. So, there's not much speculation, but instead, a wealth of first-hand accounts about this true, gruesome story.

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Feb 09, 2010

Salaryman63 rated it:

A very strange story-the madness that ensues is hard see coming. Brown seems to tie much of it to experiences endured in Iraq but it seems to be a stretch. Good read, especially if on vacation. Moves quickly and is well written.

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Oct 06, 2009

Stacy rated it:

A really great book about a horrific New Orleans murder that shocked America - also a fascinating look at how we treat our vets and a wonderful history and in-depth look at New Orleans...one of my favorite places in the world.

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Feb 28, 2010

Lisa rated it:

I like true crime books, but this book had very little on the crime. Wasn't a "who done it" but had interesting things about the aftermath of Katrina and the life of a solider in and after the Iraq War.

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Oct 18, 2009

Florence rated it:

This was a description of New Orleans before and after Katrina and life in the military in Iraq as much as it was about the infamous murder where Zack strangled and dismembered his girlfriend, Addie. The author evokes sympathy for both the victim and her killer.

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Jan 11, 2012

Krys rated it:

That was a truely chilling story about a man that went completely off his rocker. Not only was that a very selfish thing for him to do by commiting suicide but chopping up his girlfriend to pieces was just disgusting.

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Apr 10, 2010

Mary rated it:

Eh, Bowen falls victim to the Jon Krakauer tendency of inserting oneself into the narrative. While he does manage to bring some humanity to the players in this gruesome crime, he also does a lot of heavy lifting and extrapolating to try and turn it into a narrative of how one person's tragedy illustrates the failure of the federal government. While PTSD and lack of support for Iraq vets played a major role in this murder, you get the sense after all the background about Zack Bowen (and major cri More...

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Jun 17, 2010

Melissa rated it:

Seems to draw itself out way longer than it should have. But I kept on cause I sure do love New Orleans!!

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Jan 27, 2010

Kim rated it:

An amazing tragic story about a young man, Zack, pushed beyond his limits. At 18 he drops out of high school. During this party time, he becomes a father. In an attempt to provide for his family, he enlists in the army. He is sent to Kosovo and Iraq. When he comes back - he doesn't return to his "normal". His wife leaves him. Clearly suffering from PTSD, he moves back to New Orleans and meets a free-spirit, Addie. Addie has her own deamons and together they bring out the worst More...

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Nov 29, 2009

Clif rated it:

Strange, gory murder, but a strong indictment of military policy on treating war traumas.

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Sep 27, 2009

Shandra rated it:

Had to skip some chapters, wasn't too interested in Zack's military experience. However when Zack and Addie meet one another the excitement began.

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Jul 28, 2011

Margaret added it

Pretty sure David Simon is spooling out a thinly disguised version of this as a plot point on Treme.

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