Mark Obbie's Blog, page 49
January 22, 2013
Why young men kill their mothers
The same day God’s Nobodies was published, December 14, Adam Lanza committed the same crime as Tim Ginocchetti when he killed his mother. Then Lanza went far beyond that at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Comparisons are dangerous, especially when we … Continue reading →
January 21, 2013
Seneca Falls, Selma, and Stonewall
From President Obama’s second inaugural speech today, Martin Luther King Day: … [W]e have always understood that when times change, so must we…. We, the people, still believe that every citizen deserves a basic measure of security and dignity…. We, … Continue reading →
Appearance this Wednesday at SU
I will be speaking at Syracuse University this Wednesday afternoon, January 23, about God’s Nobodies. My talk is titled “Criminal Justice Journalism and the Politics of Fear: Finding the balance between education and entertainment in true-crime narratives.” The event is sponsored … Continue reading →
January 20, 2013
“My family broke up with me”
Comedian Sabrina Jalees offers this alternately funny and sad commentary on her decision to come out to her family — and the family’s decision to shun her. No, they’re not evangelical Christians. They’re Muslims. And that brings up an important … Continue reading →
January 17, 2013
A hometown-author story
Now my neighbors know what I’ve been working on. The Daily Messenger, in Canandaigua, New York, published this front-page story today on God’s Nobodies. The story, by the paper’s managing editor Allison Cooper, talks about the timing (coinciding with mass … Continue reading →
“Propaganda or worse”
A commenter identifying himself or herself as “Thad” has posted a lengthy rebuttal to God’s Nobodies. Thad attempted to post it multiple places throughout this site. Given its length and how repetitive that would be, I’ll save him or her … Continue reading →
January 16, 2013
Letter from prison
Tim Ginocchetti wrote to me this week with his first reactions to God’s Nobodies, the book about what led to and followed his murder of his mother. Because inmates are barred from using computers and the Internet, Tim needed what’s … Continue reading →
Prison practices exposed
One of many knocks on journalists is that we’re superficial in our coverage of crime: “if it bleeds it leads,” and all that stuff about sensationalism over all else. That’s why it’s a good idea to look at winners of … Continue reading →
January 15, 2013
Today’s students get to “meet” Tim
Syracuse University’s independent student newspaper the Daily Orange published a story today by Kristin Ross about God’s Nobodies. I’m grateful for the opportunity to expose today’s campus community to a sad but instructive story about one of its own, Tim … Continue reading →
Appearing on Rochester radio today
I will be talking about God’s Nobodies today on WXXI (1370 AM), the Rochester public radio station, starting after the 1 p.m. NPR newscast. I’m a guest on regular talk-show host Bob Smith’s “1370 Connection.” I expect it to be … Continue reading →
